VMware: How to disable Datastore Browser

The Datastore Browser allows you to view all the datastores associated with the vSphere deployment, including all folders and files contained in them, such as VM files. This is governed by the users permissions on vCenter Server. In some cases, you may want to disable the Datastore Browser in order to eliminate the risk from having an open interface that is not being used.

To disable the Datastore Browser you will need to follow some basic steps:

• Edit the vpxd.cfg file and ensure that the following element is set: <enableHttpDatastoreAccess>false</enableHttpDatastoreAccess>
• This should be the only occurrence of this element, and it should be within the:                    <vpxd> … </vpxd> element in vpxd.cfg

You will no longer be able to browse and view datastore files using a web browser connected to vCenter Server. Note that the Datastore Browser available on each ESX/ESXi host is unaffected by this setting, and may be disabled separately using a host-level setting.

Extract from vSphere Hardening Guide April 2010.pdf