Command Center

Determining the virtual machine's location

Using the ESXi 5.0 esxcli command to power off a virtual machine

1. Open a console session where the esxcli tool is available, either in the ESXi Shell, the vSphere Management Assistant (vMA), or the location where the vSphere Command-Line Interface (vCLI) is installed.
2. Get a list of running virtual machines, identified by World ID, UUID, Display Name, and path to the .vmx configuration file, using this command:
   
   esxcli vm process list
3. Power off one of the virtual machines from the list using this command:
   
   esxcli vm process kill --type=[soft,hard,force] --world-id=WorldNumber
   
   Note: Three power-off methods are available. Soft is the most graceful, hard performs an immediate shutdown, and force should be used as a last resort.
4. Repeat step 2 and validate that the virtual machine is no longer running.

Using the ESXi command-line utility vim-cmd to power off the virtual machine

1. On the ESXi console, enter Tech Support mode and log in as root. For more information, see Tech Support Mode for Emergency Support (1003677).
2. Get a list of all registered virtual machines, identified by their VMID, Display Name, and path to the .vmx configuration file, using this command:
   
   vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms
3. To get the current state of a virtual machine:
   
   vim-cmd vmsvc/power.getstate VMID
4. Shutdown the virtual machine using the VMID found in Step 2 and run:
   
   vim-cmd vmsvc/power.shutdown VMID
   
   Note: If the virtual machine fails to shut down, use this command:
   
   vim-cmd vmsvc/power.off VMID

Sending signals on ESXi to power off the virtual machine

1. On the ESXi console, enter Tech Support mode and log in as root. For more information, see Tech Support Mode for Emergency Support (1003677).
2. To determine if the virtual machine process is running on the ESXi host, run this command:
   
   ps | grep vmx
   
   The output appears similar to:
   
   7662 7662 vmx /bin/vmx
7667 7662 vmx /bin/vmx
7668 7662 mks:VirtualMachineName /bin/vmx
7669 7662 vcpu-0:VirtualMachineName /bin/vmx
   
   Several rows are returned, one for each vmx process. Identify the parent vmx process for the target virtual machine. The first column contains the PID, and the second contains the parent's PID. Ensure you terminate only the parent process. The parent Process ID (PID) for each process is listed in the second column, identified in this example in bold. Take note of this number for use in the following steps.
   
   Caution: Ensure that you identify the line specific only to the virtual machine you are attempting to repair. If you continue this process for a virtual machine other than the one in question, you can cause downtime for the other virtual machine.
3. If the vmx process is listed, terminate the process using this command:
   
   kill ProcessID
4. Wait 30 seconds and repeat step 1 to check for the process again.
5. If it is not terminated, run this command:
   
   kill -9 ProcessID
6. Wait 30 seconds and check for the process again.

1. On the ESXi console, enter Tech Support mode and log in as root. For more information, see Tech Support Mode for Emergency Support (1003677).
2. Run the esxtop utility using this command:
   
   esxtop
3. Press c to switch to the CPU resource utilization screen.
4. Press f to display the list of fields.
5. Press c to add the column for the Leader World ID.
6. Identify the target virtual machine by its Name and Leader World ID (LWID).
7. Press k.
8. At the World to kill prompt, type in the Leader World ID from step 6 and press Enter.
9. Wait 30 seconds and validate that the process is not longer listed.