Как Khaled, но со скручиванием:
watch -d -n 5 'ls | wc -l'
-d
покажет различия от одного снимка до следующего, делая это очевидным, когда вещи изменятся.
Yes, you can run a single ESXi system from the command line and avoid the vSphere client. I don't think it's worth the effort, though...
Professional engineers use the right tool(s) for the job. If that means Windows is the primary interface for VMware and VMware is the platform I need, then it is what it is.
If you step up to the paid version (~$500), you'll gain access to the vCenter appliance. This is Linux-based and can provide you access to the vSphere web-accessible management interface. This is the direction VMware is going with the vSphere line, so Windows isn't a firm requirement.