VMware vSphere PowerCLI Reference: Automating vSphere Administration [Paperback]

Luc Dekens (Author), Alan Renouf (Author), Glenn Sizemore (Author), Arnim van Lieshout (Author), Jonathan Medd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2011 | ISBN-10: 0470890797 | ISBN-13: 978-0470890790 | Edition: 1

Your One-Stop Reference for VMware vSphere Automation

If you manage vSphere in a Windows environment, automating routine tasks can save you time and increase efficiency. VMware vSphere PowerCLI is a set of pre-built commands based on Windows PowerShell that is designed to help you automate vSphere processes involving virtual machines, datacenters, storage, networks, and more. This detailed guide—using a practical, task-based approach and real-world examples—shows you how to get the most out of PowerCLI's handy cmdlets.

Learn how to:

• Automate vCenter Server and ESX/ESX(i) Server deployment and configuration

• Create and configure virtual machines and use vApps

• Secure, back up, and restore your virtual machines

• Monitor, audit, and report the status of your vSphere environment

• Use the PowerCLI SDK, PowerWF Studio, and vEcoShell

• Schedule and view automation

• Add a GUI front end to your scripts

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Luc Dekens, VMware vExpert, has worked with operating systems for over 20 years and now focuses on virtualization, particularly platforms produced by VMware. He blogs about PowerCLI and the vSphere SDK at www.lucd.info.

Alan Renouf, VMware vExpert, is an EMC vSpecialist and has been working with VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft products for several years. Currently he focuses on virtualization products and their automation using PowerShell. He is also cohost, along with Jonathan Medd, of the Get Scripting podcast (www.get-scripting.blogspot.com).

Glenn Sizemore, VMware vExpert, started scripting early in his IT career, adopting PowerShell early on and conquering it when VMware PowerCLI first shipped. He shares scripts and automation techniques on his blog at www.Get-Admin.com.

Arnim van Lieshout, VMware vExpert, has been in the IT industry for 12 years, working mainly with operating systems. He has been focusing on virtualization for the last five years, especially automating tasks using PowerShell. Arnim blogs at www.van-lieshout.com.

Jonathan Medd, PowerShell MVP, is cohost of the Get-Scripting podcast and also shares his PowerShell knowledge at www.jonathanmedd.net.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 1 edition (April 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470890797
• ISBN-13: 978-0470890790
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.6 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Most valuable PowerCLI resource! April 10, 2011

By Duncan Epping

Format:Paperback

I received the paper-version of the book last week and started reading it straight away. The authors are THE number one PowerCLI experts in the world and take you through the trenches of vSphere automation.

Although I know vSphere inside out I am a novice when it comes to PowerCLI. The main reason being that I never gave myself the time to actually learn PowerCLI as I figured I could do things faster using the UI. Although this might be true in some cases the first thing the book tought me was that my perception was wrong. The book shows you how to optimize your day-to-day operations by taking advantage of what PowerCLI has to offer out of the box, but it also teaches you how to create your own functions. The amount of examples in there in terms of PowerCLI scripts are such a valuable asset that I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning PowerCLI and/or optimizing their operational procedures. We are not talking about reporting only, for instance configuring vSwitches or restricting the amount of snapshots is all shown in this book. Be warned though, don't expect a step-by-step Learning PowerCLI Guide, this is 700+ pages of pure PowerCLI automation at its best which will enable you to get the most out of your environment.

Duncan
Yellow-Bricks

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful resource for VMware cluster system admin by PowerCLI May 5, 2011

By Gary Guo

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Even though I took a PowerCLI training course, this book is still a bible for me. The book covers the common use cases of vSphere 4.x admin with PowerCLI scripts. I read the whole book at a weekend, and I will try the scripts later. I'm working on a project of ESX/ESXi QA automation and I was looking for a PowerCLI book, this is the one after researching. I highly recommend this book for any one who wants to manage and to monitor VMware cluster using PowerCLI.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have for any vSphere admin April 11, 2011

By Andy Simmons

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great resource for any vSphere admin. It covers everything from simple reporting and provisioning to automating complex workflows like site recovery.

Although the code samples in the Kindle version have "Prime" scattered randomly throughout as others have stated, all of the code is available online through the publisher, as explained in the forward. The online code samples do not have this issue, and are easier to work with than grabbing code out of the Kindle copy anyway. This book is WELL worth the money, and a 5-star rating even with these minor issues.