VMware ESXi

This document provides the steps required to configure the VMWare ESXi Inspector.

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Quick Details

Recommended Agent: Self-Managed
Supported Agents: Self-Managed
Is Auto-Discovered By: N/A
Can Auto-Discover: N/A
Parent/Child Type Inspector: No
Inspection via: SSH
Data Summary: Here

Overview

The VMware ESXi Inspector inspects an ESXi host to bring back information about hosts, VMs, networks, and datastores.

See it in Action

Inspector Setup Preparation

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VMware ESXi Version

Our VMware ESXi Version is known to work on Versions 5.5 and above.

To deploy the VVMware ESXi Inspector, you must enable SSH. There are two options to do so:

Option 1: Enable SSH via vCenter

  1. Log in to the vCenter Web UI
  2. Select the ESXi host in the left pane
  3. Select "Services"
  4. Find the service for "SSH"

  1. Modify the Startup Policy, and set SSH to "Start and stop with host"

  1. After setting SSH to start with the host, you may need to start SSH directly. Select "SSH" and click "Start"

Option 2: Enable without Using vCenter

  1. Log in to the web UI for the ESXi host directly
  2. Modify the SSH settings using the vCenter guide above

Liongard Inspector Setup

Individual Inspector Setup

In Liongard, navigate to Admin > Inspectors > Inspector Types > Navigate to the VMWare ESXi Inspector > Select Add System.

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ESXi User Permissions

Depending on user permissions and system configuration, an Administrator account may be needed for successful Inspector deployment.

Fill in the following information:

  • Environment: Select the Environment this System Inspector should be associated to
  • Friendly Name: Suggested "VMWare ESXi [Environment Name]"
  • Agent: Select the On-premises Agent installed for this Environment
  • Inspector Version: Latest
  • ESXi Host IP: The IP Address of the VMware ESXi host
  • Port: Insert the Port fort the VMware ESXi host
  • Username: Provide the Username for the ESXi credentials. Often, the Username appears in the format "domain.local\Administrator"
  • Password: Provide the password for the ESXi credentials
  • Scheduling: The Inspector will default to run once a day at the time the Inspector is set up. Here you can adjust the schedule

Select Save. The Inspector will now be triggered to run within the minute.

Optional: Turn on Flexible Asset/Configuration Auto-Updating

If you would like this Inspector's data to be sent to ConnectWise and/or IT Glue, turn on Flexible Assets/Configurations for this Inspector:

  • ConnectWise: Admin > Integrations > ConnectWise > Configuration Types > Confirm the "Configuration Auto-Updating" toggle is enabled
  • IT Glue: Admin > Integrations > IT Glue > Flexible Assets > Confirm the "Flexible Asset Auto-Updating" toggle is enabled

Roll out Inspectors at Mass via CSV Import

For more information, please visit our documentation.

To import VMware ESXi Inspectors via CSV Import, navigate to Admin > Inspectors > VMware ESXi > Select the down arrow icon in the top right-hand to Download CSV Import Template.

In the CSV Template, each row, starting on row three, will represent an Inspector. Fill in the following information for each Inspector you want to roll out:

  • Agent.Name: This column is case sensitive. Copy and paste the associated Agent name from the Admin > Agents screen
  • Inspector.Name: Enter "vmware-esxi-inspector"
  • Environment.Name: This column is case sensitive. Copy and paste the associated Environment name from the Dashboard screen
  • Alias: Enter the Desired Friendly Name
  • Config.URL: Enter the IP Address of the VMware ESXi host
  • Config.PORT: Enter the Port for the VMware ESXi host
  • Config.USERNAME: Enter the Username for the ESXi credentials. Often, the Username appears in the format "domain.local\Administrator"
  • SecureConfig.PASSWORD: Enter the password for the ESXi credentials
  • FreqType: Enter "days"
  • FreqInterval: Enter "1"

When ready to Import the CSV Template of Inspectors, navigate to Admin > Inspectors > VMware ESXi > Select the up arrow icon in the top right-hand to Import CSV > Select your saved template.

After the successful import notification, reload your browser to find your imported Inspectors.

These Inspectors will automatically trigger themselves to run within a minute.

VMware ESXi Quick Tips/FAQs

Inspector FAQs