Export DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) rules from a vCenter server using PowerCLI-How to?

To export DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) rules from a vCenter server using PowerCLI, you can use the following script. This script will connect to your vCenter server, retrieve the DRS rules for each cluster, and export them to a CSV file.

1. Install VMware PowerCLI if you haven’t already:

Install-Module -Name VMware.PowerCLI -Scope CurrentUser

2. Run the following PowerCLI script:

# Import the VMware PowerCLI module
Import-Module VMware.PowerCLI

# Connect to the vCenter Server
$vCenterServer = "your_vcenter_server"
$username = "your_username"
$password = "your_password"
Connect-VIServer -Server $vCenterServer -User $username -Password $password

# Initialize an array to store the DRS rules
$drsRules = @()

# Get all clusters in the vCenter
$clusters = Get-Cluster

foreach ($cluster in $clusters) {
    # Get the DRS rules for each cluster
    $rules = Get-DrsRule -Cluster $cluster

    foreach ($rule in $rules) {
        $drsRule = New-Object PSObject -Property @{
            ClusterName   = $cluster.Name
            RuleName      = $rule.Name
            Enabled       = $rule.Enabled
            RuleType      = $rule.GetType().Name
            VMGroupName   = $null
            HostGroupName = $null
        }

        if ($rule -is [VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Impl.V1.VMGroups.DrsVmHostRuleImpl]) {
            $drsRule.VMGroupName = $rule.VMGroupName
            $drsRule.HostGroupName = $rule.HostGroupName
        }
        elseif ($rule -is [VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Impl.V1.VMGroups.DrsAffinityRuleImpl]) {
            $drsRule.VMGroupName = ($rule.VMs | ForEach-Object { $_.Name }) -join ", "
        }
        elseif ($rule -is [VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Impl.V1.VMGroups.DrsAntiAffinityRuleImpl]) {
            $drsRule.VMGroupName = ($rule.VMs | ForEach-Object { $_.Name }) -join ", "
        }

        # Add the DRS rule to the array
        $drsRules += $drsRule
    }
}

# Export the DRS rules to a CSV file
$outputPath = "C:\path\to\output\drs_rules.csv"
$drsRules | Export-Csv -Path $outputPath -NoTypeInformation

# Disconnect from the vCenter Server
Disconnect-VIServer -Confirm:$false

Explanation:

1. Import the VMware PowerCLI Module: This ensures that the PowerCLI cmdlets are available for use.
2. Connect to the vCenter Server: Replace your_vcenter_server, your_username, and your_password with your vCenter server details.
3. Initialize an array to store DRS rules.
4. Get all clusters: Retrieves all clusters in the vCenter.
5. Iterate through each cluster: For each cluster, retrieve the DRS rules.
6. Create a PowerShell object for each DRS rule: This object will store relevant details about each DRS rule.
   • Rule Types: Differentiate between VM-Host affinity rules and VM-VM affinity/anti-affinity rules to extract relevant information.
7. Export the DRS rules to a CSV file: Store the collected data in a CSV file at the specified path.
8. Disconnect from the vCenter Server.

Make sure to adjust the outputPath variable to point to your desired output location. This script provides a basic framework and can be further customized based on specific requirements.