Installing PowerCLI by using the command-line interface

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

If you install PowerCLI by using the command-line interface, all PowerCLI components are automatically installed.

Resolution

To install only the PowerCLI core component, you must use the INSTALLLEVEL property.

 

In the command-line prompt, navigate to the folder that contains the vSphere PowerCLI installer file you downloaded and use the following syntax.

VMware-PowerCLI-version_number-build_number.exe /S /V"INSTALLLEVEL=1 REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn"

 

Note: The value of the INSTALLLEVEL property defines which components are installed. If you install the vCloud PowerCLI component, the PowerCLI core component is also installed.

Component	INSTALLLEVEL Property Value
PowerCLI core	1
vCloud PowerCLI	200

Additional Information

Use the following steps to trouble shoot issue with PowerCLI

Check Installed Modules Run the following command to see which VMware modules are available:

powershell
Get-Module -Name VMware* -ListAvailable | Select Name,Version,ModuleBase
Manually Import the Module Try importing the core module manually:

powershell
Import-Module VMware.VimAutomation.Core
If this throws an error, it could indicate an issue with your installation.

Verify PowerCLI Installation If you suspect a mix of versions or a corrupted installation, you might need to reinstall PowerCLI. You can remove the existing installation and reinstall it using:

powershell
Uninstall-Module VMware.PowerCLI -Force
Install-Module VMware.PowerCLI -Scope CurrentUser
Check PowerShell Version & Module Path Run the following to check your PowerShell version and module paths:

powershell
$PSVersionTable
$env:PSModulePath.Split(';')


Run PowerCLI as Administrator Sometimes, permission issues can prevent modules from loading correctly.

Powershell
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -ProxyPolicy NoProxy -Confirm

powershell
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -ProxyPolicy NoProxy -Confirm