Following VMware’s release of ESXi 7.0, I upgraded my ESXi 6.7 server to ESXi 7.0 using SSH and esxcli. For those interested, see below the jump for the details of the process I used.
- Esxcli Software Sources Profile List Memory Error
- Esxcli Software Update
- Esxcli Version
- Esxcli Software Sources Profile List -d
- Esxcli Software Vib List
To upgrade from ESXi 6.7 to 7.0 using esxcli:
1. Shut down all VMs running on your ESXi host machine.
Aug 21, 2013 ESXCLI – Complete Command List Using the ESXCLI interface in ESXi 5 allows you to manage many host operations, and can be very useful in troubleshooting situations. All the ESXCLI commands use the same structure. You can list the profiles included in the depot with: esxcli software sources profile list -d. I’m running a fully nested homelabon a single SuperMicro server. In order to update and patch it, I need to follow an offline procedure using the command line.
Esxcli software profile update -d -p Profile To get the -p which is the image profile (from the offline bundle) you will update the host with you simple run the following command.
2. Enable SSH on your ESXi host machine if this service is not already turned on.
3. Connect via SSH and run the following command to enter maintenance mode:
4. After putting ESXi into maintenance mode, run the following command to set the correct firewall rules for the httpClient:
5. Next, run the following command to list the ESXi 7.0 updates available. You want the latest one that ends in “-standard” for your version of VMware.
6. Once you’ve identified the correct version of VMware (as of 4-19-2020, this is ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard), run the following command to download and install the update.
Note: It is very important that you run esxcli software profile update here. Running esxcli software profile install may overwrite drivers that your ESXi host needs.
7. Once the update has been installed and prompts you to reboot, run the following command to restart:
8. After your ESXi host restarts, connect via SSH and run the following command to exit maintenance mode:
At this point, your ESXi host should be upgraded to ESXi 7.0.0.
A few months back, we discussed how to upgrade ESXi hosts using VMware Update Manager. However, if you do not employ VUM, hosts can also be upgraded via ESXCLi commands using an online repository.
In this tutorial, we will upgrade an ESXi host from 6.0 to 6.5 using VMware Online Depot. In addition, I will discuss how to differentiate image profiles within the depot. If you are unfamiliar with the VMware Online Depot, it’s an online repository that provides access to a set of VIBs and image profiles.
Let’s start with that overview on image profiles and how to distinguish them in the online depot. This information could have easily been a post in itself, but if you are new to image profiles and the online depot, it may prove beneficial to be all in one place. If you already know the deal, feel free to skip ahead.
- Image Profiles – An image profile is a set of VIBs grouped to make a full installation of ESXi. VMware issues a collection of these image profiles with each update release of ESXi. Typically, you will see between two to four variations for each patch or update. The collections consist of a standard image profile and a no-tools image profile. The no-tools profile does not include VMware Tools, is usually lighter, has less memory overhead, and PXE boots quicker.
- Naming Format for Image Profile – ESXi-<ABC>-<YYYYMMRRSSS>[s]
A = Major ESXi Version; B = Minor ESXi Version; YYYY = Release Year; MM = Release Month; RR = Release Code; SSS = Release Sequence; s = Flag for Security Only Image Profile
- Example of Image Profiles for ESXi-6.5
- ESXi-6.5.0-4564106-standard | Includes all patches (GA release of ESXi 6.5.0)
- ESXi-6.5.0-20170404001-standard | Includes all patches (ESXi 6.5d)
- ESXi-6.5.0-20170404001-no-tools | Contains all patches; no VMware Tools (ESXi 6.5d)
- ESXi-6.5.0-20170301001s-standard | Contains security patches only
- ESXi-5.5.0-20170301001s-no-tools | Contains security patches only; no VMware Tools
For more information on image profiles, check out this VMware KB.
For VMware ESXi versioning, check out this Patch Tracker.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s get started with the update!
Put Host in Maintenance Mode
If you have virtual machines running on the specified host, ensure they are migrated off or shutdown.
Next, enable SSH and connect to the host. Once logged onto the host, run the vim-cmdhostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter command to put the host in maintenance mode.
Enable Firewall Ruleset
After the ESXi host has successfully entered maintenance mode, run the firewall command to enable the httpClient. Pokemon games for macbook.
esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r httpClient
Select and Update Image Profile
With the firewall ports open for http requests, we’ll run the esxcli software command to browse image profiles available in the depot. The command will also search for strings containing ESXi 6.5 to narrow down the results.
esxcli software sources profile list -d https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml | grep -i ESXi-6.5
Most likely, a handful of results will be returned. Refer to the examples in the beginning of this article for image profile descriptions.
In this scenario, we will be upgrading our host to ESXi 6.5d. To do so, run the software profile update command selecting the 6.5d profile.
Esxcli Software Sources Profile List Memory Error
esxcli software profile update -d https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml -p ESXi-6.5.0-20170404001-standard
Disable Ruleset
Esxcli Software Update
After the update is complete, disable the httpClient on the firewall.
esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e false -r httpClient
![Esxcli Esxcli](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gtzkxvb0GzU/UcR7C25nEiI/AAAAAAAAGiM/KrZs17IJp7I/s1600/esxcli-list-profile-2.png)
![Esxcli Software Sources Profile List Esxcli Software Sources Profile List](https://www.nakivo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Checking-the-current-ESXi-version-before-upgrade.png)
Esxcli Version
Reboot
Esxcli Software Sources Profile List -d
Run the reboot command to finish out the process.
Esxcli Software Vib List
Reboot