vmware_host_hyperthreading – Enables/Disables Hyperthreading optimization for an ESXi host system

New in version 2.8.

Synopsis

  • This module can be used to enable or disable Hyperthreading optimization for ESXi host systems in given vCenter infrastructure.

  • It also checks if Hyperthreading is activated/deactivated and if the host needs to be restarted.

  • The module informs the user if Hyperthreading is enabled but inactive because the processor is vulnerable to L1 Terminal Fault (L1TF).

Requirements

The below requirements are needed on the host that executes this module.

  • python >= 2.6

  • PyVmomi

Parameters

Parameter Choices/Defaults Comments
cluster_name
string
Name of the cluster from which all host systems will be used.
This parameter is required if esxi_hostname is not specified.
esxi_hostname
string
Name of the host system to work with.
This parameter is required if cluster_name is not specified.
hostname
string
The hostname or IP address of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable VMWARE_HOST will be used instead.
Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
password
string
The password of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable VMWARE_PASSWORD will be used instead.
Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.

aliases: pass, pwd
port
integer
added in 2.5
 Default:
443
The port number of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable VMWARE_PORT will be used instead.
Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
proxy_host
string
added in 2.9
Address of a proxy that will receive all HTTPS requests and relay them.
The format is a hostname or a IP.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable VMWARE_PROXY_HOST will be used instead.
This feature depends on a version of pyvmomi greater than v6.7.1.2018.12
proxy_port
integer
added in 2.9
Port of the HTTP proxy that will receive all HTTPS requests and relay them.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable VMWARE_PROXY_PORT will be used instead.
state
string
    Choices:
  • enabled ←
  • disabled
Enable or disable Hyperthreading.
You need to reboot the ESXi host if you change the configuration.
Make sure that Hyperthreading is enabled in the BIOS. Otherwise, it will be enabled, but never activated.
username
string
The username of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable VMWARE_USER will be used instead.
Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.

aliases: admin, user
validate_certs
boolean
    Choices:
  • no
  • yes ←
Allows connection when SSL certificates are not valid. Set to false when certificates are not trusted.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable VMWARE_VALIDATE_CERTS will be used instead.
Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
If set to yes, please make sure Python >= 2.7.9 is installed on the given machine.

Notes

Note

  • Tested on vSphere 6.5

Examples

- name: Enable Hyperthreading for an host system
  vmware_host_hyperthreading:
    hostname: '{{ vcenter_hostname }}'
    username: '{{ vcenter_username }}'
    password: '{{ vcenter_password }}'
    esxi_hostname: '{{ esxi_hostname }}'
    state: enabled
    validate_certs: no
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Disable Hyperthreading for an host system
  vmware_host_hyperthreading:
    hostname: '{{ vcenter_hostname }}'
    username: '{{ vcenter_username }}'
    password: '{{ vcenter_password }}'
    esxi_hostname: '{{ esxi_hostname }}'
    state: disabled
    validate_certs: no
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Disable Hyperthreading for all host systems from cluster
  vmware_host_hyperthreading:
    hostname: '{{ vcenter_hostname }}'
    username: '{{ vcenter_username }}'
    password: '{{ vcenter_password }}'
    cluster_name: '{{ cluster_name }}'
    state: disabled
    validate_certs: no
  delegate_to: localhost

Return Values

Common return values are documented here, the following are the fields unique to this module:

Key Returned Description
results
dictionary
always
metadata about host system's Hyperthreading configuration

Sample:
{'esxi01': {'msg': "Hyperthreading is already enabled and active for host 'esxi01'", 'state_current': 'active', 'state': 'enabled'}}


Status

Authors

  • Christian Kotte (@ckotte)

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