VMware vCenter Update Manager: Install, Configure, and Use Update Manager

 

 

 

How to Install Update Manager

The following steps will show you how to install Update Manage on the higher-numbered vCenter Server system. You will also install the Update Manager plug-in into the VMware vSphere Client.

  1. Log in to the desktop of the higher-numbered vCenter Server system.
  2. Go to the location of the vCenter Server installation software.
  3. Start the VMware vCenter Installer:
    1. If you have an ISO image or physical CD mounted on the vCenter Server system’s CD-ROM drive and autorun is enable, the VMware vCenter Installer main window.
    2. If you are using the files from a Zip archive or a network share, open the directory containing the unzipped files and double-click the autorun.exe file.
  4. Click the vCenter Update Manager link.
  5. Do the following when the vCenter Update Manager installation wizard appears:
    1. Select the setup language. (Setup Language)
    2. Click Next. (Welcome page)
    3. Click next. (End-User Patent Agreement)
    4. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next. (License Agreement)
    5. Enter the fulle qualified domain name of the team vCenter Server system. Enter the Admin user name and password. (vCenter Server Information)
    6. Select Install a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express instance (for small scale deployments) and click Next. (Database Options)
    7. Accept the default values. Click Next. (VMware vCenter Update Manager Port Settings)
    8. Accept the default values and click Next. If a warning describing a free space problem appears, click OK. (Destination Folder)
    9. Click Install. (Ready to Install the Program)
  6. After the program is installed, click Finish. Close the VMware vCenter Installer window.
  7. Install the Update Manager plug-in into the vSphere Client:
    1. Open the vSphere Client and log in to your team vCenter Server system as user Admin.
    2. In the menu bar, select Plug-ins > Manage Plug-ins.
    3. Under Available Plug-ins in the Plug-in Manager window, click the Download and Install.
    4. When the VMware vCenter Update Manager Client 4.1 wizard appears, do the following:
      1. Select the setup language. (Setup language)
      2. Click Next. (Welcome page)
      3. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next. (License Agreement)
      4. Click Install. (Ready to Install the Program)
    5. When the installation completes, click Finish.
    6. When the security warning appears, select Install this certificate and do not display any security warnings for “<host_name>” to prevent this warning from being displayed in the future.
    7. Click ignore to proceed with the connection.
    8. Verify that the Update Manager plug-in was enabled.
    9. Click Close to close the Plug-in Manager window.
    10. IF you see the Download Path Definitions task running in the Recent Tasks pane, right-click the task and click Cancel.

 

 

 

 

How to Modify Cluster Settings

The following steps will show you how to enable VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) in fully automated mode and disable VMware High Availability admission control.

  1. Go to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.
  2. Right-click Lab Cluster in the inventory and select Edit Settings. The Lab Cluster Settings dialog box appears.
  3. In the left pane, select Cluster Features. Select the Turn On VMware DRS check box.
  4. In the left pane, select VMware DRS. Select the Fully Automated. This operation ensures that DRS will migrate virtual machines to other nodes in the cluster.
  5. In the left pane, select VMware HA. Verify that Disable: Power on VMs that violate availability constraints is selected. If it is not, select it now.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Select Lab Cluster in the inventory and click the Resource Allocation tab.
  8. Verify that no CPU and memory reservations are assigned to the virtual machines. You might not have to remove CPU or memory reservations.

 

 

 

 

How to Install and Enable the Update Manager Plug-in

The following steps will show you how to install the Update Manager plug-in into the vSphere Client running on the team vCenter Server system.

  1. Log in to the team vCenter Server system.
  2. In the vSphere Client menu bar, select Plug-ins > Manage Plug-ins.
  3. Under Available Plug-ins in the Plug-in Manager window, click the Download and Install link.
  4. Do the following when the VMware Update Manager Client 4.1 wizard appears:
    1. Select the setup language. (Setup Language)
    2. Click Next. (Welcome page)
    3. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next. (License Agreement)
    4. Click Install. (Ready to Install the Program)
  5. When the installation completes, click Finish.
  6. When the security warning appears, select Install this certificate and do not display any security warnings for “<host_name>” to prevent this warning from being displayed in the future.
  7. Click Ignore to proceed with the connection.
  8. Verify that the Update Manager plug-in was enabled.
  9. Click Close to close the Plug-in Manager window.
  10. If you see the Download Patch Definitions task running in the Recent Tasks pane, right-click the task and click Cancel.

 

 

 

 

How to Configure Update Manager

The following steps will show you how to access ESXi host patches located on a shared repository and configure settings for Update Manager.

  1. Use vSphere Client to log in to team vCenter Server system
  2. GO to Home > Solutions and Applications > Update Manager.
  3. Click the Configuration tab.
  4. Click the Patch Download Settings link.
  5. Click Use a shared repository.
  6. Enter the URL for the shared repository of ESXi patches.
  7. Click Apply.
  8. Click Download Now.

 

 

 

How to Create a Patch Baseline

The following steps will show you how to create a patch baseline, attach it to an ESXi host, and scan the ESXi host for compliance.

  1. Go to Home > Solutions and Applications > Update Manager.
  2. Click the Baselines and Groups tab.
  3. In the Baselines panel, click the Create link.
  4. Do the following when the New Baseline wizard appears:
    1. Type ESXi Host Update. (Baseline Name)
    2. Type Patches for ESXi 4.1. (Baseline Description)
    3. Keep the default value and click Next. (Baseline Type)
    4. Click Fixed and click Next. (Patch Options)
    5. In the search field, type CESX40-MMODE. Select the first patch in the list. Click the down arrow beneath the horizontal scroll bar to add the patch to the Fixed Patches to Add pane and click Next. (Patches)
    6. Review your patch baseline. Verify the accuracy of Baseline Name and Baseline Type and click Finish. (Ready to Complete)

 

 

 

 

How to Attach a Baseline and Scan for Updates

The following steps will show you how to scan the ESXi hosts in your cluster for baseline compliance.

  1. Click the Baselines and Groups tab.
  2. In the upper-right corner of the Baselines and Groups tab, click the Compliance View link.
  3. Select Lab Cluster in the vCenter Server inventory and click the Update Manager tab. Notice the arrow icons next to the tabs. You might need to click the right-arrow to access the Update Manager tab.
  4. Click Attach link. The Attach Baseline or Group dialog box appears.
  5. Select the ESXi Host Update check box and click Attach.
  6. Click the Scan link.
  7. In the Confirm Scan window, verify that the Patches and Extensions and Upgrades check boxes are selected.
  8. Click Scan.
  9. Monitor the Recent Tasks pane and wait for the scan to finish. When the scan completes, it should result in noncompliance.

 

 

 

 

How to Stage Patches and Remediate ESXi Hosts

The following steps will show you how to copy the patches contained in the baseline to your ESXi host and apply the patches.

  1. GO to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.
  2. Click the Update Manager tab.
  3. Select both ESXi hosts and review the Patches column. Under the Patches column, no patches are staged for each host.
  4. Click Stage to copy the patches to ESXi hosts.
  5. In the Stage wizard, click Next to accept the defaults on each page.
  6. Click Finish to begin the staging process.
  7. Monitor the Recent Tasks pane for the Stage Patches to Entity task. Wait for task to complete.
  8. To begin the patching process, click Remediate.
  9. Do the following when the Remediate wizard appears:
    1. Leave the default and click Next. (Remediation Selection)
    2. Leave the default and click Next. (Patches and Extensions)
    3. Leave the default and click Next. (Host Remediation Options)
    4. Click Generate Report and identify the functions that the remediation process will do in addition to patching the hose. Click Close. Leave the default and click Next. (Cluster Remediation Options)
    5. Review and verify your selections for accuracy. Click Finish. (Ready to Complete)