Which two CLI commands could be used to see if vmnic link status is down? (Choose two.)

Both esxcfg-nics -l and esxcli network nic list are command-line interface (CLI) commands used on a VMware ESXi host to display the status of physical network interface cards (vmnics). The output from both commands includes a "Link" or "Link Status" column, which explicitly states whether the physical link is "Up" or "Down". The esxcfg-nics command is a legacy utility, while esxcli is the modern and recommended framework for ESXi management. Both are valid for checking the link status.

C. esxcfg-vmknic -l: This command lists the properties of VMkernel network interfaces (vmknics), which are virtual adapters, not the physical network adapters (vmnics).
D. esxcfg-vmsvc/get.networks: This is not a valid or standard command for checking network interface status in modern ESXi versions.
E. esxcli network vswitch dvs vmware list: This command lists properties of vSphere Distributed Switches (DVS) configured on the host, not the specific link status of individual physical NICs.

1. VMware vSphere Command-Line Interface Reference

ESXi 8.0: The documentation for esxcli network nic list states it "Lists the physical NICs currently installed and loaded on the system." The example output clearly shows a "Link Status" column.

Source: VMware vSphere 8.0 Documentation

"vSphere Command-Line Interface Reference"

esxcli network command section. (Accessed via docs.vmware.com).

2. VMware Knowledge Base Article 2012024

"ESXi/ESX command-line utilities": This article lists and describes various esxcfg- commands. It specifies that esxcfg-nics is used to "view and configure physical NICs." The -l or --list option is documented to list the current settings for all physical NICs

including link status.

Source: VMware KB 2012024

"ESXi/ESX command-line utilities"

Section: esxcfg-nics.

3. VMware Knowledge Base Article 1003686

"Verifying network adapter connectivity with the command line": This official troubleshooting guide explicitly recommends using esxcli network nic list and esxcfg-nics -l to check the link status of a network adapter.

Source: VMware KB 1003686

"Verifying network adapter connectivity with the command line"

Resolution section.