I was looking at the documentation and speaking with a friend regarding VUM UMDS. Can’t I just go to http://www.vmware.com/patchmgr/download.portal, select my version of ESX, and download the patches, copy to CD and upload to the VUM repository using the VUM interface? Is there a difference? I am only interested in ESX patches. For a small environment of say 3 enclaves of 5 hosts each, two enclaves with no internet connection, and with a solution I am leaving for the current IT staff, with documentation, of course, it may be a simpler solution to download the updates, burn to CD, and upload via VUM. I upload the zip file and it is unpacked within VUM. I make note of the current vSphere version number, then select the updates needed from the site. While not as elegant as the blogged solution, it is simple, easy to understand and use for a new or inexperienced IT staff that will be maintaining the environment. You can also enable email alerts from VMware when new patches are available. Just my take and experience with this. After the upload, I create a baseline, scan and remediate, then walaa, the host is patched and the build number corresponds with the patch.
I went through VMware vCenter Update Manager Installation and Administration Guide for vCenter Update Manager 4.1 and the method I use is not documented, so I don’t know. Is this another way to patch hosts that is not documented?
Thanks,
Miguel
Did you power down the VMs before the storage?
