Installation guide

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One patch might be a subset of another patch.
These behaviors are expected and are managed by vSphere Host Update Utility as needed. If you install a
patch, do not be concerned if vSphere Host Update Utility installs multiple patches.
Procedure
1 Select Start > Programs > VMware > vSphere Host Update Utility 4.0.
2 Select a host.
3 In the Host Details pane, click Scan for Patches.
4 Enter the host username and password and click Login.
5 (Optional) If updates are available, click Patch Host.
For each host that you scan, vSphere Host Update Utility downloads available updates to the host. After
the host is updated, an OK button appears.
6 Click OK.
After all updates are applied, vSphere Host Update Utility restarts the updated services.
What to do next
If you have multiple hosts, repeat this procedure until all hosts are updated.
Customizing vSphere Host Update Utility
If the default settings for vSphere Host Update Utility do not meet the needs of your environment, you can
customize the application.
Customize the application by modifying the settings.config XML file, located in the application folder. If
you installed the vSphere Client at the default location, the settings.config XML file is located at one of the
following locations:
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32-bit OS: %PROGRAMFILES%\VMware\Infrastructure\VIUpdate 4.0
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64-bit OS: %PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\VMware\Infrastructure\VIUpdate 4.0
You can make the following customizations in the settings.config file:
RemoteDepot
URL of the remote server to retrieve host patches and updates.
LocalDepot
Local path on your machine where host patches and updates are stored.
ProxyServer
Proxy server to use for downloads. By default, this element is empty. In regard
to proxy servers, vSphere Host Update Utility does not support authenticated
proxies.
UserSettingsDirectory
Directory where user settings are stored.
AskBeforeDownload
Display a confirmation prompt to download patches from the VMware patch
repository. Can be True or False. By default, the value is set to True.
About ESXi Boot and Standby Builds
ESXi hosts can store a boot build and a standby build.
For each update, the update utility updates the standby build. After the update, you then reboot the host. After
the host reboots, the standby build becomes the boot build, and the previous boot build becomes the standby
build. If the update is successful, the host continues to boot from the new boot build until the next update.
Chapter 14 About Host Updates and Patches
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