ESXi 5 Direct Console User Interface (DCUI)

The DCUI is the menu-driven interface available at the console of the physical server on which ESXi is installed or embedded. Its main purpose is to perform initial configuration of the host (IP address, hostname, root password), and diagnostics.
The DCUI has several diagnostic menu items:

• Restart all management agents, including,
• hostd
• Vpxa
• Reset configuration settings, such as,
  • Fix a misconfigured vNetwork Distributed Switch
  • Reset all configurations to factory defaults
• Enable the ESXi Shell for troubleshooting, including,
  • Local access (on the console of the host)
  • Remote access (ssh-based)

Browser-based File Access

You can also point an ordinary web browser to the host and view files, including:

• Log files
• Configuration files
• Virtual Machine files

vSphere Command Line Interface

The vCLI has numerous commands for troubleshooting, including:

• vmkfstools
• vmware-cmd
• resxtop

In vSphere 5.0, the vCLI has been redesigned to provided maximum capability and flexibility. Now, practically all operations that are available in the ESXi Shell can also be performed with the vCLI.