How to update your ESXi 6.0 host the easy way

Posted by Paul Braren on Jun 10 2015 (updated on Jul 21 2015) in
  • ESXi
  • Virtualization
  • HowTo

    • Great news, this article has already been written by Vladan Seget, it's good to go as-is!

    How do I know? Because I tested it, updating to ESXi 6.0.0 build 2715440, and recorded each and every step of the process in the short video below.

    JUL 21 2015 Update - I've now tested updating to ESXi 6.0.0 build 2809209, and have updated the article below.

    So if you only have a single ESXi 6.0 host to patch, especially to handle the CBT bug explained here, you'll see this can all be done without installing and configuring VMware Update Manager.

    Vladan's excellent article

    Detailed step-by-step TinkerTry walk through

    right-after-esxi-6-manual-patch
    Sample screenshot, right after successful patch, just before the reboot

    In this video, you'll see these 4 basic steps (on an earlier build, but the procedure is the same):

    1. Enter ESXi Maintenance mode

    2. Download ESXi600-201507001.zip, upload to ESXi using Datastore Browser

    3. use PuTTY to SSH in and type this install command:

    esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/SSD3-256GB/patch-directory/ESXi600-201507001.zip
    substituting the SSD3-256GB part with the full path to your .zip file. Tab/type-ahead is your friend!

    1. reboot

    2. verify the new build that's seen as the system reboots. After boot, an alternative is to use the vSphere Web Client, select the host, select Summary, then select the Configuration pane.

    Before the upgrade, using the March 12 initial release of vSphere 6.0 it shows:
    VMware ESXi, 6.0.0, 2494585
    After this patch and the reboot, it should show:
    VMware ESXi, 6.0.0, 2809209

    See also

    Summaries and Symptoms

    This patch updates the esx-base VIB to resolve an issue where after you upgrade to or install VMware ESXi 6.0.x, the following operations might fail or not work as expected on a Change Block Tracking (CBT) enabled virtual machine due to excessive CBT heap exhaustion:

    •Virtual machine backup

    •Virtual machine Power on

    •Expanding the size of the virtual disk

    •Taking virtual machine quiesced snapshots

    JUN 15 2015 Update

    Thanks to Thomas's comment below, who mentions Andreas Peetz excellent alternative approach that is even easier (requires outbound access to the internet from the ESXi server):

    JUL 11 2015 Update

    right-after-esxi-6-manual-patch-201507001

    VMware ESXi 6.0.0b | 07 JULY 2015 | ISO Build 2809209 ESXi600-201507001.zip
    A new patch is here, and the procedure works exactly the same as outlined above, well, other than the filename

    1. Enter ESXi Maintenance mode

    2. Download ESXi600-201507001.zip, upload to ESXi using Datastore Browser

    3. use PuTTY to SSH in and type this install command:

    esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/b_SSD3-OCZ-256-2.5/ESXi600-201507001.zip
    substituting the "b_SSD3-OCZ-256-2.5" part with the full path to your .zip file. Tab/type-ahead is your friend!

    See also at TinkerTry

    TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here, not my employer's.

    Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert since 2014, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.

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    Easily update VMware ESXi at TinkerTry.com/easy-update-to-latest-esxi