vCLI host management commands from earlier versions have been replaced with commands that have equivalent functionality.

The following table lists vCLI host management commands in alphabetical order and the corresponding ESXCLI command if available. For ESXCLI, new commands and namespaces are added with each release. See the Release Notes for the corresponding release for information.

Functionality of the DCLI command set that is being added in vSphere 6.0 and later is different from these commands. They are not included in the table.

vCLI 4.1 Command vCLI 5.1 and later Command Comment
esxcli esxcli (new syntax) All vCLI 4.1 commands have been renamed. Significant additions have been made to ESXCLI. Many tasks previously performed with a vicfg- command is now performed with ESXCLI.
resxtop

resxtop (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Supported only on Linux.

Monitors in real time how ESXi hosts use resources. Runs in interactive or batch mode.

See Using resxtop for Performance Monitoring. See the vSphere Resource Management documentation for a detailed reference.

svmotion

svmotion (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Must run against a vCenter Server system.

Moves a virtual machine’s configuration file, and, optionally, its disks, while the virtual machine is running.

See Migrating Virtual Machines with svmotion.

vicfg-advcfg esxcli system settings advanced

Performs advanced configuration.

The advanced settings are a set of VMkernel options. These options are typically in place for specific workarounds or debugging.

Use this command as instructed by VMware.

vicfg-authconfig vicfg-authconfig (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Remotely configures Active Directory settings for an ESXi host.

See Using vicfg-authconfig for Active Directory Configuration.

vicfg-cfgbackup

vicfg-cfgbackup (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Cannot run against a vCenter Server system.

Backs up the configuration data of an ESXi system and restores previously saved configuration data.

See Backing Up Configuration Information with vicfg-cfgbackup.

vicfg-dns esxcli network ip dns

Specifies an ESXi host’s DNS (Domain Name Server) configuration.

See Setting the DNS Configuration.

vicfg-dumppart esxcli system coredump

Sets both the partition (esxcli system coredump partition) and the network (esxcli system coredump network) to use for core dumps. Use this command to set up ESXi Dump Collector.

See Managing Diagnostic Partitions.

vicfg-hostops

esxcli system maintenancemode

esxcli system shutdown

Manages hosts.

Stopping, Rebooting, and Examining Hosts.

Entering and Exiting Maintenance Mode.

vicfg-ipsec esxcli network ip ipsec

Sets up IPsec (Internet Protocol Security), which secures IP communications coming from and arriving at ESXi hosts. ESXi hosts support IPsec using IPv6.

See Setting Up IPsec.

vicfg-iscsi esxcli iscsi

Manages hardware and software iSCSI storage.

See Managing iSCSI Storage.

vicfg-module esxcli system module

Enables VMkernel options. Use this command with the options listed in this document, or as instructed by VMware.

See Managing VMkernel Modules.

vicfg-mpath

vicfg-mpath35

esxcli storage core path

Configures storage arrays.

See Managing Paths.

vicfg-nas esxcli storage nfs

Manages NAS/NFS filesystems.

See Managing NFS/NAS Datastores.

vicfg-nics esxcli network nic

Manages the ESXi host's uplink adapters.

See Managing Uplink Adapters.

vicfg-ntp vicfg-ntp (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Defines the NTP (Network Time Protocol) server.

See Manage an NTP Server.

vicfg-rescan esxcli storage core adapter rescan

Rescans the storage configuration.

See Scanning Storage Adapters.

vicfg-route esxcli network ip route

Manages the ESXi host's route entry.

See Manage the IP Gateway.

vicfg-scsidevs esxcli storage core device

Finds and examines available LUNs.

See Examining LUNs.

vicfg-snmp esxcli system snmp

Manages the SNMP agent. See Managing ESXi SNMP Agents. Using SNMP in a vSphere environment is discussed in detail in the vSphere Monitoring and Performance documentation.

New options added in vCLI 5.0.

Expanded SNMP support added in vCLI 5.1.

vicfg-syslog esxcli system syslog

Specifies log settings for ESXi hosts including local storage policies and server and port information for network logging. See Configuring ESXi Syslog Services.

The vCenter Server and Host Management documentation explains how to set up system logs using the vSphere Web Client.

vicfg-user vicfg-user (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Creates, modifies, deletes, and lists local direct access users and groups of users. See Managing Users.

The vSphere Security documentation discusses security implications of user management and custom roles.

vicfg-vmknic esxcli network ip interface

Adds, deletes, and modifies VMkernel network interfaces.

See Adding and Modifying VMkernel Network Interfaces.

vicfg-volume esxcli storage filesystem

Supports resignaturing the copy of a VMFS volume, and mounting and unmounting the copy.

See Managing Duplicate VMFS Datastores.

vicfg-vswitch esxcli network vswitch

Adds or removes virtual switches or modifies virtual switch settings.

See Setting Up Virtual Switches and Associating a Switch with a Network Interface.

vifs vifs (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Performs file system operations such as retrieving and uploading files on the ESXi system.

See Managing the Virtual Machine File System with vmkfstools.

vihostupdate esxcli software vib

Updates legacy ESXi hosts to a different version of the same major release.

You cannot run vihostupdate against ESXi 5.0 and later hosts.

See Managing VMkernel Modules.

vmkfstools vmkfstools (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Creates and manipulates virtual disks, file systems, logical volumes, and physical storage devices on an ESXi host.

See Managing the Virtual Machine File System with vmkfstools.

vmware-cmd vmware-cmd (No ESXCLI equivalent)

Performs virtual machine operations remotely. This includes, for example, creating a snapshot, powering the virtual machine on or off, and getting information about the virtual machine.

See Managing Virtual Machines.