Knowledge Base

Summaries and Symptoms

Best Practices for a Secure Environment

To ensure that you have the complete set of security fixes, VMware recommends that you first update to ESXi 3.5 Update 5a and install all subsequent patches, including this one.

For instructions and system requirements, see the Upgrade Guide. Also read the ESXi 3.5 Update 5 Installable Release Notes or the ESXi 3.5 Update 5 Embedded Release Notes for important information about the tools you use to upgrade ESXi to Update 5 and other tips.

Note: This upgrade will require rebooting the host and migration or shutdown of virtual machines.

Patch Download and Installation

Note: All virtual machines on the ESXi host must be either shut down or migrated using vMotion before applying the patch. You must reboot the ESXi host after applying this patch.

• The typical way to apply patches to ESXi hosts is through the vCenter Update Manager. See the vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide.
• You can also update ESXi hosts by downloading the most recent O (offline) patch bundle from http://support.vmware.com/selfsupport/download/ and installing the bundle using VMware Infrastructure Update or by using the vihostupdate command through the Remote Command-Line Interface (RCLI). See the ESX Server 3i Configuration Guide and the ESX Server 3i Embedded Setup Guide or the ESX Server 3i Installable Setup Guide.