Setting up VMware Update Manager service for isolated networks

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps for setting up VMware Update Manager to patch ESX hosts that do not have connectivity to Internet.

Note: For information about vCenter Update Manager 4.x, see the VMware vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide, Configure an Apache or an IIS Web server as a patch source for vCenter Update Manager (1019288) and Install PowerPath/VE for VMware vSphere by using vCenter Update Manager and UMDS (1019844).

Note: For newer versions, please see following documentation to install and setting up UMDS (Update Manager Download Service)

Install UMDS on Linux:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.vsphere.update_manager.doc/GUID-292B9BE6-7B48-4EE2-B6A1-48468BB9648B.html?hWord=N4IghgNiBcIKoFkAiBlEBfIA

Install UMDS on Windows:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.vsphere.update_manager.doc/GUID-4D5E4C9E-960A-434B-9C40-EEE85B9CB791.html?hWord=N4IghgNiBcIKoFkAiBlEBfIA

Setting up and using UMDS:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.vsphere.update_manager.doc/GUID-7D29B608-812B-41C4-868E-9D2006CEEBF9.html

Environment

VMware vCenter Update Manager 1.0.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 6.7.x
VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 5.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 6.5.x

Resolution

To setup VMware Update Manager to download the updates on a proxy machine with Internet connectivity:

Install VMware Update Manager Download Service on the proxy machine connected to the Internet.

Note: The software is on the VirtualCenter CD media.
Open a command prompt and change directory to C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Update Manager .
Run this command to start downloading the updates:

vmware-umds.exe –D
Export the downloaded updates to a local repository using this command:

vmware-umds -E <Path to the local repository>

Note: The path can only contain one directory level, otherwise it will fail. For example the path should be d:\repository, but it cannot be d:\repository\patches. When it is finally exported you can then move the repository to a physical media or any portable storage device.
Connect to vCenter Server using vSphere Client.
Log in as a user with administrative credentials.
Run this command to download the patches from the repository:

vmware-updateDownloadCli.exe --update-path <drive letter of storage media> --config-import esx --vc-user <VirtualCenter administrator user>

Note: vmware-updateDownloadCli.exe is located in the default Update Manager install folder (C:\ProgramFiles\VMware\Infrastructure\Update Manager). This command is not available for VMware Update Manager 4.0 and later. For more information, see Use a Shared Repository as a Patch Download Source in the VMware vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide.

Note: This command is only to download the updates for an ESX host. For downloading Windows and Linux updates, see the VMware Update Manager Administration Guide .