Question on updating ESXi

[ronnutter]

I am learning how to work with ESXi and the item now on my list is how to update ESXi.  Since I am running the appliance version of vCenter, it appears that I will need to learn how to update via cli.  In the vSphere client, it shows the Image Profile ESXi-5.1.0-20130402001-standard.  Since I am running with the version that I downloaded from VMware, I wasnt sure if I needed to apply all of the updates I found. If I go with the 20130402001 as an indication of what version/patch level I am at, it would look like I only need to get the latest 3 patches.

The next question is do I then apply these in order they were released or are they cumulative and I only need to apply the patch that was released last ?

I am scheduled to go to  5.1 ICM class in a couple of weeks, just trying to get a good foundation under my feet.

Thanks for being patient with a newbie,

Ron

[a_p_]

There's no need to apply all patches. The patches are cumulative, which means you only need to install the latest one.

André

[a_p_]

... and if anything doesn't work as expected, you can always revert to the previous build by pressing Shift-R while booting the ESXi host.

André

[ronnutter]

Thanks for the info.  I have 3 ESXi hosts in my home lab and I always like to try things out there first before doing anything on the 7 ESXi hosts that I am responsible for at work.

Downloading the latest patch now and will be working on this shortly.

Ron

[a_p_ · Accepted solution]

It's always a good idea to test things in a lab prior to running them in production.

Take a look at e.g. http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2008939 for how to install the patch and whether "install" or "update" is the better option for your environment.

André

[ronnutter]

Thanks for the kb link.  I had run across that one earlier today.  I now have a better feel for what I will be doing on the systems at work.

Since we are running Cisco UCS at work with ESXi on each of the blades, I know have to check if we need to get different patches for that since we are using a custom ESXi image that we downloaded from Cisco.  I dont expect any problems, just need to make sure.

Thanks again for the help.

Ron