Image Builder with PowerCLI
The vSphere Image Builder CLI is a process or tool used to build custom ESXi images or software bundles, which can later be installed using the update manager. It is actually a collection of PowerCLI cmdlets that gives you the power to do the earlier mentioned tasks. In most cases, VMware partners use it extensively so that they can build their own images. For example, let's assume that particular server hardware requires a few special drivers for the ESXi server to run properly on that platform. So, we have two options: either we need to install these special drivers after the installation of the ESXi server or we can preinclude them in the ESXi image itself so that we don't need to install any drivers later on. In most cases, the second approach is preferred by most hardware vendors, so you will get vanilla ESXi images from the VMware site, but if you download the ESXi image available from a server vendor site, it includes the added drivers required for the...