Manually Upload Patches Into Update Manager Failed

How to Patch ESXi with VMware Update Manager: Complete Walkthrough

ESXi hosts can be patched in the command line interface by using ESXCLI, though this method is most advantageous when the number of ESXi hosts you need to patch is not high. If the number of ESXi hosts required is high, patching each host in ESXCLI can take a lot of time and try, peculiarly if you accept hosts of dissimilar versions. Fortunately, VMware provides vSphere Update Director that tin be used to update ESXi hosts from the single interface. Today's blog mail covers VMware vSphere Update Manager and explains how to upgrade and update ESXi hosts centrally.

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What Is VMware Update Director?

VMware vSphere Update Director is a vCenter plug-in (extension) that must be installed manually on vCenter Server versions older than vCenter half dozen.5. If vCenter Server 6.5 is installed on Windows, yous should install vSphere Update Manager (VUM) manually. VMware Update Manager tin can be installed on the auto with vCenter or on another Windows auto and must have network connectivity with vCenter since VUM is tightly integrated with vCenter Server. If yous have installed vCenter Server Apparatus (VCSA) version vi.5 or later, and so vSphere Update Manager has been pre-installed in vCenter by default and starts automatically. Information technology is recommended that you install vCenter 6.7 as VCSA – in this case, vCenter is running as a virtual machine (VM) on an ESXi server. VMware vCenter is a centralized management system for vSphere, and vSphere Update Manager is a centralized tool for updating/upgrading ESXi hosts, VMs, virtual appliances, and virtual applications (VMware vApps). You tin also install and update software such every bit drivers on ESXi hosts, upgrade VM hardware, install and update VMware Tools. This way, you lot can update or upgrade multiple entities at one time.

Advantages of VMware Update Manager

The advantages of using VMware Update Manager include flexibility and the possibility to install VMware patches on multiple hosts at in one case. Such an approach as well allows you to manage VMware patches centrally by using vCenter with VMware vSphere Client and helps you salve fourth dimension spent on vSphere administration. You can likewise automate the ESXi patch installation. VMware Update Director is universal and allows yous to install VMware patches and tertiary-party patches such as Cisco distributed virtual switch, updated drivers for Hewlett-Packard servers, etc.

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Compatibility

Earlier starting the upgrading/updating process, be certain to cheque the compatibility of your current vCenter version with the new ESXi version, compatibility of your current ESXi version with the upgrade version, and compatibility of your backup software with new ESXi and vCenter versions that y'all will use after the upgrade/update. You can employ VMware interoperability matrices on the VMware'due south spider web site. Also, be sure to check the compatibility of your hardware with ESXi patches before you lot install these patches.

How ESXi Patching Works

Basically, the workflow of ESXi patching consists of the post-obit:

• Uploading the needed installation file to Update Director
• Creating a custom baseline
• Attaching the baseline to the required entity (ESXi host, datacenter, cluster etc.)
• Compliance cheque (optional)
• Remediation pre-bank check
• Remediation

Call up that in the nearly cases virtual machines must be shut down or migrated from ESXi hosts earlier starting remediation when you seek to update or upgrade these hosts. ESXi hosts enter the maintenance way automatically when remediating. When remediation is washed, ESXi hosts go out the maintenance style, and a host reboot may be required. If you have chosen to remediate multiple ESXi hosts, the process of remediating the second host begins in one case the procedure of remediating the first ESXi host is finished.

Hence, the update and upgrade process for ESXi hosts can be divided into the following steps:

• An ESXi host is entered in the maintenance mode.
• A patch is installed.
• The ESXi host is rebooted.
• The ESXi host is reconnected to vCenter.
• The ESXi host exits the maintenance mode.
• The procedure of ESXi patching starts for the side by side ESXi host.

How to Utilize vSphere Update Manager to Patch ESXi Hosts

Let's explain what'southward involved in using VMware Update Director for upgrading ESXi 6.5 to ESXi six.seven. In the current case, vCenter 6.7 is used for managing three ESXi hosts. VMware vSphere Update Manager is pre-installed in VCSA 6.7 (vCenter Server Apparatus).

Open VMware vSphere Client, go to Hosts and Clusters, and select the ESXi hosts which you would like to upgrade/update. Yous can select a VM folder, cluster or the unabridged datacenter if necessary. In this example, the ESXi host whose IP accost is 192.168.101.205 will be upgraded.

Note: Upgrade refers to changing a version of ESXi host, vCenter Server, etc. from a minor version to a major version, for example, v.six.0 to v.6.five, v.half-dozen.5 to v.6.vii, etc.

Update refers to installing patches that set up bugs on the current version. The build number is increased, simply the version remains the same after applying an update. For instance, updating ESXi half-dozen.7 to ESXi 6.vii U1, ESXi6.7 U2 or ESXi6.7 U3 preserves version 6.vii.

Upgrading ESXi 6.five to ESXi 6.seven

Select the required ESXi host and bank check the version and build number in the Summary tab. Pay attending to the Updates tab that is present when VMware Update Managing director is installed in vCenter. You can also open up the Updates tab to cheque the ESXi version and build. As you can see on the screenshot, ESXi six.5 build 8294253 is used in the example (the IP address of the ESXi host is 192.168.101.205 and the IP address of vCenter is 192.168.101.103). In the Updates tab, you can see a link to the VMware Update Manager page of vCenter.

Y'all should have all required packages earlier you tin upgrade ESXi. Find, that you should download the ESXi 6.7 ISO installer manually before updating ESX six.5 in vSphere Update Manager.

Uploading the prototype for upgrade

Go to VMware Update Manager (Home > Update Manager), select the ESXi images tab, and click Import to import the ESXi 6.7 installation ISO file to the repository of vSphere Update Manager.

Click Browse and select the ESXi half dozen.vii installer ISO file. Click Import to import the image to a repository.

Wait until the ISO image has been copied.

Once your ESXi half-dozen.7 installation epitome has been copied to the Update Manager repository, you should create a new baseline. A baseline is like a preset that can be applied to multiple entities, such equally ESXi hosts, at one time. Baselines are divided to host baselines, VM (virtual auto) baselines, VA (virtual appliance) baselines. VM baselines and VA baselines cannot exist created manually, as they are predefined. You can as well create baseline groups. In the current example, a baseline includes one ESXi image for upgrade. Nevertheless, y'all tin can select multiple patches (updates), upgrades or extensions to add to a baseline. And so you lot can use one baseline to install multiple patches on ESXi hosts simultaneously.

Creating a baseline

In the ESXi images tab, hit New Baseline.

The Create Baseline wizard that is now opened contains three steps.

1. Enter a proper name and description for a new baseline. In the current example, the name is ESXi6-7upgrade. Striking Side by side to continue.

ii. Select an ESXi release image. The ESXi vi.7 Update1 ISO image is selected in this case. Hit Side by side.

3. Check the summary and click Stop.

The baseline has now been created, and yous can see the created baseline in the Baselines tab of VMware Update Managing director. You tin also come across two predefined baselines (Non-Disquisitional Host Patches and Critical Host Patches).

Attaching a baseline

Get to Hosts and Clusters, select your host (ESXi 6.5), and select the Updates tab. In the Overview department, select Host Updates, then in the Attached Baselines department, hitting Attach.

Note : You tin select the unabridged datacenter, VM folder, or cluster if y'all wish to upgrade multiple ESXi hosts.

Select your custom upgrade baseline (ESXi6-7upgrade in this case) and click Attach.

Checking compliance

Get dorsum to Hosts and Clusters, select your ESXi host (datacenter, VM folder or cluster), then select the Updates tab.

In the Updates tab, select Overview, and so cull Host Compliance, and click Check Compliance.

The compliance check allows you to verify the state of updates added to baselines and notify whether or not in that location are conflicts. If update or upgrade is unsupported, VMware Update Manager will notify you lot when performing the check compliance.

In our case, the host compliance status is not-compliant, but upgrade can be technically done for selected hosts.

Pre-check remediation

Pre-bank check remediation should exist performed to verify conditions and identify possible problems that may occur afterwards remediating. If there are possible bug, the listing of recommended actions is displayed. For example, if you lot are going to upgrade or update ESXi hosts and VMs are running in a cluster, yous may need to disable DPM, HA admission control, and enable DRS, EVC etc. Equally for VMs, you may demand to disconnect a virtual DVD drive, disable Fault Tolerance for the VM in a cluster, etc. Pre-check remediation allows you to avoid terminating the update/upgrade process after starting.

Get to Hosts and Clusters, select your ESXi host (hosts), correct-click the host, and select Update Managing director > Pre-check Remediation in the context menu.

Wait for a while until the checking procedure is finished. If there are warnings after finishing the pre-bank check remediation process, perform the recommended actions to fix the issues.

If everything is correct and no deportment must be performed to begin remediation, go to Hosts and Clusters, select your ESXi host, select the Updates tab, and open the Host Updates category in the Overview section. Select the required baseline (ESXi6-7upgrade in this case) and click Remediate.

Read and accept the Cease Use License Agreement (EULA), tick the advisable check box, and hitting OK.

Select the ESXi hosts that need to be remediated, edit settings if needed (scheduling settings, remediation options), and click Remediate.

All VMs must be shut downwards or migrated from the host before remediating. The host volition enter the maintenance mode automatically. Yous can come across the progress of the remediation process in the Recent Tasks tab. Wait until the procedure is finished. Afterward upgrading an ESXi host, the host must reboot and go out the maintenance mode automatically.

Once the ESXi upgrade process is finished and your ESXi host is rebooted, select this host in the Host/Cluster page, and verify the version and build number. As you can come across on the screenshot below, our ESXi host has been upgraded from v6.5 build 8294253 to version 6.7 build 10302608 (Update 1). You can compare your build number with the build number in the tabular array and identify the version, release name, and release date.

The ESXi host has been upgraded successfully, you can run VMs on this host again.

Updating ESXi half-dozen.7 to ESXi 6.7 Update 2

If you use ESXi vi.7 hosts, you lot cannot upgrade these hosts until a new version of vSphere has been released. At the moment of writing this blog post, vSphere 6.seven is the latest version. However, updates that contain security patches and other patches take been released past VMware. ESXi half dozen.7 hosts tin can be updated to ESXi vi.7 Update 1, Update 2 and Update three at this moment. Permit's consider how to update ESXi host version 6.7 Update i to version vi.7 Update 2 as an case. Y'all can utilize this process to update your ESXi half-dozen.vii Update 2 to ESXi 6.seven Update 3 by using VMware Update Manager as well as installing custom VMware patches. As you may recall, the electric current version of ESXi host considered in our example is version half dozen.seven Update ane build 10302608.

Open up vSphere Update Manager (in vSphere Client go to Domicile > Update Director) and select the Updates tab. You can come across a list of available updates and patches, their severity, type, and category. The required VMware ESXi 6.7 Complete Update 2 is nowadays in this list, hence, we can continue.

Creating a baseline

As seen in the previous example, beginning you take to create a new baseline. In VMware Update Manager, open the Baselines tab, click New > Baseline.

The Create Baseline magician is opened.

1. Name and Clarification. Enter a proper noun, for case ESXi6-7upd2, enter description (optional), and select the baseline type. In this example, the content type is Patch. Hit Next to continue.

2. Select Patches Automatically. As we would like to install the necessary update manually, the "Automatically update this baseline with patches that match the post-obit criteria" checkbox must be unchecked. Otherwise, all available VMware patches will be suggested for installation.

iii. Select Patches Manually. Select the required VMware patches. VMware ESXi 6.7 Complete Update 2 has been selected in this example.

iv. Summary. Check your baseline settings and if everything is correct, hit Stop.

At present that a baseline has been created, you lot tin see the new baseline in the Baselines tab of VMware Update Manager.

Attaching the baseline to the host

At present, become dorsum to Hosts and Clusters, select the ESXi host that yous would similar to patch, and select the Updates tab. Click Host Updates and in the Attached Baselines section, click Attach.

In the popup window, select the required baseline (ESXi6-7upd2 in this example) and hit Attach.

Remediating the ESXi host

Now that the baseline has been attached to the ESXi host, you can select this baseline. You should prepare your ESXi host for remediation and shut downward or migrate VMs from the hosts which must be patched. Proceed in mind that the ESXi host needs to enter the maintenance style in lodge to install ESXi patches. Next, click Remediate to start updating the ESXi host.

In the new opened window, confirm the host y'all would like to patch, and select this host by ticking the checkbox (the checkbox is checked by default). Configure additional options if demand be, and hitting Remediate to outset patching the ESXi host.

Wait until the remediation procedure is finished. After that, select your ESXi host and, in the Summary tab, check the version and build number to ensure that the host has been patched successfully. Now our ESXi host has been updated to version 6.7.0 Update 2 Build 13006603.

Notice, that you tin can configure global settings of VMware Update Manager if needed by going to Update Manager > Settings.

Conclusion

VMware Update Manager is a useful module intended for managing and installing updates in VMware vSphere environments. VMware vSphere Update Director (VUM) is tightly integrated with vCenter and is included with VCSA vi.5 and VCSA six.vii. It is especially recommended that you use VUM to update or upgrade components of large vSphere environments. Today's blog mail service has explained how to employ this VMware patch tool to upgrade an ESXi host and install VMware ESXi patches on examples. Don't forget to check the compatibility before installing patches and exist enlightened of migrating or shutting down virtual machines running on ESXi hosts scheduled to be patched.

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