Installation guide

Linux and UNIX patch assessments require you to collect new patch status data from managed machines.
These patch assessments operate differently from VCM patch assessments on Windows managed
machines, which run on previously collected data.
If you did not collect machine data, the patch assessment results might not appear and the managed
machine might not be available for deployment, which would result in a patch-machine mismatch status.
You can view the patch files in the VCM Console under the UNIX tab in the Security, Patches, and
Assessment node. Patching changes appear in the Console under the Change Management node, in the
Non VCM Initiated and By Machine node.
You can run a patch assessment on managed machines to collect patching data in several ways.
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In the By Bulletin data grid, use the Patch Assessment collection filter.
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In the User-defined Assessment Templates data grid, use a template that filters the patch assessment
results.
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In the Collect wizard, use the Patch Assessment Data Class filter. When you use this filter, the VCM
Collector sends the .pls files to the target machine. The patch signature .pls files determine whether
required patches are installed on the managed machine. This action might cause a delay. VCM
downloads the .pls files to the patching repository machine every four hours by default.
Prerequisites
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Verify that the patch assessment finished successfully and that the patch signature files (.pls) exist on
the VCM Collector.
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Verify that the VCM Agent is installed on the Linux and UNIX managed machines.
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To use filters in the following procedure, verify that you configured filters. See "Create Linux and UNIX
Patch Assessment Filters" on page 145.
This procedure uses bulletins to run the patch assessment.
Procedure
1. On the VCM toolbar, click in the Machine Group text box, click All UNIXMachines, and click OK.
2. Click Patching
3. Click Linux or UNIX platform > Bulletins > By Bulletin
4. Click Assess.
5. In the UNIX Patch Assessment wizard, select Filters or Default Filter.
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If you select Filters, select the Patch Assessment Data Class filter to collect all patch assessment
results.
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If you select Default Filter, VCM collects patch assessment data for the managed machines that
qualify for the bulletins in the assessment template. If you use another filter for the patch
assessment, VCM collects patch assessment data for managed machines that qualify based on the
filter settings.
6. Click Next and Finish to begin the patch assessment on all Linux and UNIX managed machines in the
selected machine group.
7. On the toolbar, click Jobs and view the progress of the patch assessment collection.
The patch assessment on Linux and UNIX machines uses the Patch Assessment Data Class collection
filter to collect patch data from all machines in the current machine group, and display the results in the
Assessment Results node.
vCenter Configuration Manager Administration Guide
146
VMware, Inc.