Installation guide

2 Run one of the following commands for each virtual machine to power off all virtual machines running
on the ESXi host.
Option Command
To have the system try to shut down
the guest operating system
vmware-cmd --server= server_name path_to_vm stop soft
To force the power off operation
vmware-cmd --server= server_name path_to_vm stop hard
Alternatively, to avoid powering off virtual machines, you can migrate them to another host. See the topic
Migrating Virtual Machines in the vCenter Server and Host Management documentation.
3 Place the host in maintenance mode.
vicfg-hostops --server= server_name --operation enter
4 Verify that the host is in maintenance mode.
vicfg-hostops --server= server_name --operation info
Update a Host with Individual VIBs
You can update a host with VIBs stored in a software depot that is accessible through a URL or in an offline
ZIP depot.
When you specify a target server by using --server=server_name in the procedure, the specified server prompts
you for a user name and password. Other connection options, such as a configuration file or session file, are
supported. For a list of connection options, see Getting Started with vSphere Command-Line Interfaces, or run
esxcli --help at the vCLI command prompt.
Prerequisites
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Install vCLI or deploy the vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) virtual machine. See Getting Started with
vSphere Command-Line Interfaces. For troubleshooting, run esxcli commands in the ESXi Shell.
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Determine whether the update requires the host to be in maintenance mode or to be rebooted. If necessary,
place the host in maintenance mode.
See “Determine Whether an Update Requires the Host to Be in Maintenance Mode or to Be Rebooted,” on
page 129. See “Place a Host in Maintenance Mode,” on page 130.
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If the update requires a reboot, and if the host belongs to a VMware HA cluster, remove the host from the
cluster or disable HA on the cluster.
Procedure
1 Determine which VIBs are installed on the host.
esxcli --server=
server_name software vib list
2 Find out which VIBs are available in the depot.
Option Description
from a depot accessible by URL
esxcli --server= server_name software sources vib list --
depot=http:// web_server / depot_name
from a local depot ZIP file
esxcli --server= server_name software sources vib list --
depot= path_to_depot_zip_file / depot_ZIP_file
You can specify a proxy server by using the --proxy argument.
Chapter 6 Upgrading and Migrating Your Hosts
VMware, Inc. 131