Upgrading a host from 5.0 to 5.1 update 5

[dmini]

Please, hoping people can help, with my fairly basic questions.

I have hosts being delivered with Esxi 5.0 pre-installed on USB.

I need to upgrade / patch these to esxi 5.1 Update 1 patch 5 as per corporate standard

No working VUM, in this particular environment, so this is being done manually at the moment, from command line.

I've worked out on a test lab how to go from 5.1 update 1 up, using esxcli, but getting very confused when I read the esxi patch tables. I can see at VMware KB: Methods for upgrading to ESXi 5.1 that I can apparently patch the system up (but not upgrade it) using esxcli

The question is - assuming I can use esxcli to do the patching, do I have to go through multiple steps or not?

Received wisdom where I am based is to run patch 2 first then patch 5 after. Is there any good reason for this - or should I be able to run the command "all the way" in one go - ie esxcli software vib update -d <path/file> justonce - and go straight from 5.0 to 5.1 update 1 patch 5

Thank you in advance

[mofr]

Here are written all upgrade options - ESXi 5.1.x Upgrade Options

You can use the esxcli command-line utility for ESXi to update or patch ESXi 5.1 hosts to ESXi 5.1 x. You cannot useesxcli to upgrade ESX/ESXi 4.x hosts or ESXi 5.0.x hosts to ESXi 5.1.x. The esxcli command-line utility requires the vSphere CLI. See Upgrading Hosts by Using esxcli Commands.

[dmini]

I know that document says that, but another VMware doc - that I linked above  says with regards to 5.0 hosts upgrade to 5.x

Half way down - that esxcli is supported to PATCH from 5.0 to 5.1 in a tables, and then at the very end of the doc

*******

These methods to directly upgrade to ESXi 5.1 are supported:

• vSphere Update Manager. 
• Interactive upgrade from CD, DVD, or USB drive. 
• Scripted upgrade. 
• Auto Deploy. If the ESXi 5.0 host was deployed using Auto Deploy, you can use Auto Deploy to reprovision the host with an ESXi 5.1 image. 
• esxcli

*************

So there seems to be some terminology that I am missing, somewhere.

At one point it says not, then  the next point VMware say you can

[mofr]

there is no way to use esxcli to upgrade hosts. I think there is mistake. in the same doc there is written that you can not use esxcli to upgrade hosts.

if you look older doc vSphere Documentation Center you will find that in KB which name is Upgrading Hosts by Using esxcli Commands is written You cannot use esxcli commands to upgrade version 4.x ESX or ESXi hosts to ESXi 5.0. To upgrade version 4.x ESX or ESXi hosts to ESXi 5.0, use vSphere Update Manager, or perform an interactive or scripted upgrade. )))

[a_p_]

With a new, pre-installed host (assuming it's not already configured), I'd go ahead and reinstall it with the version you need.. Anyway, if you want to upgrade/patch the host, you may find VMware Front Experience: Quickest way to update your standalone host to ESXi 5.1 U1 as well as some other posts on this blog very helpful.

André