VMware ESXi 6.0 Update 2 Release Notes ESXi 6.0 Update 2 | 15 MAR 2016 | ISO Build 3620759,
if you just want to see the super easy update via CLI steps, jump below.
Backstory
Embedded Host Client
Guess what, ESXi Embedded Host Client is included with 6.0U2! A good excuse to upgrade, once the upgrade is done and the host rebooted, just point your browser to:
https://youresxihostnameorip/ui
This is a big deal, the arrival of a HTML5 UI baked right into the ESXi Hypervisor. It's just a start, marking the start of an Adobe Flash-free future, and a way to slickly manage even the free Hypervisor found in many home labs.
Free or EVALExperience Users generally get 60 day old downloads
If you don't have a commercial VMware license, and instead are using a trial, free, or EVALExperience ESXi 6.0 or ESXi 6.0 Update 1/1a/1b, you won't be able to easily download the 6.0 Update 2 ISO directly. You're not entitled. Silly, I know. Worry not though, since this article has you covered. Takes about 10 minutes total. Basically you paste two commands, wait for the automated download and patch process, then finish up with a host reboot.
Important Note - update your vCSA before your ESXi!
FYI, you are supposed to update your vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) before you update your ESXi hosts, for the reasons VMware explains here, and William Lam here. Here's the easy (published Jan 12 2016) way to do it, detailed at TinkerTry:
The command syntax for updating ESXi 6.0 was easily figured out, thanks to prior work by Andreas Peetz and William Lam!
Before you begin, you'll first need to carefully review William Lam's warning:
Disclaimer: This method assumes you can install the default ESXi Image Profile with no additional drivers or packages, else you may have connectivity issue after the upgrade. If you still need to customize the ESXi Image Profile before installation, you will still need to use something like Image Builder and then upload that to your online depot.
...and Andreas Peetz warning:
Important note: Before doing this please check whether you rely on one of the NIC drivers (e.g. Realtek) that were blacklisted in ESXi 6.0. You then need to carry out an additional step before doing the upgrade - see my earlier post (section 2) for details.
For my SuperServer Workstation, I didn't have to worry about VIBs: the stock drivers built into 6.0 are all I need to succeed. Even if I do need AHCI or NVMe VIBs in the future, I can just re-add such VIBs after similar future upgrades, or even inject them into a custom ISO.
What's convenient about the below method is that you don't have to worry about separately downloading the ESXi ISO:
Name: VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6.0.0.update02-3620759.x86_64.iso
Release Date: 2016-03-15
Build Number: 3620759
Download and apply the 6.0 Update 2 patch directly from the VMware Online Depot
- Open an SSH session (PuTTY) to your ESXi 6.0 (or ESXi 6.0 Update 1) server
(if you forgot to enable SSH, here's how) - Put your system into maintenance mode, or ensure you've set your ESXi host to automatically gracefully shutdown all VMs upon host reboot
- Paste the 1st line below into into your SSH session, then hit enter. Repeat for the 2nd line, waiting somewhere around 1 to 10 minutes for it to finish up, depending partly on the speed of the ESXi's connection to the internet, and the speed of the storage media that ESXi is installed on:
esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r httpClient esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-6.0.0-20160302001-standard -d https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml - This 3rd line below is optional, use it if you wish to return the firewall status to how it was before you began this procedure, paste:
esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e false -r httpClient -
If you turned on maintenance mode earlier, remember to turn it back off now.
-
Type "reboot" and hit return (to restart your ESXi server).
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Download and install VMware vSphere Client 6.0 Update 2. If you have a prior 6.x version on your Windows system that's doing vSphere administration, this installer will automatically your existing 6.x install to Build 3620759. Download VMware vSphere Client 6.0 Update 2 here:
VMware-viclient-all-6.0.0-3562874.exe![vSphereClient]()
- After the reboot is done, it would be a good idea to test login using both the vSphere Client and the vSphere Web Client, to be sure everthing seems to be working right.
You're done!
Special thanks to VMware ESXi Patch Tracker by Andreas Peetz at the VMware Front Experience Blog.
That's it! When the reboot is complete, you'll see for yourself that you now have the latest ESXi, Build 3620759, as pictured above. Now you have more spare time to read more TinkerTry articles!
By the way, you could use VMware Update Manager on a Windows system or VM, but for one-off upgrades typical in a small home lab, pasting these 2 lines of code is pretty easy.
Video (same technique, slightly older upgrade)
Rich Hardware Health Status baked right in for new Xeon D-1500
My home lab's Supermicro SuperServer is working quite nicely with 6.0U2, as one would expect from a system on the VMware HCL.
See also at TinkerTry
-
Download/Install or Upgrade VMware vCSA/ESXi 6.0 Update 1b
Jan 07 2016 -
VMware vSphere 6.0 is now generally available, here’s how to download it fast
Mar 12 2015 -
Problems downloading VMware vSphere VMware vCenter Server 5.5 Update 1c Appliance
Aug 04 2014
More info for those who get the dreaded:You either are not entitled or do not have permissions to download this product.
Check with your My VMware Super User, Procurement Contact or Administrator.
Supermicro SuperServer SYS-5028D-TN4T mini-tower now ready for business as the first Intel Xeon D-1500 in the VMware Compatibility Guide - Supermicro SuperServer SYS-5028D-TN4T mini-tower now ready for business as the first Intel Xeon D-1500 in the VMware Compatibility Guide
See also
-
Upgrading ESXi itself is now possible with the new Embedded Host Client v4
Dec 12 2015 by William Lam at virtuallyGhetto - Download URLs for VMware vSphere Client (2089791)