Specifications

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vendor:name
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vendor:name:version
For example, the command to remove a VIB specified by vendor, name and version would take this
form:
esxcli –-server myEsxiHost software vib remove --vibname=PatchVendor:patch42:version3
NOTE The remove command supports several more options. See the vSphere Command-Line Interface
Reference.
Adding Third-Party Extensions to Hosts with esxcli
If a third-party extension is released as a VIB package, and you use the esxcli software vib command to
add the VIB package to your system, the VIB system updates the firewall ruleset and refreshes the host
daemon after you reboot your system.
Otherwise, you can use a firewall configuration file to specify port rules for host services that you want to
enable for the extension. The vSphere Security documentation discusses how to add, apply, and refresh a
firewall rule set and lists the esxcli network firewall commands.
The ESXi 5.x ruleset.xml format for ESXi 5.x is the same as in version 4.x for ESX and ESXi, but has two
more tags, enabled and required. The ESXi 5.x firewall still supports the older format.
Perform a Dry Run of an esxcli Installation or Upgrade
You can use the --dry-run option to preview the results of an installation or upgrade operation. A dry run
of the installation or update procedure does not make any changes, but reports the VIB-level operations that
will be performed if you run the command without the --dry-run option.
When you specify a target server by using --server=server_name in the procedure, the specified server
prompts you for a user name and password. Other connection options, such as a configuration file or
session file, are supported. For a list of connection options, see Getting Started with vSphere Command-Line
Interfaces, or run esxcli --help at the vCLI command prompt.
Prerequisites
Install vCLI or deploy the vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) virtual machine. See Getting Started with
vSphere Command-Line Interfaces. For troubleshooting, run esxcli commands in the ESXi Shell.
Procedure
1 Enter the installation or upgrade command, adding the --dry-run option.
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esxcli --server=server_name software vib install --dry-run
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esxcli --server=server_name software vib update --dry-run
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esxcli --server=server_name software profile install --dry-run
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esxcli --server=server_name software profile update --dry-run
2 Review the output that is returned.
The output shows which VIBs will be installed or removed and whether the installation or update
requires a reboot.
vSphere Upgrade
210 VMware, Inc.