VMware VS4-ENT-PL-A Setup Guide - Page 234

vSphere Installation and Setup Procedure 1 Install Microsoft .NET 2.0 from the Microsoft website following the instructions on that website. 2 Install Microsoft PowerShell 2.0. from the Microsoft website following the instructions on that website. 3 Install vSphere PowerCLI, which includes the Image Builder cmdlets. See the vSphere PowerCLI Installation Guide for detailed instructions. What to do next Review "Using Image Builder Cmdlets," on page 234.If you are new to PowerCLI, read the PowerCLI documentation. Use Image Builder cmdlets and other PowerCLI cmdlets and PowerShell cmdlets to manage image profiles and VIBs. Use Get-Help cmdlet_name at any time for command-line help. Using Image Builder Cmdlets Image Builder cmdlets are implemented as Microsoft PowerShell cmdlets and included in VMware PowerCLI. Users of Image Builder cmdlets can take advantage of all PowerCLI features. Experienced PowerShell users can use Image Builder cmdlets just like other PowerShell cmdlets. If you are new to PowerShell and PowerCLI, the following tips help you come up to speed. You can type cmdlets, parameters, and parameter values in the PowerCLI shell. n Get help for any cmdlet by running Get-Help cmdlet_name. n Remember that PowerShell is not case sensitive. n Use tab completion for cmdlet names and parameter names. n Format any variable and cmdlet output by using Format-List or Format-Table or their short forms fl or ft. See Get-Help Format-List. Passing Parameters by Name You can pass in parameters by name in most cases and surround parameter values that contain spaces or special characters with double quotes. Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile profile42 -SoftwarePackage "partner package 35" Passing Parameters as Objects You can pass parameters as objects if you want to do scripting and automation. You can use the technique with cmdlets that return multiple objects or with cmdlets that return a single object. 1 Bind the output of a cmdlet that returns multiple objects to a variable. $profs = Get-EsxImageProfile 2 When you run the cmdlet that needs the object as input, access the object by position, with the list starting with 0. Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile $profs[4] -SoftwarePackage partner-pkg The example adds the specified software package to the fifth image profile in the list returned by GetEsxImageProfile. Most examples in the documentation pass in parameters by name. "Image Builder Workflows," on page 242 includes examples that pass parameters as objects. 234 VMware, Inc.