Search Knowledge Base by Keyword

RVTools

< Back

Overview

RVTools is a free Windows utility that connects to a VMware vCenter Server or ESXi host over the vSphere API and dumps the entire inventory into a workbook of tabbed worksheets. Each tab covers one object class: vInfo for virtual machines, vCPU and vMemory for their allocations, vDisk and vPartition for storage, vHost for the ESXi hosts, vCluster, vDatastore, vNetwork and so on. It has been the standard VMware inventory snapshot in enterprise IT for years, largely because it needs nothing more than read-only vCenter credentials and produces a file an analyst can open in Excel.

The ReadyWorks connector reads those exports as files. There is no vCenter connection and no credential held by ReadyWorks: the connection points at a directory on the ReadyWorks server (or accepts a manual upload through the console), the job names the CSV to read, and the csv_file.php driver parses the header row into columns and each row into a record in the destination staging table.

This matters when the VMware team will share an inventory dump but will not issue API credentials, which is common during a divestiture, an audit or an early migration assessment. Staged RVTools data reconciles against the CMDB, against Active Directory computer objects and against application ownership records, and it is detailed enough to size migration waves from. If ReadyWorks does hold vCenter credentials, the VMware vCenter connector reads the same estate live and keeps it current between exports.

The connector is inbound only. It reads files and writes staging tables, and it never writes back to vCenter.

NOTE: RVTools writes an Excel workbook by default. Use its CSV export so that each tab becomes its own file, conventionally named RVTools_tab<name>.csv. The connector reads CSV, not the workbook.

Connector Properties

Property Value
Identifier RVTOOLS
Name RVTools
Description RVTools is used to quickly generate CSV reports of various VMware inventory data.
Job Types Inbound Only
Order 10
Enabled Yes
Locked Yes
Block Update No
Single Authentication No
Windows Only No
Connector Version 2025-09-13
Hooks None
Additional Job Fields None
Image

Authentication Methods

The connector offers one method. It handles files on disk or files uploaded through the ReadyWorks console, and it needs no credentials.

Method Identifier Base Method Script Order Enabled Config Fields
Comma Separated File RVTOOLS_370b CSV_file csv_file.php 10 Yes 3

Method 1: Comma Separated File (RVTOOLS_370b)

No Authentication

Comma Separated File reads RVTools exports from a path on the ReadyWorks server. Set Server File Path to the directory the exports land in (the default is storage/etl5), and set Manual File Upload to Yes if operators will attach the file through the console instead of dropping it on the server. Nothing is authenticated, so the security boundary is whatever controls write access to that directory.

Connection Configuration Fields (3)

Order Label Type Required Default Max Len Tooltip
30 Server File Path text Yes storage/etl5 255 Enter path where the files to process are located or where manually uploaded files are stored (exclude starting and ending backslash)
230 Manual File Upload radio Yes 0 Choose if file is uploaded manually or processed from the server
250 Additional Job Fields fields_list No Enter list of additional fields to add to staging data for all jobs

No authentication recipe is stored. The driver script authenticates natively using the fields above.

Inbound Job Fields Enabled (11)

These are the job-level settings exposed for an RVTools import.

Order Label Type Required Default Tooltip
10 Job Description text Yes Enter description of the Job
20 Job Schedule lookup Yes Daily Select frequency Job should run
30 Enabled radio Yes Yes Choose if Job is enabled
60 Allow Empty Table radio Yes Yes Choose if an empty table is allowed
70 Destination Table text Yes Enter name of the destination table
80 Data Identity text No Enter identity of the Job
90 CSV File or Path textarea No Enter CSV filename or path (exclude starting and ending backslash); leave blank to upload all files in the base folder path of the Connection
110 Append Files to Same Destination Table radio No No Choose if multiple files in the same path will append to the same destination table, or will create a new destination table for each file
120 Append New Data to Existing Tables radio No No Choose if new data will append to the existing destination table, or will create a new destination table
130 Fields to Index text No Enter fields to index
560 Order text Yes Enter order of the Job

Inbound Job Templates (1)

One inbound template ships, covering the vInfo tab. It arrives disabled so that you can point it at your own file name and destination table before it runs.

# Job Description Destination Table API End Point Enabled What It Pulls
1 RVTools – Tab Info rvtools_info_data Not set No Reads RVTools_tabvInfo.csv, the virtual machine inventory tab, into rvtools_info_data. Expect one row per virtual machine carrying its name, power state, configured guest OS and detected running OS, vCPU and memory allocation, provisioned and in-use storage, VMware Tools state, folder and resource pool placement, host, cluster and datacenter, plus its annotation and custom attribute columns.

Job Template Configuration

Settings

Setting Value
Order 10
Enabled No
Job Schedule Daily (15 1 * * *)
Destination Table rvtools_info_data
Data Identity rvtools_tab_info_data
Allow Empty Table Yes
Append Files to Same Destination Table No
Append New Data to Existing Tables No
Use Unparsed Data No
Convert UUID-Keyed Objects to Rows No
Ignore XML Attributes No
Log Raw API Calls No
Method Type GET
Body Data Sending Method JSON Encoded Data

Job Parameters and Enumeration

RVTools – Tab Info

CSV File or Path: RVTools_tabvInfo.csv

Outbound Job Templates (0)

This connector ships no outbound templates and does not support outbound jobs.

Tags: