Automate VM Power Operations on VMware ESXi with PowerShell

In this post, we are excited to share a powerful PowerShell script that allows you to automate the power operations of your virtual machines (VMs) on VMware ESXi. This script is a handy tool for system administrators looking to efficiently manage multiple VMs by powering them on or off based on your requirements.
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Lets break down the PowerShell script step-by-step.
### Step 1: Load the Necessary PowerCLI Module
Before you can execute any commands related to VMware, you must first ensure that the VMware PowerCLI module is loaded.
“`powershell

# Load VMware PowerCLI module
Import-Module VMware.PowerCLI -ErrorAction Stop

“`
### Step 2: Connect to the ESXi Server
Next, we need to connect to the ESXi server where your VMs are hosted. Replace ``, ``, and `` with your own credentials.
“`powershell

# Define connection parameters
$esxiHost = "<ESXi_Host>"
$username = "<Your_Username>"
$password = "<Your_Password>"
# Convert the password to a secure string
$securePassword = ConvertTo-SecureString $password -AsPlainText -Force
$credentials = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential ($username, $securePassword)
# Connect to the ESXi server
Connect-VIServer -Server $esxiHost -Credential $credentials -ErrorAction Stop

“`
### Step 3: Power On or Off Virtual Machines
Now, lets define a function within our script that allows us to power on or off specific VMs. This example powers on all VMs that are currently powered off, but you can modify the `$action` variable to `Stop-VM` if you wish to power them off instead.
“`powershell

# Define the action
$action = "Start-VM"
# Retrieve all VMs and perform the action
$vmList = Get-VM
foreach ($vm in $vmList) {
    if ($vm.PowerState -eq "PoweredOff" -and $action -eq "Start-VM") {
        Start-VM -VM $vm -Confirm:$false
        Write-Host "Powered on VM: $($vm.Name)"
    }
}

“`
### Step 4: Disconnect from the ESXi Server
Once your operations are complete, its essential to disconnect from the ESXi server to free up resources.
“`powershell

# Disconnect from the ESXi server
Disconnect-VIServer -Server $esxiHost -Confirm:$false

“`
This PowerShell script automates the powering on of VMs on your VMware ESXi server, streamlining your virtual environment management. For more powerful tools and features, dont forget to visit ServerEngine at [https://serverengine.co](https://serverengine.co).
We encourage you to explore these scripts and share your experiences or any custom scripts youve created!