Is there a way to create ESXi VMs using DCUI?

Yes. Maybe.

From the DCUI, you can get to a shell. From the shell, you can issue commands. I’ve never gone as far as creating a VM but it’s an interesting exercise.

A quick search found this article. It’s way old, but I think the steps involved in the process are still the same.

[https://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/feature/Creation-of-virtual-machines-utilizing-command-line-tools](https://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/feature/Creation-of-virtual-machines-utilizing-command-line-tools)

You obviously need access to the machine’s console and privileges to log into the shell, assuming it’s enabled.