VMware

Serial Namespace

The Serial namespace provides commands for configuring the virtual serial ports of a virtual machine.

List of commands:


List Command

 dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial list

Description

Returns commonly used information about the virtual serial ports belonging to the virtual machine.

Options

Option Name Type Required Description
vm string Yes Virtual machine identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: VirtualMachine.

Example

dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial list --vm testId

Get Command

 dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial get

Description

Returns information about a virtual serial port.

Options

Option Name Type Required Description
vm string Yes Virtual machine identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: VirtualMachine.
port string Yes Virtual serial port identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: com.vmware.vcenter.vm.hardware.SerialPort.

Example

dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial get --vm testId --port testId

Create Command

 dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial create

Description

Adds a virtual serial port to the virtual machine.

Options

Option Name Type Required Description
vm string Yes Virtual machine identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: VirtualMachine.
yield‑on‑poll bool No CPU yield behavior. If set to true, the virtual machine will periodically relinquish the processor if its sole task is polling the virtual serial port. The amount of time it takes to regain the processor will depend on the degree of other virtual machine activity on the host. If unset, defaults to false.
backing‑type string No Backing type for the virtual serial port. Valid values are: {FILE, HOST_DEVICE, PIPE_SERVER, PIPE_CLIENT, NETWORK_SERVER, NETWORK_CLIENT}
backing‑file string No Path of the file backing the virtual serial port. This option is optional and it is only relevant when the value of type is FILE.
backing‑host‑device string No Name of the device backing the virtual serial port. If unset, the virtual serial port will be configured to automatically detect a suitable host device.
backing‑pipe string No Name of the pipe backing the virtual serial port. This option is optional and it is only relevant when the value of type is one of PIPE_SERVER or PIPE_CLIENT.
backing‑no‑rx‑loss bool No Flag that enables optimized data transfer over the pipe. When the value is true, the host buffers data to prevent data overrun. This allows the virtual machine to read all of the data transferred over the pipe with no data loss. If unset, defaults to false.
backing‑network‑location string No URI specifying the location of the network service backing the virtual serial port.
  • If Serial.BackingSpec.type is NETWORK_SERVER, this option is the location used by clients to connect to this server. The hostname part of the URI should either be empty or should specify the address of the host on which the virtual machine is running.
  • If Serial.BackingSpec.type is NETWORK_CLIENT, this option is the location used by the virtual machine to connect to the remote server.
This option is optional and it is only relevant when the value of type is one of NETWORK_SERVER or NETWORK_CLIENT.
backing‑proxy string No Proxy service that provides network access to the network backing. If set, the virtual machine initiates a connection with the proxy service and forwards the traffic to the proxy. If unset, no proxy service should be used.
start‑connected bool No Flag indicating whether the virtual device should be connected whenever the virtual machine is powered on. Defaults to false if unset.
allow‑guest‑control bool No Flag indicating whether the guest can connect and disconnect the device. Defaults to false if unset.

Example

dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial create --vm testId

Update Command

 dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial update

Description

Updates the configuration of a virtual serial port.

Options

Option Name Type Required Description
vm string Yes Virtual machine identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: VirtualMachine.
port string Yes Virtual serial port identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: com.vmware.vcenter.vm.hardware.SerialPort.
yield‑on‑poll bool No CPU yield behavior. If set to true, the virtual machine will periodically relinquish the processor if its sole task is polling the virtual serial port. The amount of time it takes to regain the processor will depend on the degree of other virtual machine activity on the host. This option may be modified at any time, and changes applied to a connected virtual serial port take effect immediately. If unset, the value is unchanged.
backing‑type string No Backing type for the virtual serial port. Valid values are: {FILE, HOST_DEVICE, PIPE_SERVER, PIPE_CLIENT, NETWORK_SERVER, NETWORK_CLIENT}
backing‑file string No Path of the file backing the virtual serial port. This option is optional and it is only relevant when the value of type is FILE.
backing‑host‑device string No Name of the device backing the virtual serial port. If unset, the virtual serial port will be configured to automatically detect a suitable host device.
backing‑pipe string No Name of the pipe backing the virtual serial port. This option is optional and it is only relevant when the value of type is one of PIPE_SERVER or PIPE_CLIENT.
backing‑no‑rx‑loss bool No Flag that enables optimized data transfer over the pipe. When the value is true, the host buffers data to prevent data overrun. This allows the virtual machine to read all of the data transferred over the pipe with no data loss. If unset, defaults to false.
backing‑network‑location string No URI specifying the location of the network service backing the virtual serial port.
  • If Serial.BackingSpec.type is NETWORK_SERVER, this option is the location used by clients to connect to this server. The hostname part of the URI should either be empty or should specify the address of the host on which the virtual machine is running.
  • If Serial.BackingSpec.type is NETWORK_CLIENT, this option is the location used by the virtual machine to connect to the remote server.
This option is optional and it is only relevant when the value of type is one of NETWORK_SERVER or NETWORK_CLIENT.
backing‑proxy string No Proxy service that provides network access to the network backing. If set, the virtual machine initiates a connection with the proxy service and forwards the traffic to the proxy. If unset, no proxy service should be used.
start‑connected bool No Flag indicating whether the virtual device should be connected whenever the virtual machine is powered on. If unset, the value is unchanged.
allow‑guest‑control bool No Flag indicating whether the guest can connect and disconnect the device. If unset, the value is unchanged.

Example

dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial update --vm testId --port testId

Delete Command

 dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial delete

Description

Removes a virtual serial port from the virtual machine.

Options

Option Name Type Required Description
vm string Yes Virtual machine identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: VirtualMachine.
port string Yes Virtual serial port identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: com.vmware.vcenter.vm.hardware.SerialPort.

Example

dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial delete --vm testId --port testId

Connect Command

 dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial connect

Description

Connects a virtual serial port of a powered-on virtual machine to its backing. Connecting the virtual device makes the backing accessible from the perspective of the guest operating system. For a powered-off virtual machine, the Serial.update command may be used to configure the virtual serial port to start in the connected state when the virtual machine is powered on.

Options

Option Name Type Required Description
vm string Yes Virtual machine identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: VirtualMachine.
port string Yes Virtual serial port identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: com.vmware.vcenter.vm.hardware.SerialPort.

Example

dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial connect --vm testId --port testId

Disconnect Command

 dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial disconnect

Description

Disconnects a virtual serial port of a powered-on virtual machine from its backing. The virtual device is still present and its backing configuration is unchanged, but from the perspective of the guest operating system, the serial port is not connected to its backing. For a powered-off virtual machine, the Serial.update command may be used to configure the virtual serial port to start in the disconnected state when the virtual machine is powered on.

Options

Option Name Type Required Description
vm string Yes Virtual machine identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: VirtualMachine.
port string Yes Virtual serial port identifier. The parameter must be an identifier for the resource type: com.vmware.vcenter.vm.hardware.SerialPort.

Example

dcli com vmware vcenter vm hardware serial disconnect --vm testId --port testId