Creating a VMware Nested Lab with PowerCLI can be a game-changer for lab setups, testing, and development. With PowerCLI, you can automate the deployment of multiple nested ESXi VMs, making the process seamless and efficient. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to use a PowerCLI script to automate the creation of a nested environment.

Why Automate Nested ESXi VM Deployment?

Manually setting up multiple ESXi hosts can be time-consuming and prone to errors. By automating this process using PowerCLI, you can:

Deploy multiple ESXi VMs with predefined configurations.
Ensure consistency across all deployments.
Save time by eliminating manual steps.
Easily scale and modify the setup when needed

Step-by-Step Guide to Automating Nested VM Deployment

Step 1: Install and Import VMware PowerCLI

PowerCLI is a powerful module for managing VMware environments. If you haven’t installed it yet, open PowerShell as an administrator and run:

Install-Module VMware.PowerCLI -Scope CurrentUser -Force

Once installed, import the module:

Import-Module VMware.PowerCLI

Step 2: Connect to vCenter

The script starts by securely connecting to vCenter:

$vcCreds = Get-Credential -Message "Enter vSphere credentials"
Connect-VIServer -Server "your-vcenter-ip" -Credential $vcCreds

This prompts you for your vCenter credentials and establishes a connection.

Step 3: Define Configuration Variables

Customize these variables according to your environment:

$esxiOvaPath = "your-ova-file-path"
$esxiDatastore = "your-datastore"
$esxiHost = "your-esxi-host"
$esxiNetwork = "Nested"   # Ensure this is a port group with VLAN tagging enabled
$esxiRootPassword = "VMware1!"
$extraDiskSizeGB = 50     # Additional disk size for vSAN (optional)

These variables define the OVA template path, target datastore, network settings, and root password for the ESXi VMs.

Step 4: Define the List of Nested ESXi VMs

Create an array to store the configuration for each ESXi VM:

$esxiHosts = @(
    @{ VmName = "vcf-m01-esx01"; Hostname = "vcf-m01-esx01.pexpert.inc"; IpAddress = "172.16.10.11"; Netmask = "255.255.255.0"; Gateway = "172.16.10.1"; Dns = "172.16.10.2" },
    @{ VmName = "vcf-m01-esx02"; Hostname = "vcf-m01-esx02.pexpert.inc"; IpAddress = "172.16.10.12"; Netmask = "255.255.255.0"; Gateway = "172.16.10.1"; Dns = "172.16.10.2" },
    @{ VmName = "vcf-m01-esx03"; Hostname = "vcf-m01-esx03.pexpert.inc"; IpAddress = "172.16.10.13"; Netmask = "255.255.255.0"; Gateway = "172.16.10.1"; Dns = "172.16.10.2" },
    @{ VmName = "vcf-m01-esx04"; Hostname = "vcf-m01-esx04.pexpert.inc"; IpAddress = "172.16.10.14"; Netmask = "255.255.255.0"; Gateway = "172.16.10.1"; Dns = "172.16.10.2" }
)

Each entry defines the VM name, hostname, IP settings, and network configurations.

Step 5: Deploy the Nested ESXi VMs

Loop through each configuration and deploy the ESXi VM:

foreach ($esxiHostConfig in $esxiHosts) {
    Write-Host "🚀 Deploying Nested ESXi Host: $($esxiHostConfig.VmName)..."

    # Prepare OVF Configuration
    $ovfConfig = @{
        "guestinfo.hostname" = $esxiHostConfig.Hostname
        "guestinfo.ipaddress" = $esxiHostConfig.IpAddress
        "guestinfo.netmask" = $esxiHostConfig.Netmask
        "guestinfo.gateway" = $esxiHostConfig.Gateway
        "guestinfo.dns" = $esxiHostConfig.Dns
        "guestinfo.domain" = "pexpert.inc"
        "guestinfo.root_password" = $esxiRootPassword
    }

    # Deploy VM
    try {
        $esxiVm = Import-VApp -Source $esxiOvaPath -Name $esxiHostConfig.VmName `
            -VMHost (Get-VMHost -Name $esxiHost) -Datastore (Get-Datastore -Name $esxiDatastore) `
            -DiskStorageFormat "Thin" -OvfConfiguration $ovfConfig -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction Stop
        
        Start-VM -VM $esxiVm -Confirm:$false
        Write-Host "✅ Nested ESXi Host '$($esxiHostConfig.VmName)' deployed and powered on."

        # Configure Network Adapter
        $networkAdapter = Get-NetworkAdapter -VM $esxiVm
        Set-NetworkAdapter -NetworkName $esxiNetwork -NetworkAdapter $networkAdapter -Confirm:$false
        Write-Host "🔄 Network adapter configured for $($esxiHostConfig.VmName)."

        # Add Extra Disks for vSAN
        Write-Host "💾 Adding extra disks to ESXi host: $($esxiHostConfig.VmName)..."
        for ($i = 1; $i -le 2; $i++) {
            New-HardDisk -VM $esxiVm -CapacityGB $extraDiskSizeGB -StorageFormat "Thin" -Confirm:$false
            Write-Host "✅ Added $extraDiskSizeGB GB disk $i to $($esxiHostConfig.VmName)."
        }
    } catch {
        Write-Host "❌ Error deploying $($esxiHostConfig.VmName): $_"
        continue
    }
}

This script:

Deploys the ESXi VM using the OVA template.
Configures the network.
Adds extra disks if needed.

Step 6: Disconnect from vCenter

Once the deployment is complete, safely disconnect from vCenter:

if ($global:DefaultVIServers.Count -gt 0) {
    Disconnect-VIServer -Confirm:$false
    Write-Host "🔌 Disconnected from vSphere environment."
} else {
    Write-Host "🔍 No active vSphere connections found."
}

Conclusion

With this PowerCLI script, you can automate the creation of a nested ESXi environment in vSphere. This approach is perfect for: ✅ Lab setups
✅ Testing environments
✅ vSAN, vSphere, or NSX-T simulations

By using VMware Nested Lab with PowerCLI, you eliminate manual errors, ensure consistency, and deploy multiple VMs quickly. Modify the script based on your environment and start automating your nested VMware deployments today! 🚀

How to Automatically Create a VMs Environment Using PowerCLI