PowerCLI: Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) info v2: Analyze data with Excel
October 11, 2009 9 Comments
In my previous post about this subject I created a script to view the information on the PowerCLI console. With the v2 script you are able to export the data to a CSV file.
$myCol = @() $vms = get-view -ViewType VirtualMachine | Where-Object ` {-not $_.config.template} foreach($vm in $vms){ foreach($dev in $vm.config.hardware.Device){ $MYInfo = "" | Select-Object VMName, DeviceLabel, ` FileName, DiskMode, ThinProvisioned $MYInfo.VMName = $vm.Name if($dev.GetType().Name -eq "VirtualDisk"){ $MYInfo.DeviceLabel = $dev.DeviceInfo.Label $MYInfo.FileName = $dev.Backing.FileName $MYInfo.DiskMode = $dev.Backing.DiskMode if($dev.Backing.ThinProvisioned){ $MYInfo.ThinProvisioned = "True"} else{$MYInfo.ThinProvisioned = "False"} $myCol += $MYInfo } } } $myCol | Export-CSV -NoTypeInformation "D:\scripts\vmdkinfo.csv"
When the script is finished, you can import the CSV file into Excel. After the import, we can analyze the data with just a simple filter. With a few clicks, you’re able to view al the VM’s without Thin Provisioned disks.
Now we have a list with all the VM’s with Thin Provisioned disks:
So with a small PowerCLI script and the help of Microsoft Excel, you’re able to generate a report with just the information you need. The best part is that it will only cost you couple of minutes of your time 
.
A quick trick to get this straight into Excel:
; ii filename.csv
Or:
| export-csv -notype -file file.csv; ii file.csv
Great code,
I have few more additions to do, but don’t know how
How to get Filesize for that filename
and which ESX host that VM belongs
VM-Host gives me that, but how do I extend this CSV files so I have everything in online.
VMNAME, Device Label, FileName, FileSize, ESXHost, DiskMode, ThinProvisioned
@Rash:
Have you found this out? I was exactly looking for info on adding host and VMDK size to the list and am not yet confident enough in scripting to add it myself.
PS: Found the script in Virtu-Al.net VESI pack.
Have found out how to add the filesize to this list or at least the version of this script that comes with the Virtu-Al.net VESI pack. Shouldn’t be much difference.
One line needs to be changes, and one line is added.
Add “CapacityInKB” into the Select-Object list:
$MYInfo = “” | Select-Object VMName, DeviceLabel, `
FileName, CapacityInKB, DiskMode, ThinProvisioned
And add this line after the “$MYInfo.FileName = $dev.Backing.FileName” line:
$MYInfo.CapacityInKB = $dev.CapacityInKB
Thanks go to the VESI Script Editor, it provides a great detail into the objects you can work with in Powershell. Great debugging tool!
Hope this helps!
Really fast and great script.
How can this work only for a list of servers in a text file?
Thanks in advance.
Change the line $vms = Get-View Viewtype……. to
$vms = get-content D:\vms.txt
foreach($i in $vms){
$vm = Get-VM $i | Get-View
vms.txt will look like this:
vm1
vm2
vm3
etc.
Good luck
That helped but didn’t work.
I modified it to this and its ok now.
$vms = get-content “h:\scripts\Vmlist.txt”|foreach-object {Get-VM $_ | Get-View}
A little slow, I’m thinking it would be quicker to do a Get-View once as you do before, and then operate the rest of the script if the name exists in the list.
Thanks lot for help nevertheless.
The solution above was a quick and dirty solution. This solution is a lot faster:
$vms = Get-Content “X:\vms.txt”
foreach($name in $vms){
$vm = Get-View -ViewType VirtualMachine -Filter @{“Name” = $name}
Good luck!
The output has just one vm, when I have 5. Its last one in foreach list.
Had another tinker around and ended up with this, it takes only a couple seconds to complete now.
$vmlist = Get-Content “h:\scripts\Vmlist2010.txt”
$vms=$vmlist|foreach { Get-View -ViewType VirtualMachine -Filter @{“name” = “$_”}}
Now i want to add more objects, like mem/cpu etc. Will check the Vesi Editor. Is that the best place to find them?
Thanks again, you really got me on the right track!