VM /ETC has a fantastic bit of info for free tools for ESX / ESXi check the blog
Free tools with VirtualCenter -like features
“
So you’ve downloaded your free version of ESXi. Maybe you’ve built a couple of ESX Servers but you haven’t purchased a full VI 3.5 Enterpise license. You might even have an enterprise license but your VirtualCenter (VC) server will be a virtual machine (VM) and you want to build a template VM as a gold image first. These are some of several possible scenarios where it helps to have VC -like functionalities without VirtualCenter. This post is a summary of 3 freely available tools that can provide some of VirtualCenter’s features.
First let me state that there is not an exact substitute for VirtualCenter, and the automation and ease of management VC provides is well worth it’s cost. Now for some alternatives.
“
These are really interesting to me, as of right now, we are running ESXi Only, with No Virtual Center, and even if we went that direction, I can’t see my self opting to shell out money for my test or unsupported ESXi boxes just to get VC control.
Thanks, I will have to try these out.
Roger
