Cirrus Data Cloud ESX VM Guide

This file covers read-only review and approval rules for direct vCenter VM hardware changes.

Scope

Always log into vCenter 192.168.0.201.
Source /home/aw/code/cds/.env.credentials.local and use VCENTER_USER plus VCENTER_PASSWORD.
Standard CLI path: /home/aw/.local/bin/govc
Default datacenter: CDSHQ-Eng

Treat direct VM hardware changes as a two-step workflow:
first gather and report findings
then wait for explicit operator approval before making any change
Never create, attach, remove, or reassign hardware until the operator explicitly approves after seeing the summary.

When the requested VM name is not present exactly as given, search for the closest live inventory name and report the mismatch before planning any change.
Do not act on a guessed VM silently.

Find the specified VM and verify the ESXi host it is currently running on.
Default expected ESXi host is 192.168.1.165, but always verify live placement before planning changes.
Always identify and report the datastore where the VM is stored before planning disk work.

When asked to create a new disk for a VM:
inspect the VM's current controller layout first
prefer the existing SCSI controller already backing the VM disks unless the operator explicitly asks for a different controller
report the controller label, controller type, and the next free unit number before proposing the change
report the target datastore and requested size before proposing the change
if the VM has snapshots, include that fact in the review summary before the operator approves

For existing-disk and FC-passthrough requests, use the workflow in vm-lookup-and-assignment.md.
If the specified devices or disk files cannot be found exactly as requested, do nothing.