User`s guide

Prerequisite
Place patch bulletin files on the local machine to load the bulletin updates from a local file.
Procedure
1. Select Patching > UNIX/Linux Platform > Bulletins > By Bulletin.
2. Select Check for Update.
You can check for updates on the Internet or load the updates from patch bulletin files on the local
machine.
3. Select Check for Updates via the Internet and click Next.
If updates are found, they are downloaded to the local machine.
Collect Assessment Data from UNIX/Linux Machines
You can collect UNIX/Linux assessment data using bulletins, an assessment template, or the Collect
wizard.
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Bulletins: Collect using the Patch Assessment collection filter. Because UNIX/Linux assessments are
VCMcollections, you can schedule these assessments.
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Assessment template: Collect using a template that filters the patch assessment results.
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Collect wizard: Collect using the Patch Assessment Data Class filter.
NOTE Assessments of UNIX and Linux-based machines operate differently from Windows assessments.
UNIX and Linux assessments require new data to be collected, while Windows assessments are performed
against previously collected data.
Assessments of UNIX/Linux machines are run against the patches known by VMware at the time the
assessment is performed.
Patch assessments of UNIX/Linux machines are based on the OS version and machine architecture. When
you collect assessment data using templates, you must match the bulletins, either 32-bit or 64-bit, to the
machine architecture.
For a patch assessment that did not return any results, see the troubleshooting section.
If machine data has not been collected, the assessment results might not appear and the machine will not
be available for deployment. If this situation occurs, a patch-machine mismatch status will result. You can
display or hide the patch-machine mismatch status in Patching >VCM Patching Administration > UNIX >
Settings > Bulletin and Update.
Prerequisites
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Assessments must have finished successfully.
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The patch signature files (.pls files) must reside on the Collector.
The .pls files determine whether required patches are installed on the machine. By default, VCM
Patching downloads the .pls files automatically every 4 hours.
Patch files appear in Console > UNIX > Security > Patches > Assessment or Console > Change
Management > Non VCM Initiated > By Machine. During an assessment of the machines using the
Patch Assessment Data Class, the .pls files are pushed from the Collector to the machine. A delay might
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