Sorry if this sounds like a newbie question - but I am.
Due to poor communications, I would like to transfer files from one client to the ESX4i datastore as a zip file. e.g. the VM is 80GB but when zipped it is less that 8GB. I cannot depend on 80GB transferring over the network potentially for hours without getting dropouts etc.
I know I can transfer the zip file via the CLI (vifs). Question I have, once it is there, how do I unzip the file.
I think I can drop to unsupported mode on the ESX 4i host and use gunzip - can I do the equivalent using the CLI interface or the vsphere client?
Likewise, can I zip up the contents of a datastore folder and transfer just the zip file?