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pstoric
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Updating to ESXi 5.5 Update 1

Planning to update one of my 5.5 hosts to update 1 within the next few weeks but want to get the steps down first and also make sure I have the correct file. The file is located on this page:

https://www.vmware.com/patchmgr/findPatch.portal - Build Number: 1623387, KB 2065832

After I download that ZIP I was planning on following the instructions on this link to get the .ZIP installed using the update method but the command line doesn't seem to be working.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=200893...

I am connecting to my host using putty and just as a test I ran the command at the end of the doc to see what values returned "esxcli software vib list" which should have listed the current version of what was installed but instead I get "command not found". Then I tried just entering "exscli" and it gives me the same error. What am I doing wrong??

esxcli.jpg

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a_p_
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>>> What am I doing wrong??

You are logged in to the vCenter Server Appliance rather than to an ESXi host.

Btw instead of using the build you mentioned, you can also use the latest one which not only contains further improvements, but also the fixes for the Heartbleed (OpenSSL) issue.

André

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a_p_
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>>> What am I doing wrong??

You are logged in to the vCenter Server Appliance rather than to an ESXi host.

Btw instead of using the build you mentioned, you can also use the latest one which not only contains further improvements, but also the fixes for the Heartbleed (OpenSSL) issue.

André

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pstoric
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Ah thanks. As far as the update goes, it shouldn't change anything related to drivers as long as I 'update' correct?

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a_p_
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Updates may as well contain updates drivers, so it's always a good idea to ensure that your hardware is supported. To find out what changed between the different builds, I usually take a look at the ESXi 5.x Patch Matrix. Anyway, when you install the latest patches manually using the esxcli command line tool , you can simply append --dry-run to the command line to find out what's going to be changed, prior to running the command without --dry-run. If something doesn't work as expected after patching the host and you cannot resolve the issue, you can revert to the previous build by pressing Shift-R while booting.

André

pstoric
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Just got a response from Dell. They recommend to apply Update 1 first, then do the latest patch after. Thanks for the info, very helpful.

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a_p_
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This may make sense if you have Dell's customized OEM version installed. In this case however, you may want to apply the Dell specific Update 1, which contains additional drivers and tools. Otherwise - if the VMware edition is installed without additional drivers - there's no need to patch the host in two steps. The latest patch bundle contains all updates.

André

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pstoric
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Hmm... The ESXi 5.5 install was from the dell site and does contain the drivers however the Dell tech I am dealing with says that only major revisions (e.g. when v6 of ESXi comes out) will be provided by Dell and the smaller updates we'll have to get from VMware directly.

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a_p_
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Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with Dell hardware, but they provides an Update (VMware-VMvisor-Installer-5.5.0-1746974.x86_64-Dell_Customized_A04.iso) on their web site.

see http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=Y5W35

André

PS: The link to the Update 1 image "VMware-VMvisor-Installer-5.5.0.update01-1746018.x86_64-Dell_Customized-A00.iso

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=N509V

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