5.6

Table Of Contents
Procedure
1. Select Patching > UNIX/Linux platform > Assessment Results > All Bulletins.
2. Select the patches to deploy.
3. Select Deploy.
4. On the Machines &Bulletins page, review the Recommend Action and Data Age and select the
machines and patches to deploy.
5. If you deploy multiple patches, on the Confirm Patch Deployment Order page confirm or reorder the
patches in the sequence to be deployed.
6. (Optional) If you need to set the machine run level, on the Run Level for Patch Installation page, set the
run level for the patch installation and keep in mind that in single-user mode no network is available.
7. (Optional) If you need to specify commands to deploy the patches, on the Command Line Options
page specify the options to use.
8. (Optional) If you need to run remote commands as part of the deployment, on the Pre-Deployment
and Post-Deployment Remote Commands page select any of the remote commands to apply during
the patch deployment.
9. On the Patch Deployment Schedule page, set the timing for the patch deployment job.
10. On the Reboot Options page, select the options to reboot the machine and send a message or select to
avoid a reboot.
11. On the Confirmation page, confirm the patch summary information and complete the wizard to
deploy the patch.
After you deploy patches, VCM collects assessment data again to confirm the patches were applied.
VCM saves UNIX and Linux patching change actions in the VCM change log. To check the change log,
click Console and select Change Management > VCM or Non VCM Initiated Change > By Data Type >
Patch Assessment. These change actions are available to Compliance and Reports.
How the Deploy Action Works
The Deploy action runs a command from the Collector to the VCM managed machines.
The VCM job command performs the following actions.
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Assesses VCM managed machines to determine whether the patch was installed since the last
assessment.
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Runs a preinstall script (remote command) if specified.
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Installs the patch that already resides on the VCM managed machine’s NFS mounted or local file
system.
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Runs a postinstall script (remote command) if specified.
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Assesses whether the patch was installed on the VCM managed machine.
The preinstall and postinstall scripts used in the Deploy actions are remote commands, which differ from
using a VCMremote command to install a patch. The patch assessment and deployment process for UNIX
and Linux does not use remote commands. If you choose to deploy a patch using a user-created remote
command, the patch will not be assessed until you run an assessment.
Patching Managed Machines
VMware, Inc.
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