Installation guide

About Host Updates and Patches 14
Host updates are for maintenance releases. Software patches address critical security issues or urgent bug fixes.
An update or patch can include a new build of firmware, an update of VMware Tools, or an update of the
vSphere Client.
VMware provides the following tools for installing updates and patches to ESX/ESXi hosts:
vSphere Host Update
Utility
Graphical utility for ESXi only.
vCenter Update Manager
For ESX and ESXi, automates patching and updates. See the vCenter Update
Manager Administration Guide.
vihostupdate
Command-line utility for ESX and ESXi.
esxupdate
Command-line utility for ESX only. See the Patch Management Guide.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Best Practices for Updates,” on page 99
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“About Patching Hosts with vSphere Host Update Utility,” on page 99
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“About the vihostupdate Command-Line Utility,” on page 102
Best Practices for Updates
Follow best practices when you install updates on hosts.
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After each update, test the system to ensure that the update was completed successfully.
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If the installation was unsuccessful, revert to the last good known image. See “Roll Back an ESXi Update,
Patch, or Upgrade,” on page 81 and “Uninstall a Bundle from a Host,” on page 104.
About Patching Hosts with vSphere Host Update Utility
With vSphere Host Update Utility, you can download and install maintenance and patch releases, which
provide security, stability, and feature enhancements for ESXi hosts.
You can use vSphere Host Update Utility to check for new release updates and patches that are applicable to
the ESXi hosts registered in the vSphere Host Update Utility. vSphere Host Update Utility builds the host list
by tracking the hosts that you connect to directly through the vSphere Client. You can also add hosts to the
list manually.
VMware, Inc.
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