Keeping hosts up to date
vSphere Update Manager allows administrators to manage updates for ESXi hosts. This is a solution for centralized patch management for the whole vSphere environment.
Depending on the client you connect to vCenter with, you will either use the Update Manager Web Client plugin or the Update Manager plugin for vCenter Client.
The Update Manager Web Client plugin requires the Update Manager server to be installed on the vCenter Server. The Update Manager plugin for vCenter Client requires the Update Manager plugin to be installed on each vCenter Client.
High-level workflow of using Update Manager is as follows:
Create a baseline, which includes patches, hotfixes, and third-party updates if required.
Apply the baseline to one or more hosts and scan them against it.
Update hosts with missing patches and updates from the baseline—remediation.
Update Manager in Web Client does not allow remediating objects.
Getting ready
The prerequisites for Update Manager server are as follows...
