The statistics command with parameters fetches specific statistics:
$ vmware-toolbox-cmd stat raw text session session = 4004861987670969122 uptime = 1036293956 version = VMware ESXi 6.0.0 build-12345 provider = uuid.bios = 56 4d 2c 53 43 56 66 8e-7c 05 fd 7e 51 1e 23 f3
Sessions change for a virtual machine with power on, suspend, revert to snapshot, vMotion, reset, or when it experiences some type of hot-plug. Statistics might be discontinuous across a session change. The reason for a session change, or whether session change constitutes a host change, is not exposed to virtual machines.
session – a cryptographically strong random number indicating the current session. Expected to contain at least 63 bits of entropy. Changes with every session.
uptime – microseconds since the last session change, as measured by the host.
version – string representation of the hypervisor version. Not expected to be parsed. A guest OS should never change its behavior based on the hypervisor version or build number.
provider – string representing the provider. Set by the ExtraConfig tools.guestlib.stat.provider and intended for use by vSphere providers such as vCloud Air. Opaque contents defined by the provider.
uuid.bios – the virtual machine’s SMBIOS UUID, cached at boot time. VMware maintains the SMBIOS UUID as a component of guest licensing; migrating a VM retains the same UUID while cloning a VM generates a different UUID. The algorithm to generate a new UUID varies from release to release. The vSphere API permits changing a VM’s UUID. Although vSphere prevents unintentional duplication of UUID, it allows deliberate UUID duplication, because legitimate workflows (such as lab environments) often require duplicated UUIDs.
