How to Search VMware View ADAM Instance

A few of the VMware View posts I've read recently had people searching for Objects by hand from the Servers OU in the VMware View Adam Database.  I"m not sure if they just didn't feel like explaining how to search it but I figured I'd five a quick guide on how to do this because even in a small View deployment this can be like finding a needle in a hay stack as there can easily be hundreds of objects.

First we need to Connect to the VMware View ADAM instance which I covered here. .

Next Right Click the "Default naming Context..."  and select New, and then Query.

Open a New Query Window. Enter what ever you want for the name.
Most likely for the "Root of Search" you want the to click browse and select the top node.
and finally the Query String you'll need to edit to find what your looking for.

Usually I'm looking for a Pool of Vms or specific VM.

When looking for a pool of VMs with same base name I can use a '*' as a wildcard search. Be sure to replace basename with your vm pool name.


(&(objectClass=pae-VM)(pae-displayname=basename*) )


If I know the full VM name then something like the following.


(&(objectClass=pae-VM)(pae-displayname=FullVMName) )

Play around and see what works. To edit your query right click it choose settings.

You can also use any type of boolean search to do more complicated searches.

Logical Operator	Description
=	Equals to
&	AND
!	Not
|	OR