Automating VI Client login

If you are using VMware VirtualCenter, hopefully by now you have had a chance to try passthrough authentication. Quite a few blogs were written about it even before it became an officially supported feature, which happened with VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 2. VMware technically calls this “Windows single sign-on support” and it is documented in KB 1006611.

One catch with this feature is that your client system must be in the same Active Directory domain as your VirtualCenter Server. What about your VC test lab that is not domain-joined? What about VMware ESX?

If you would like to save yourself a bunch of typing for those scenarios, too, there is a similar solution. It involves passing the username and password on the command line, so if you are dealing with a sensitive system where this is not acceptable, please stop reading now.

OK, you are still with me? Let’s proceed…

Just like with passthrough authentication, you’ll use a VI Client shortcut. You can make multiple copies of the shortcut, one for each target system.

Append the following parameters to VpxClient.exe in the Target line:

-s servername (can be an ESX or VirtualCenter hostname/IP)

-u username (root or Administrator, for example)

-p password (this is the sensitive part, you already know)

It should look like this when you are done:

Note: you can omit the -p parameter to get a partial benefit; you will then enter your password as usual in the login dialog, but the hostname and username fields will be populated for you. Perhaps a decent compromise.

I use this feature every day. Hopefully you will find it helpful, too.

Related posts:

1. VI Client SSL thumbprint cache cleanup
2. Easily view guest IP addresses with vSphere Client
3. Your session has been terminated
4. Better console for PowerShell and VITK
5. SCVMM ignores own plank, emphasizes VirtualCenter’s speck