Using the ESXi Managed Object Browser

The Managed Object Browser (MOB) is a web-based server program that runs on an ESXi host to provide web-based access to all the objects managed by the ESXi host.

Note

Starting with vSphere 6, MOB is disabled by default on ESXi.

Before you can access MOB, you will need to enable it through the Advanced SettingsConfig.HostAgent.plugins.solo.enableMob on the ESXi host. To bring up the Advanced Settings window, navigate to the Configuration tab and then click AdvancedSettings in the Software pane:

Once enabled, you should be able to get to the MOB of the ESXi host using the following URL syntax: https://IP address or FQDN/mob.

The MOB can be used to invoke commands on the objects managed by the ESXi host. For instance, you can invoke the method CurrentTime to retrieve the current date or time value from the host. Hence it requires an authenticated user to access the MOB interface. When you try to access the MOB URL of any ESXi host, you will be prompted for the credentials. The credentials supplied could be of any user with at least read-only permissions. Once you log in to the MOB, the home page will present you with the Properties and Methods that are available for use against the objects managed by the ESXi host: