Upgrading ESXi 5.1 and vSphere 5.1 to 5.1.0a

Nov. 16, 2012 Update:
See also How to update your vCenter Server Appliance, going from 5.1 to 5.1.0a is easy

Well, it's out already, an update to 5.1 called 5.1.0.a, that I haven't yet tried on my ESXi 5.1 vZilla build.

VMware ESXi 5.1.0a (CD ISO) Installable
2012-10-25 | 5.1.0a | 301M | Binary (.iso)
www.vmware.com/products/datacenter-virtualization/vsphere-hypervisor/faq.html

But for this minor bump, I may skip it, since I have no compelling thing I'm trying to fix, and don't see any new feature I'm trying to obtain. Honestly, kind of took the wind out my sails, when I heard:

1. It might not fix VMDirectPath issues, from a commenter here.
2. My experience with trying to upgrade from 5.0 to 5.1 (using a boot DVD) didn't work out, with a showstopper error (that I no longer recall) that stopped me in my tracks.

I went the fresh install route instead, simply re-importing my existing VMXs into my Inventory.

Whatever I decide to do with my Hypervisor, I'll need to upgrade the vCenter appliance first, also now out:

VMware vCenter Server 5.1.0a Appliance - OVA File
2012-10-25 | 5.1.0a | 2.0G | Binary (.ova)
www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vCenter-Server-510a-README.pdf

Get started with your research by reading what others are saying about the upgrade process, in these very well done articles.

Would love to hear what you think? Please comment below.

Upgrading vSphere 5.1.0 to 5.1.0a, by Jim Millard, Friday, October 26, 2012

Tips for a Successful vCenter 5.0 to 5.1 Upgrade, by Chris Wahl on Oct 29th, 2012