Specifications

Upgrading Hosts by Using esxcli Commands
Using the vSphere CLI, you can patch ESXi 5.0 hosts.
You cannot use esxcli commands to upgrade version 4.x ESX or ESXi hosts to ESXi 5.0. To upgrade version
4.x ESX or ESXi hosts to ESXi 5.0, use vSphere Update Manager, or perform an interactive or scripted
upgrade.
To use esxcli vCLI commands, you must install vSphere CLI (vCLI). For more information about installing
and using the vSphere CLI, see the following documents:
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Getting Started with vSphere Command-Line Interfaces
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vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples
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vSphere Command-Line Interface Reference is a reference to vicfg- and related vCLI commands.
NOTE If you press Ctrl+C while an esxcli command is running, the command-line interface exits to a new
prompt without displaying a message. However, the command continues to run to completion.
For ESXi hosts deployed with vSphere Auto Deploy, the tools VIB must be part of the base booting image
used for the initial Auto Deploy installation. The tools VIB cannot be added separately later.
VIBs, Image Profiles, and Software Depots
Upgrading ESXi with esxcli commands requires an understanding of VIBs, image profiles, and software
depots.
The following technical terms are used throughout the vSphere documentation set in discussions of
installation and upgrade tasks.
VIB
A VIB is an ESXi software package. VMware and its partners package
solutions, drivers, CIM providers, and applications that extend the ESXi
platform as VIBs. VIBs are available in software depots. You can use VIBs to
create and customize ISO images or to upgrade ESXi hosts by installing VIBs
asynchronously onto the hosts.
Image Profile
An image profile defines an ESXi image and consists of VIBs. An image
profile always includes a base VIB, and might include more VIBs. You
examine and define an image profile using the Image Builder PowerCLI.
Software Depot
A software depot is a collection of VIBs and image profiles. The software
depot is a hierarchy of files and folders and can be available through an
HTTP URL (online depot) or a ZIP file (offline depot). VMware and VMware
partners make depots available. Companies with large VMware installations
might create internal depots to provision ESXi hosts with vSphere Auto
Deploy, or to export an ISO for ESXi installation.
Understanding Acceptance Levels for VIBS and Hosts
Each VIB is released with an acceptance level that cannot be changed. The host acceptance level determines
which VIBs can be installed to a host.
The acceptance level applies to individual VIBs installed by using the esxcli software vib install and
esxcli software vib update commands, to VIBs installed using vSphere Update Manager, and to VIBs in
image profiles.
Chapter 6 Upgrading and Migrating Your Hosts
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