prlctl Basics

The prlctl Parallels Command Line Tool is a utility enabling you to manage computers running the Parallels Server or Parallels Desktop software and virtual machines hosted on these computers right from your command line utility, without need to use the GUI. You can use the prlctl utility in one of the following ways:

• run the utility from the command prompt or
• include special utility calls in your automation scripts.

The prlctl utility is an integral part of the Parallels Server distribution set and is provided with each of the supported platforms: Mac, Linux, and Windows. It is also available with Parallels Desktop for Mac OS X.

This utility can be used to manage:

• virtual machines on local and remote servers having the Parallels Server software installed.
• virtual machines on computers having Parallels Desktop software installed.

prlctl uses the Parallels API (Application Programming Interface) to communicate with the Parallels Server and Parallels Desktop software.

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