Dell PowerVault ME5 Series Storage System CLI Reference Guide

CLI output formats

The CLI has two output formats:

• Console format, which is the human-to-computer interface (HCI).
• API format, which is the computer-to-computer interface (CCI).

Console format enables users to interact with the CLI and obtain easily readable information. This format automatically sizes fields according to content and adjusts content to window resizes. These capabilities would present problems for a CCI in the form of scripts or other client software. In console format, some commands display confirmation prompts.

API format enables any external application to interact with the storage system. XML and JSON formats are supported. Both formats are constructed to allow new fields to be added without impacting existing clients if they follow standard parsing conventions for the respective format. In API format, commands do not use confirmation prompts.

Scripting is not supported using console format because labels, field sizes, and order of fields might change in future firmware releases. To properly script CLI commands, use API format, which is expected to remain consistent from release to release; field names will be consistent and new functionality will be added as new fields. These types of changes in API output will not impact a conventional XML or JSON parsing engine.

You can change the CLI output format by using the set cli-parameters command.