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virtualhobbit
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Upgrade ESXi 4.0U1 to 4.1

Hi,

I have a Dell PowerEdge T710 running ESXi 4 Update 1 embedded. I have the free licence, and no vCenter Servers etc.

How do I upgrade 4.1?

I have run the vSphere Host Update Utility 4 and that tells me there are no new updates available from the VMware patch repository. If I click Upgrade Host and select upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip, I get the following error:

Failed to read the upgrade package metadata: Could not find file 'C:\Users\mark\AppData\Local\Temp\fdtueuth.alt\metadata.xml'

Even though the zip opens fine.

Any ideas on what I'm missing?

-Mark

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microkid
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Host Update Utility is no longer supported in 4.1. You must use the vCLI and then vihostupdate.pl to update the host. See the release notes.

I just upgraded my ESXi 4.0 to 4.1 today using the procedure and it all worked great. Very easy, just read the notes.

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mclark
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I looked at my vSphere download page, and there is a .zip file there that allows you to update from 4.0 to 4.1. I don't know if that is available for the free version, you'd have to look and see. The description for the upgrade file says:

"*ESXi 4.1 (upgrade ZIP from ESXi 4.0)*

Use this package with vCenter Update Manager or with vihostupdate vCLI to upgrade ESXi (Installable and Embedded) from ESXi 4.0 to ESXi 4.1"

Since you don't have vCenter you can't use Update Manager, but you should be able to use the vCLI to do it.

Also, the Host Update Utility has been discontinued as of vSphere 4.1, so it is not going to be an option for you either, I believe.

microkid
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Host Update Utility is no longer supported in 4.1. You must use the vCLI and then vihostupdate.pl to update the host. See the release notes.

I just upgraded my ESXi 4.0 to 4.1 today using the procedure and it all worked great. Very easy, just read the notes.

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virtualhobbit
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Hi,

Thank you for your replies.

I can confirm the your instructions were correct. I followed the process laid out on page 63 of the vSphere Upgrade Guide and the upgrade went perfectly.

Many thanks,

-Mark

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nuttervm
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I have a stand alone host running ESXi 4.0 U2 and cannot seem to upgrade to 4.1 successfully,

this whole upgrade expereince is very frustrating! The error messages I get are worthless and I can't seem to find a reference to them anywhere in VMWare's documentation, online, etc.

I am following the instructions shown here: http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r41/vsp_41_upgrade_guide.pdf

A brief summary of the steps I have performed:

  1. Downloaded and installed vCLI 4.1 (VMware-vSphere-CLI-4.1.0-254719.exe)

  2. Downloaded the upgrade package (upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip)

  3. Download and start a simple HTTP File Server (http://www.rejetto.com/hfs/), make the file shown in step #2 available for HTTP download

  4. Turn off all Windows 7 firewalls, just in case.

  5. Open vCLI from start menu, go to bin directory and follow instructions on Page 63 of the guide referenced above

  6. Type the command:

C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin>vihostupdate.pl --server ESXiServerIPaddress -i -b http://myworkstationsIPaddress/upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip -B ESXi410-GA
Enter username: root
Enter password:
Please wait patch installation is in progress ...
Failed to download offline bundle .zip.[Errno 14] HTTP Error 503: Service Unavailable

  • I can see the ESXi server make a HTTP GET request to the web server but then it fails immediately (I am able to paste the same HTTP path into a browser and download the file just fine)

  • I have tried with quotes around the URL, no luck

  • I have uploaded the upgrade package to a datastore and used various ways of referring to the file's full path "local" to the ESXi server, no luck

  • I have used other parameters such as --bundle instead of -b

I have tried a few other things but I think you get the idea... I'm a fairly capable guy but this rediculous how VMWare has made the upgrade process HARDER with the removal of the Host Update Utility.

What other troublehsooting steps can I do to make this work? What am I doing wrong?

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nuttervm
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I just stumbled across this blog that gives the correct command on how to update 4.0 U2 --> 4.1 : http://blog.jargontech.com/?p=19

The important part is this command: vihostupdate.pl -url https://ipaddressofesxiserver/sdk/webservice

-i –bundle pathtodownloadedzipfile

In my case that translates to:

  • C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin>vihostupdate.pl -url https://192.168.0.30/sdk/webservice -i --bundle "c:\Users\matt\Downloads\upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip"

I hope that helps other people who are as frustrated as I was / am! Maybe VMWare will update their documentation accordingly... (I still want to know what Errno 14 is!)

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microkid
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Why so difficult? The exact instructions are in de upgrade pdf.

  1. You need vSphere CLI - Download Here

    Download the tool -
    For Windows or Linux and install on your workstation.

  2. Download the Upgrade Package for 4.0 to 4.1 or the Upgrade Package from 3.5 to 4.1

  3. Power
    off your VM's and put the host into maintenance mode

  4. From the vSphere CLI prompt

vihostupdate.pl --server hostname or IP -i -b c:\temp\upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip -B ESXi410-GA

vihostupdate.pl --server hostname or IP -i -b c:\temp\upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip -B ESXi410-GA-esxupdate

A reboot is necessary thereafter.

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J1mbo
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As stated above, there is no need for an http server. The hostupdate.pl utility simply transfers the ZIP to the host via any accessible file system. After the two updates are done the status can be checked using --query (tasks also appear in the vSphere client window).

http://blog.peacon.co.uk/wiki/Upgrading_ESXi_4_to_4.1

http://blog.peacon.co.uk

Please award points to any useful answer.

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nuttervm
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The thing is, I know I performed the steps shown in your last message. Specifying the local upgrade file is one of the variants I didn't list... I used the full path like your example with and without quotes and it still didn't work (I got a similar error message to the one shown in this post's title, i don't remember if it was identical).

In any case, I stand by my earlier comments regarding the quality/completeness of VMWare's documentation and the error messages the software produces. Would it kill them to include real examples and a link to a error message repository or KB entry?

Hopefully someone at VMWare will see this message and improve the upgrading and patch process for those of us without a vCenter.

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J1mbo
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Did you follow the link I posted? I included a couple of screen shots Smiley Happy

http://blog.peacon.co.uk

Please award points to any useful answer.

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dwilli
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Are you in the BIN directory when you run the command from the CLI? I had to go to bin and it worked for me on a windows 7 laptop.

C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin>vihostupdate.pl --server xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -i -b c:\esxi41\upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip -B ESXi410-GA-esxupdate

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VM168
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See the manual for all the details -> - (check page 63)

You first need to download install the VMware vSphere CLI (vCLI) - sorry, no more vSphere Host Update Utility (doesn't work with the 4.1) -

Then you need to download the "ESXi 4.1 (upgrade ZIP from ESXi 4.0)" file (currently, upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip)

Next, you need to open command prompt and go to C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin

In case you have direct connection to the host server, the command syntax is:

vihostupdate.pl --server ip address -i --bundle "location of upgrade file\upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip"

*The host needs to be in maintenance mode

**You'll need to reboot the host after the process is done

***To see more vCLI options run: vihostupdate.pl --help

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nuttervm
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FYI, I have performed both procedures mentioned above in different machines and have successfully upgraded hosts to 4.1.

Unfortunately I have another host where the upgrade procedure is not successful and I can not find a reference to the error or how to investigate and resolve it. The error I get is:

There was an error resolving dependencies.

  • Requested VIB deb_vmware-esx-firmware_4.1.0-0.0.260247 conflicts with the host*

This is a simple ESXi 4.0 U2 installed on a USB flash drive on a Dell PE2900. There is no additional software installed. When I use vihostupdate to query the installed modules, here is what it says:

--


Bulletin ID
-
Installed
- -
Summary
--

VEM400-200906002-BG 2009-07-26T14:52:22 Cisco Nexus 1000V VEM

ESXi400-200906401-BG 2009-07-26T14:52:22 Updates Firmware

ESXi400-201006203-UG 2010-06-19T02:24:45 VI Client update for 4.0 U2 release

ESXi400-201006202-UG 2010-06-19T02:24:45 Tools update for 4.0 U2 release

I'm a little confused by the reference to the nexus 1000v, since i don't have that license on this free install of ESXi.

The only thing "special" to this host is that I originally installed ESXi 3.5 and then upgraded to 4.0. Back in the 3.5 days, you had to use a (well-known) custom hack to install ESXi to a USB flash drive because it wasn't a supported option yet. Nowadays USB flash installation is a supported option so I don't expect that would be an issue.

I may just do a fresh reinstall on this host, but I thought I would ask the message board just in case. Anyone have tips on how to resolve this error message?

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nuttervm
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I saw a hint elsewhere that I could try removing the unnecessary cisco nexus 1000v bundle, so i tried the following command:

vihostupdate.pl --server 192.168.1.253 -r -B VEM400-200906002-BG

This removed the bundle successfully, and afterwards I was able to perform the upgrade command with no problems.

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FlyingDodo
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I successfully upgraded ESXi 4.0U1 to 4.1 by using the esxupdate CLI command:

First enable ssh access to the ESXi4.0 box. At the ESXi console:

1. alt-f1

2. Type unsupported (You will not see your typing)

3. root pw

4. vi /etc/inetd.conf

5. uncomment the 2 ssh lines, i.e delete the “#” preceding the ssh config lines (esc x to delete a character in vi)

6. :wq to save the changes in vi and quit the vi editor

7. services.sh restart (if necessary reboot the ESXi box if ssh still does not work)

Place the file upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip at the root directory of your web server.

I used Apache Tomcat 7.0 on Windows XP to host the file upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip

Ensure the Windows Firewall allows access from external hosts to your web server (In the case of Apache Tomcat, I had to open port 8080)

SSH to your ESXi4.0 box and at the CLI type:

esxupdate --bundle http://ipaddress:8080/upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip update

The zip file will be downloaded from your web server and installed. Reboot the ESXi4.0 server when prompted. Check if the new version is ESXi4.1.

N:B: The upgrade applied for an upgrade from ESXi,4.0.0,208167 (I believe this is ESXi 4.0U1) to ESXi, 4.1.0, 260247

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AlbertWT
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Hi,

So does this means that i can/should perform upgrade directly to ESXi4.1 rather than going to 4.0u2 then 4.1 ?

Kind Regards,

AWT

/* Please feel free to provide any comments or input you may have. */
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MarWes
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Thanks!

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heritagenj
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Maybe I'm really stupid but I can't find where to download upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip (or the latest version)

Can someone point me in the right direction since searches on the whole file name or parts of it yield nothing?

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a_p_
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Welcome to the Community,

I'd suggest you follow http://technodrone.blogspot.com/2010/07/updating-your-vmware-hypervisor-server.html which also includes the links to everything you need for the upgrade.

André

BTW: You are welcome to create new threads.

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