Specifications

2 Find out which VIBs are available in the depot.
Option Description
from a depot accessible by URL
esxcli --server=server_name software sources vib list --
depot=http://web_server/depot_name
from a local depot ZIP file
esxcli --server=server_name software sources vib list --
depot=absolute_path_to_depot_zip_file
You can specify a proxy server by using the --proxy argument.
3 Update the existing VIBs to include the VIBs in the depot or install new VIBs.
Option Description
Update VIBs from a depot
accessible by URL
esxcli --server=server_name software vib update --
depot=http://web_server/depot_name
Update VIBs from a local depot ZIP
file
esxcli --server=server_name software vib update --
depot=absolute_path_to_depot_ZIP_file
Install all VIBs from a ZIP file on a
specified offline depot (includes
both VMware VIBs and partner-
supplied VIBs)
esxcli --server=server_name software vib install --depot
path_to_VMware_vib_ZIP_file\VMware_vib_ZIP_file --depot
path_to_partner_vib_ZIP_file\partner_vib_ZIP_file
Options for the update and install commands allow you to perform a dry run, to specify a specific VIB,
to bypass acceptance level verification, and so on. Do not bypass verification on production systems.
See the esxcli Reference at http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vcli/.
4 Verify that the VIBs are installed on your ESXi host.
esxcli --server=server_name software vib list
Upgrade or Update a Host with Image Profiles
You can upgrade or update a host with image profiles stored in a software depot that is accessible through a
URL or in an offline ZIP depot.
You can use the esxcli software profile update or esxcli software profile install command to
upgrade or update an ESXi host. To understand the differences between upgrades and updates, see
“Differences Between vSphere Upgrades and Updates,” on page 12.
When you upgrade or update a host, the esxcli software profile update or
esxcli software profile install command applies a higher version (major or minor) of a full image
profile onto the host. After this operation and a reboot, the host can join to a vCenter Server environment of
the sdame hisgher version.
The esxcli software profile update command brings the entire contents of the ESXi host image to the
same level as the corresponding upgrade method using an ISO installer. However, the ISO installer
performs a pre-upgrade check for potential problems, and the esxcli upgrade method does not. The ISO
installer checks the host to make sure that it has sufficient memory for the upgrade, and does not have
unsupported devices connected. For more about the ISO installer and other ESXi upgrade methods, see
“ESXi 5.5 Upgrade Options,” on page 150.
IMPORTANT If you are upgrading or updating ESXi from a zip bundle in a VMware-supplied depot, either
online from the VMware Web site or downloaded locally, VMware supports only the update command
esxcli software profile update --depot=depot_location --profile=profile_name.
vSphere Upgrade
206 VMware, Inc.