VMware

Top 10 VMware PowerShell Scripts for Admins

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Master your VMware vSphere environment with these essential PowerCLI scripts. They simplify daily management, monitoring, and troubleshooting tasks, boosting your efficiency significantly.

1. List All VMs with Power State and Host

Get a quick overview of all virtual machines, their power state, and running host.

Get-VM | Select-Object Name, PowerState, @{Name='Host';Expression={$_.VMHost.Name}} | Format-Table -AutoSize

2. Check VM Tools Status for All VMs

Verify VMware Tools installation and running status across your VMs.

Get-VM | Select-Object Name, @{N="ToolsStatus";E={$_.ExtensionData.Guest.ToolsStatus}} | Format-Table -AutoSize

3. Get Datastore Usage Summary

Monitor datastore free space and capacity percentages to anticipate storage needs.

Get-Datastore | Select-Object Name, FreeSpaceGB, CapacityGB, @{N="FreePercent";E={[math]::Round(($_.FreeSpaceGB/$_.CapacityGB)*100,2)}} | Format-Table -AutoSize

4. Find Snapshots Older Than 30 Days

Identify old snapshots that may impact performance and storage. Cleanup is recommended.

Get-VM | Get-Snapshot | Where-Object {$_.Created -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-30)} | Select-Object VM, Name, Created | Format-Table -AutoSize

5. Get List of Hosts with CPU and Memory Usage

Track resource utilization on ESXi hosts for capacity planning.

Get-VMHost | Select-Object Name, @{N="CPU_Usage(%)";E={[math]::Round(($_.CpuUsageMHz / $_.CpuTotalMHz)*100,2)}}, @{N="Memory_Usage(%)";E={[math]::Round(($_.MemoryUsageMB / $_.MemoryTotalMB)*100,2)}} | Format-Table -AutoSize

6. VMs with High CPU Usage in Last Hour

List VMs consuming more than 80% CPU average to spot bottlenecks.

$oneHourAgo = (Get-Date).AddHours(-1)
Get-Stat -Entity (Get-VM) -Stat cpu.usage.average -Start $oneHourAgo |
Group-Object -Property Entity | ForEach-Object {
  [PSCustomObject]@{
    VMName = $_.Name
    AvgCPU = ($_.Group | Measure-Object -Property Value -Average).Average
  }
} | Where-Object { $_.AvgCPU -gt 80 } | Sort-Object -Property AvgCPU -Descending | Format-Table -AutoSize

7. Power Off All VMs on a Specific Host

Useful for host maintenance or shutdown, ensuring controlled VM power-off.

$host = "esxi-hostname"
Get-VM -VMHost $host | Where-Object {$_.PowerState -eq "PoweredOn"} | Stop-VM -Confirm:$false

8. Create a New VM Folder and Move Specified VMs

Organize virtual machines into folders programmatically for better vCenter management.

$folderName = "NewFolder"
$vmNames = @("VM1", "VM2", "VM3")
$folder = Get-Folder -Name $folderName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if (-not $folder) { $folder = New-Folder -Name $folderName -Location (Get-Datacenter) }
foreach ($vmName in $vmNames) {
    Get-VM -Name $vmName | Move-VM -Destination $folder
}

9. Export VM List to CSV with Key Info

Generate reports for auditing, capacity planning, or inventory by exporting VM details.

Get-VM | Select-Object Name, PowerState, NumCPU, MemoryGB, ProvisionedSpaceGB | Export-Csv -Path "C:\VMReport.csv" -NoTypeInformation

10. Check VM Network Adapters and IP Addresses

Assess VM connectivity, IP addresses, and network adapter configurations.

Get-VM | Select-Object Name, @{N="IPAddresses";E={$_.Guest.IPAddress -join ","}}, @{N="NetworkAdapters";E={$_.NetworkAdapters.Name -join ","}} | Format-Table -AutoSize

How to Use

First, install PowerCLI: Install-Module VMware.PowerCLI. Then, connect to your vCenter or ESXi host: Connect-VIServer -Server your_vcenter_server. Copy and run the scripts in your PowerShell console. Always test in a non-production environment first.

These PowerCLI scripts are fundamental tools for any VMware administrator. Utilize them to enhance your operational efficiency and maintain a robust virtualized infrastructure. Happy scripting!

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