Configuring a scratch partition on ESXi using PowerShell involves several steps. The scratch partition is used to store temporary logs and diagnostic information generated by ESXi hosts. This ensures that the system remains stable and functional by preventing log files from filling up the main storage. In this guide, I will walk you through the process of creating and configuring a scratch partition using PowerShell.

Before proceeding, make sure you have the necessary permissions and access to the ESXi host. Also, ensure you have the VMware PowerCLI module installed on your PowerShell system.

Step 1: Connect to the ESXi Host First, open PowerShell on your local system, and connect to the ESXi host using the following command:

Connect-VIServer -Server <ESXi-Host-IP> -User <Username> -Password <Password>

Replace <ESXi-Host-IP>, <Username>, and <Password> with the appropriate credentials for your ESXi host.

Step 2: Check Existing Scratch Configuration (Optional) Before creating a new scratch partition, you may want to check if there is an existing scratch configuration. To do this, use the following command:

Get-VMHost | Select-Object Name, @{N="ScratchConfigured";E={$_.ScratchConfigured -and $_.ExtensionData.Config.StorageInfo.ScratchConfigured}}

Step 3: Check Available Datastores Next, you should check the available datastores on the ESXi host. This will help you choose an appropriate datastore for the scratch partition. Use the following command to list the datastores:

Get-Datastore

Step 4: Create a New Scratch Partition To create a new scratch partition on a specific datastore, use the following steps:

4.1 Determine the Datastore where you want to create the scratch partition.

4.2 Retrieve the datastore object using the following command:

$datastore = Get-Datastore -Name "Your_Datastore_Name"

Replace "Your_Datastore_Name" with the actual name of the datastore you want to use.

4.3 Create a new scratch partition configuration:

$scratchConfig = New-Object VMware.Vim.HostConfigInfo $scratchConfig.FileSystemVolume = New-Object VMware.Vim.HostFileSystemVolumeInfo $scratchConfig.FileSystemVolume.Type = "tmpfs" $scratchConfig.FileSystemVolume.RemoteHost = $null $scratchConfig.FileSystemVolume.RemotePath = $null $scratchConfig.FileSystemVolume.LocalPath = "/scratch" $scratchConfig.FileSystemVolume.Options = "rw" $scratchConfig.FileSystemVolume.DeviceName = "scratch" $hostView = Get-VMHost | Get-View $hostView.ConfigManager.DatastoreSystem.CreateLocalDatastore($datastore.ExtensionData.MoRef, $scratchConfig)

Step 5: Verify Scratch Configuration To verify that the scratch partition has been configured correctly, use the following command:

Get-VMHost | Select-Object Name, @{N="ScratchConfigured";E={$_.ScratchConfigured -and $_.ExtensionData.Config.StorageInfo.ScratchConfigured}}, @{N="ScratchDirectory";E={$_.ExtensionData.Config.FileSystemVolume.ScratchDirectory}}

Step 6: Disconnect from the ESXi Host Once you have completed the scratch partition configuration, you can disconnect from the ESXi host using the following command:

Disconnect-VIServer -Server <ESXi-Host-IP> -Confirm:$false

Replace <ESXi-Host-IP> with the IP address of your ESXi host.

Conclusion: In this guide, you have learned how to configure a scratch partition on an ESXi host using PowerShell. Creating a scratch partition helps to maintain the stability and performance of the ESXi host by offloading temporary logs and diagnostic data. Remember that incorrect configurations can lead to potential issues, so always verify your settings and be cautious when making changes to critical infrastructure components like ESXi hosts.