Objectives
| # | Objective |
|---|
| 1 | Understand the esxcli namespace tree structure and the get / set / list / add command pattern |
| 2 | Use esxcli ? and namespace ? to discover available commands — the self-documenting CLI pattern |
| 3 | Navigate the esxcli system namespace — version, hostname, time, settings, and maintenance mode |
| 4 | Navigate the esxcli network namespace — IP, interfaces, routing, firewall |
| 5 | Navigate the esxcli storage namespace — adapters, devices, and paths |
| 6 | Navigate the esxcli vm namespace — process list and power operations |
| 7 | Knowledge check — esxcli structure and command patterns |
The esxcli Command Pattern
| Pattern | What it does | Example |
|---|
| get | Read a current setting or value | esxcli system version get |
| set | Write / change a setting | esxcli system hostname set --host esxi-02 |
| list | Enumerate a collection | esxcli vm process list |
| add | Create a new resource | esxcli network vswitch standard add --vswitch-name vSwitch1 |
| remove | Delete a resource | esxcli network vswitch standard remove --vswitch-name vSwitch1 |
Key Namespaces Covered
| Namespace | Sub-namespaces | Typical use |
|---|
| esxcli system | version, hostname, time, settings, maintenanceMode | Host identity, config, and state |
| esxcli network | ip, vswitch, vm, nic, firewall | VMkernel IPs, vSwitches, firewall rules |
| esxcli storage | core, nfs, vmfs, san | Adapters, devices, multipathing, datastores |
| esxcli vm | process | List running VMs, kill stuck VMs |
| esxcli software | vib, profile | VIBs, patches, lifecycle (covered in Block 14) |
| esxcli hardware | cpu, memory, pci | Physical hardware inventory (covered in Lab 1) |
After completing all four namespace tasks, the 🗂 Namespace Explorer unlocks — a full reference of every command explored in this lab with its verb type and description.
Tab completes commands · ↑ ↓ for history · Type ? for help · Append ? to any namespace to discover it