What automation solutions are there for the free version of ESXi 5.x? For example, you have a close-to-zero budget and want to automate the creation of VMs, checking for VMware tools, etc. using scripting or workflows.
PowerCLI traditionally has required vCenter Server - is this still the case?
Does vCLI work with free ESXi?
Has some third party created an open source automation solution that plugs into multiple free ESXi 5.x servers and uses the APIs to manage them without vCenter Server?