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Backing up ESXi host configuration data
To back up the configuration data for an ESXi host using the vSphere CLI, run this command:
If you are using vSphere CLI for Windows, run this command:
Where ESXi_host_IP_address is the IP address of the ESXi host and output_file_name is the name of
the backup file you create.
Note: From vSphere CLI for Windows, ensure you are executing the command from C:\Program
Files\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin
For example:
vSphere CLI:
Note: Use the --password=root_password option (where root_password is the root password for the
host) to avoid being prompted for the root user password when you run the script.
A backup text file is saved in the current working directory where you run the vicfg-cfgbackup script. You can
also specify a full output path for the file.
Using the vSphere PowerCLI
To back up the configuration data for an ESXi host using the vSphere PowerCLI, run this command:
Where ESXi_host_IP_address is the IP address of the ESXi host and output_directory is the name of
the directory where the output file will be created.
For example:
Note: A backup file is saved in the directory specified with the -DestinationPath option.
To synchronize the configuration changed with persistent storage, run this command:
vim-cmd hostsvc/firmware/sync_config
To backup the configuration data for an ESXi host, run this command:
vim-cmd hostsvc/firmware/backup_config
Note: The command should output a URL in which a web browser may be used to download the file. The backup file
is located in the /scratch/downloads directory as configBundle-HostFQDN.tgz
Note: When restoring configuration data, the build number of the host must match the build number of the host that
created the backup file. Use the -f option (force) to override this requirement.
To restore the configuration data for an ESXi host using the vSphere CLI:
1. Power off all virtual machines that are running on the host that you want to restore.
3. Run the vicfg-cfgbackup script with the -l flag to load the host configuration from the specified
backup file:
vSphere CLI:
For example:
Notes:
o When you run this command, you are prompted for confirmation before proceeding. You can
override this safety feature using the -qoption.
To restore an ESXi host to the stock configuration settings, run the command:
vicfg-cfgbackup --server=ESXi_host_IP_address --username=root -r
For example:
vicfg-cfgbackup --server=10.0.0.1 --username=root -r
Note: When restoring configuration data, the build number of the host must match the build number of the host that
created the backup file. Use the -force option to override this requirement.
2. Restore the configuration from the backup bundle by running the command:
Where ESXi_host_IP_address is the IP address of the ESXi host, backup_file is the name of
the backup bundle to use for the restore, and username and password are the credentials to use
when authenticating with the host.
For example:
Set-VMHostFirmware -VMHost 10.0.0.1 -Restore -SourcePath
c:\bundleToRestore.tgz -HostUser root -HostPassword
exampleRootPassword
Note: When restoring configuration data, the build number of the host must match the build number of the host that
created the backup file.
vim-cmd hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter
2. Copy the backup configuration file to a location accessible by the host and run the command:
In this case, the configuration file was copied to the host's /tmp directory. For more information,
see Using SCP to copy files to or from an ESX host (1918).
Note: Executing this command will initiate an automatic reboot of the host after command completion.
Additional Information
Note: The information about virtual machines is not stored in the config backup and the virtual machines must be re-
inventoried from the datastore browser after a config backup restore. Also, bootbank information is not stored in a
config backup. If needed, this must be backed up and downloaded separately in a compressed tar file.
Backing Up Configuration Information with vicfg-cfgbackup section in the vSphere 5.1 Command Line
Documentation
Note: if you have installed a version of vSphere later than 5.1, see the Command Line Document and PowerCLI
Reference for that version in the VMware Documentation Library.
PowerCLI Notes:
Remember that the 64 bit version of PowerCLI is installed in C:\Program Files, and the 32 bit version
is in C:\Program Files (x86).
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