VMware vSphere 4 Installation Guide download pdf (Page 66)

vSphere Host Update Utility

When you install the vSphere Client, you can also install vSphere Host Update Utility. vSphere Host Update

Utility is a standalone Microsoft Windows application recommended for smaller deployments with fewer than

10 ESX/ESXi hosts, without vCenter Server or Update Manager.

vSphere Host Update Utility provides an easy way to upgrade from a remote location, without a CD, and with

minimum down time. The application upgrades the virtual machine kernel (vmkernel) and the service console,

where present. vSphere Host Update Utility does not upgrade VMFS datastores or virtual machine guest

operating systems.

You can use vSphere Host Update Utility to upgrade ESX 3.x to ESX 4.0 and ESXi 3.5 hosts to ESXi 4.0. You

cannot use vSphere Host Update Utility to convert ESX hosts to ESXi hosts, or the reverse.

When you select a host to be upgraded, the tool performs an automated host compatibility check as a

preupgrade step. The check verifies that each host is compatible with ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.0, including the required

CPU, and has adequate boot and root partition space. In addition to the automated preupgrade script, you can

specify a postupgrade configuration script to ease deployment. This tool effectively eliminates the need for

complex scripted upgrades.

The Host Upgrade wizard allows you to make upgrade configuration choices. Your choices are saved in an

installation script, which the software uploads to the selected host along with the installation ISO image.

vSphere Host Update Utility supports local or remote mounted ISO binary image files.

The software initiates the upgrade by rebooting the host and running the upgrade script. While an upgrade is

in progress, vSphere Host Update Utility provides visual status so that you can monitor the status of the

upgrade. If an error occurs during this process, the software rolls back the host software to the previous ESX

version.

In addition to performing upgrades, vSphere Host Update Utility lets you learn about, download, and install

maintenance and patch releases, which provide security, stability, and feature enhancements for ESXi 4.0.

System Requirements for vSphere Host Update Utility

vSphere Host Update Utility has the same system requirements as the vSphere Client.

To use vSphere Host Update Utility, you must have the following items:

A workstation or laptop with vSphere Host Update Utility installed.

vSphere Host Update Utility is bundled with the vSphere Client. You can install vSphere Host Update

Utility when you install the vSphere Client. If the vSphere Client is already installed but vSphere Host

Update Utility is not installed, you can install an updated version by rerunning the vSphere Client installer.

A network connection between the host and the computer that is running vSphere Host Update Utility.

vCenter Update Manager

Orchestrated upgrades allow you to upgrade the objects in your vSphere inventory in a two-step process: host

upgrades followed by virtual machine upgrades. You can configure the process at the cluster level for higher

automation or at the individual host or virtual machine level for granular control.

For example, you can define a host upgrade baseline to upgrade an ESX host to ESX 4.0, a virtual machine

upgrade baseline to upgrade the virtual machine hardware to the latest version, and the VMware Tools to the

latest version. To do this, you use wizard-based workflows to first schedule host upgrades for an entire cluster

and then schedule a virtual machine upgrade for all the virtual machines.

Built-in best practices in the wizard workflows preclude erroneous upgrade sequences. For example, the

wizard prevents you from upgrading virtual machine hardware before you upgrade hosts in a cluster.

vSphere Upgrade Guide

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VMware vSphere 4 Installation Guide Page 66

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