VMware vSphere Update Manager 6.5 for Windows OS | 15 NOV 2016 | Build 4540462 VMware vSphere Update Manager 6.5 service in vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 | 15 NOV 2016 | Build 4602587 Check for additions and updates to these release notes. |
What's in the Release Notes
These release notes cover the following topics:
- What's New
- Product Support Notices
- Installation Notes
- Upgrade Notes
- Migration Notes
- Interoperability and Software Requirements
- Known Issues (including Internationalization Issues)
The Update Manager release notes provide information about VMware vSphere Update Manager, an optional module for VMware vCenter Server. For more information about VMware vSphere Update Manager, see the Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager documentation.
What's New
- Update Manager 64-bit application support: The Update Manager server 6.5 and UMDS 6.5 are now supported 64-bit applications.
- Update Manager as a service in the vCenter Server Appliance: The Update Manager server is fully integrated with the vCenter Server Appliance and is enabled by default with the deployment of the vCenter Server Appliance.
- Support for UMDS installation on Linux: You can install the UMDS on a 64-bit Linux-based operating system. UMDS 6.5 installer is delivered with the ISO file of the vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.
- Support for Update Manager Utility installation on Linux: You can install the Update Manager Utility on a 64-bit Linux-based operating system.
- Support for migration of Update Manager on Windows to vCenter Server Appliance 6.5: VMware provides supported paths for migrating Update Manager from a Windows operating system to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.
- Update Manager tab changed position in the vSphere user interface: The Update Manager tab is now a top-level tab, same as the Monitor tab, the Configure tab, the Datacenters tab, the Host & Clusters tab, etc.
Product Support Notices
-
Virtual appliances upgrades with Update Manager: Upgrade and patch operations of virtual appliances will be deprecated in a future release.
Installation Notes
This section includes information about the installation of Update Manager and Update Manager Download Service, an optional module of vSphere Update Manager.
Update Manager
The Update Manager module consists of a server component and client component.
Update Manager Installation on a Windows Operating System
The Update Manager server 6.5 for Windows is delivered as a 64-bit application, and can be installed only on a 64-bit Windows operating systems. Before you install Update Manager, you must install vCenter Server. The Update Manager server has the same requirements for a host OS like the vCenter Server. For database compatibility information, see the section Databases that Support Installation of the Update Manager Server.
The Update Manager server can be installed on the same system as vCenter Server or on a different system. Each instance of vSphere Update Manager can be associated with a single vCenter Server instance.
During installation, you cannot connect the Update Manager server that runs on Windows to a vCenter Server Appliance.
Installation of VMware vSphere Update Manager requires network connectivity with an existing vCenter Server system.
Hardware Requirements
Minimum hardware requirements for Update Manager vary depending on how Update Manager is deployed on a Windows operating system.
If the database is installed on the same machine as Update Manager, requirements for memory size and processor speed are higher. The minimum requirements to ensure acceptable performance are as follows:
-
Processor: Intel or AMD x86 processor with two or more logical cores, each with a speed of 2 GHz.
- Network: 10/100 Mbps
For best performance, use a Gigabit connection between Update Manager and ESXi hosts. - Memory:
- 2 GB RAM if Update Manager and the vCenter Server are on different machines.
- 8 GB RAM if Update Manager and the vCenter Server are on the same machine.
Update Manager Integration with the vCenter Server Appliance
Update Manager 6.5 is integrated with the vCenter Server Appliance and is delivered as an optional service. Starting in vSphere 6.5, you can no longer connect Update Manager instance that is installed on a Windows Server machine with the vCenter Server Appliance.
To use the Update Manager server in the vCenter Server Appliance, start VMware vSphere Update Manager Extension service.
A deployment model of Update Manager with the vCenter Server Appliance uses PostgreSQL database. Update Manager and the vCenter Server Appliance share the same PostgreSQL database server, but use separate PostgreSQL database instances.
Update Manager Web Client
The client component of Update Manager is a plug-in to the vSphere Web Client. The Update Manager client component provides you with the full set of capabilities you need to perform patch and version management for your vSphere inventory.
The Update Manager plug-in for the vSphere Web Client requires no installation. After you install the Update Manager server component on a Windows operating system, or after starting the Update Manager service in the vCenter Server Appliance, the Update Manager client component is automatically enabled in the vSphere Web Client. An Update Manager icon appears on the Home screen, and the Update Manager appears amongst the top-level tabs in the vSphere Web Client.
You can access the Administration view of Update Manager from vSphere Web Client Home screen.
You can access the Compliance view of Update Manager by selecting an object from the vSphere inventory and navigating to the Update Manager tab.
Update Manager Download Service
vSphere Update Manager Download Service (UMDS) is an optional module of Update Manager that you can use to download patch definitions on a system that is separate from the Update Manager server. Use UMDS in case your Update Manager deployment system is secured and the machine on which the Update Manager server is installed has no access to the Internet.
You have two options for installation of UMDS. You can install UMDS on a 64-bit Windows operating systems. You must not install the UMDS on the same Windows machine where the Update Manager server is installed.
You can also install the UMDS on a Linux-based system. In vSphere 6.5 release, an installer for UMDS 6.5 is delivered with the ISO file of the vCenter Server Appliance 6.5. As a prerequisite to install the UMDS on Linux, you need a Linux server on which you must preconfigure the PostgreSQL database and a 64-bit DSN. Mount the ISO file of the vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 to the Linux machine, and install and configure UMDS 6.5.
To use UMDS, the download service must be of a version that is compatible with the Update Manager server. For more information about the compatibility between Update Manager and the UMDS, see the Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager documentation
Installing UMDS 6.5 in an Environment with Update Manager 6.5 Instances Only
In the UMDS 6.5 installation wizard, you can select the patch store to be an existing download directory from an earlier UMDS 6.0 or UMDS 5.5 installation and reuse the applicable downloaded updates in UMDS 6.5. You should uninstall existing UMDS 6.0 or UMDS 5.5 instances before reusing the patch store. After you associate an existing download directory with UMDS 6.5, you cannot use it with earlier UMDS versions.
If you install UMDS and associate it with an existing download directory, make sure that you perform at least one download by using UMDS 6.0 before you export updates.
Installing UMDS 6.5 in an Environment with both Update Manager 6.5 and Update Manager 6.0 Instances
Do not install UMDS 6.5 with an existing UMDS 6.0 download directory if your environment contains both Update Manager 6.5 and Update Manager 6.0 instances. In such a case, you need a UMDS 6.5 and a UMDS 6.0 installations on two separate machines, so that you can export updates for each respective Update Manager versions.
Update Manager Utility
The Update Manager Utility allows you to change the database password and proxy authentication, re-register Update Manager with vCenter Server, and replace the SSL certificates for Update Manager. For more information about reconfiguring the Update Manager settings by using the utility, see the Reconfiguring VMware vSphere Update Manager documentation.
When you install Update Manager or UMDS, vSphere Update Manager Utility is silently installed on your system as an additional component.
Upgrade Notes
This release allows upgrades from Update Manager versions 5.5 and 6.0 and their respective Update releases that are installed on a 64-bit Windows operating system. Before you upgrade Update Manager, you must upgrade vCenter Server and the vSphere Web Client to a compatible version.
Direct upgrades from Update Manager earlier than version 5.5, or Update Manager systems that are installed on a 32-bit platform are not supported. You must use the data migration tool that is provided with Update Manager 5.0 installation media to move your Update Manager system from 32-bit operating system to Update Manager 5.0 on a 64-bit Windows operating system. After that perform an upgrade from version 5.0 or version 5.1 to version 5.5 before upgrading to version 6.5. For detailed information how to use the data migration tool, see the Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager documentation for Update Manager 5.0.
Upgrade from UMDS 5.x, or UMDS 6.0 to UMDS 6.5 is not supported.
Migration Notes
VMware provides supported paths for migrating Update Manager from a Windows operating system to run in the vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.
Update Manager can be migrated to vCenter Server Appliance in the following vCenter Server deployment models:
- vCenter Server and Update Manager run on the same Windows machine
- vCenter Server and Update Manager run on different Windows machines
- Update Manager runs on a Windows machine and is connected to a vCenter Server Appliance
For detailed information how to perform migration, see the Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager and the vSphere Upgrade documentation.
Interoperability and Software Requirements
The VMware Product Interoperability Matrix provides details about the compatibility of current and previous versions of VMware vSphere components, including ESXi, vCenter Server and optional VMware products. The compatibility for vCenter Server also apply to vSphere Update Manager server and the UMDS.
In addition, check this site for information about supported management and backup agents before installing ESXi or vCenter Server.
Operating Systems that Support Installation of the Update Manager Server and UMDS
To see a list of operating systems on which you can install the Update Manager server and the UMDS, see Supported host operating systems for VMware vCenter Server installation. The supported host operating systems for vCenter Server installation listed in the article also apply for installation of the respective versions of the Update Manager server and the UMDS.
Databases that Support Installation of the Update Manager Server and UMDS
The Solution/Database Interoperability option from the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix provides information about the databases that are compatible with vCenter Server. The database compatibility for vCenter Server also apply to vSphere Update Manager server and the UMDS.
Operations with vSphere Inventory Objects that Update Manager supports
- Host patching of the following host version:
- ESXi 5.5
- ESXi 6.0
- ESXi 6.5
- Host upgrades from ESXi 5.5 and ESXi 6.0 and their respective update releases to ESXi 6.5
- Upgrades of VMware Tools and virtual hardware for virtual machines
- Upgrades of virtual appliances
Supported Operating Systems for Upgrade of VMware Tools and Virtual Hardware
Note: Linux guest operating systems using Open VM Tools or Operating System Specific Packages are managed using distribution-specific package management tools, such as Yum or Apt. Update Manager does not support upgrading of VM Tools or Virtual Hardware version for such Linux virtual machines.The following is the list of Operating Systems supported for Upgrade of VMware Tools and Virtual Hardware:
- Windows Server 2016 Datacenter Edition 64-bit
- Windows Server 10 Enterprise Edition 32-bit
- Windows 8.1 Update 3 Enterprise Edition 32-bit
- Windows Server 2012 R2 Update 3 Datacenter Edition 64-bit
- Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Edition 64-bit
- Windows 7 SP1 Enterprise Edition 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Datacenter Edition 64-bit
- Windows 10 RTM
- Windows 8.1 Update 1 [Professional/Enterprise] 32-bit
- Windows 8.1 Update 1 [Professional/Enterprise] 64-bit
- Windows 8.1 [Professional/Enterprise] 32-bit
- Windows 8.1 [Professional/Enterprise] 64-bit
- Windows 8 [Professional/Enterprise] 32-bit
- Windows 8 [Professional/Enterprise] 64-bit
- Windows Server 2012 R2 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit
- Windows Server 2012 R2 Update 1 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit
- Windows Server 2012 [Standard/Datacenter] 64-bit
- Windows 7 [Professional/Enterprise] 32-bit
- Windows 7 [Professional/Enterprise] 64-bit
- Windows 7 [Professional/Enterprise] 32-bit SP1
- Windows 7 [Professional/Enterprise] 64-bit SP1
- Windows Server 2008 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 32-bit
- Windows Server 2008 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 32-bit
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit
- Windows XP Professional 32-bit (SP3 required)
- Windows XP Professional 64-bit (SP2 required)
- Windows Server 2003 R2 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 32-bit (SP2 required)
- Windows Server 2003 R2 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit (SP2 required)
- Windows Vista [Business/Enterprise] 32-bit (SP2 required)
- Windows Vista [Business/Enterprise] 64-bit (SP2 required)
- Windows Server 2003 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 32-bit (SP2 required)
- Windows Server 2003 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit (SP2 required)
- Windows 2000 [Professional/Server/Advanced Server/Datacenter Server] 32-bit
- Windows 2000 [Professional/Server/Advanced Server/Datacenter Server] 64-bit
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2
- CentOS 6.5
- CentOS 6
- CentOS 5.10
- CentOS 5
- CentOS 4
- Debian 8.1
- Debian 8
- Debian 6
- Debian 5
- Debian 4
- Ubuntu non LTS 15.04
- Ubuntu 14.04
- Ubuntu 13.10
- Ubuntu 11.x
- Ubuntu 10.x
- Ubuntu 9.x
- Ubuntu 8.x
- Ubuntu 7.x
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 7.0
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 6.7
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 6.5
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 6
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.1
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 5
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 4
- Oracle Enterprise Linux UEK3 Update 5
- Asianux 4
- Asianux 3
Known Issues
The known issues in this Update Manager release are grouped as follows:
- Installing, Upgrading, and Migration
- Scanning, Staging, and Remediation
- Internationalization Issues
- Using Update Manager
Installing, Upgrading, and Migration
-
NEW The UMDS you install on Linux does not contain the Update Manager Utility
When you install UMDS on Linux system, the Update Manager Utility is not installed on the system.
Workaround: You can perform one of the following tasks to work around this issue:- On the Linux system, reset the database by entering the following command:
cd <UMDS_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>/bin/ ./vmware-vciInstallUtils -D <DSN> -U <DB_USERNAME> -P <DB_PASSWORD> -I <UMDS_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>/bin -L <LOG_DIRECTORY> -C <UMDS_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>/bin -T PostgreSQL -O dbcreate
- On the Linux system, update the proxy host and port:
- Update the proxy host and port, by entering the following command:
<UMDS_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>/bin/vmware-umds -S -p <HOST>:<PORT>
- Update the proxy user name and password, by entering the following command:
cd <UMDS_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>/bin
vi downloadConfig.xml
- In the
downloadConfig.xml
file, update proxySettings/username and proxySettings/password parameters.
- Update the proxy host and port, by entering the following command:
- On the Linux system, reset the database by entering the following command:
-
Update Manager migration might fail if the DSN for the Update Manager database contains high-ASCII characters
When you migrate Update Manager from Windows to the vCenter Server Appliance 6.5, if the DSN for the Update Manager database contains high-ASCII characters, the migration fails.
Workaround: Rename the DSN so that it contains no high-ASCII characters. -
Despite the vCenter Server Appliance is not connected to the Internet, the vSphere Web Client displays an error message about failed attempt to download patches for Update Manager
After you deploy the vCenter Server Appliance, the Update Manager service starts automatically, and attempts to download the patches from the pre-defined patch depots. Downloading patches on service start is an option for Update Manager service in the vCenter Server Appliance, and it is enabled by default after the deployment of the vCenter Server Appliance. After the deployment, if the vCenter Server Appliance does not have connection to the Internet, when you log in to the vSphere Web Client you see an error message about failed attempt to download patches for Update Manager. This error message repeats constantly because the task runs on a daily basis.
Workaround: If your vCenter Server Appliance does not have connection to the Internet, after Update Manager fails to download patches on initial start of the vCenter Server Appliance, disable the option to download patches on Update Manager service start. Update Manager stops further attempts to download patches on Update Manager service start.Perform the following steps to disable the download of patches when Update Manager service starts.
- In the vSphere Web Client, select Home > Administration.
- Select Deployment > System Configuration, and select Services.
- From the list with services, select VMware vSphere Update Manager, and click the Manage tab.
- Click Edit, and in the Download patches on service start text box, enter False as a value, and click OK.
- Restart the VMware vSphere Update Manager service.
-
Update Manager installation might fail in Windows Server 2008 R2
Attempts to install the Update Manager with a bundled database on a Windows server 2008 R2 might fail.
Workaround: Install the Update Manager on the following operating systems:- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Datacenter 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Enterprise 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Foundation 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Web 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 Datacenter 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 Enterprise 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 Standard 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 Foundation 64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 Web 64-bit
-
Installing Update Manager with the embedded Microsoft SQL 2012 database fails on systems with Microsoft .NET Framework 4
Attempts to install Update Manager with the embedded Microsoft SQL 2012 database fail if the host machine uses Microsoft .NET Framework 4. The following error message appears:SQL installation was not successful
Workaround: To work around this issue perform the following steps:
- On the machine you attempt to install Update Manager, shut down and disable all services that require using Microsoft .NET Framework 4.
- Uninstall all Microsoft .NET Framework 4 components.
- Open a command prompt window and change to C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
- Run the following commands to create security.config and security.config.cch files in the configuration folder:
Caspol.exe -all -reset
- Change the path to C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727
- Run the following commands to create security.config and security.config.cch files in the configuration folder:
Caspol.exe -all -reset
- Download and install all Microsoft .NET Framework 4 components again.
- After installation completes, enable all services that require using Microsoft .NET Framework 4.
- Restart the operating system and attempt again to install Update Manager with the Embedded Microsoft SQL 2012 Database.
-
Update Manager Client fails to start on Windows system with non-English locales if during installation of the Update Manager server you configured DSN with non-ASCII characters
When you install the Update Manager server on a Windows system with non-English locale, if you select the option to use an existing supported database and use non-ASCII characters in the DSN name, installation completes successfully. Then you install the Update Manager Client. When you attempt to start the Update Manager Client, the client fails to initiate and the following error is displayed:There was an error connecting to VMware vSphere Update Manager. Database temporarily unavailable or has network problems.
Having non-ASCII characters in the DSN causes the Update Manager Client start to fail.
Workaround: Do not use non-ASCII characters while installing the Update Manager server. -
Update Manager installer stops responding if you already have Microsoft SQL 2008 R2 SP2 database on your system
In case on the system where you are installing the Update Manager server or the UMDS exists an instance of the Microsoft SQL 2008 R2 SP2 database but there is no VIM_SQLEXP instance, when you attempt to install the Update Manager server or the UMDS if you select the option to install the bundled with the installer database, the installer stops responding.
Workaround: To workaround this issue, perform the following steps:- On the machine you are installing the Update Manager server or the UMDS, open a command line interface and type the following command:
.\redist\SQLEXPR\SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe /ACTION=install /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM" /HIDECONSOLE /FEATURES=SQL /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="BUILTIN\ADMINISTRATORS" /NPENABLED="1" /TCPENABLED="1" /INSTANCENAME=VIM_SQLEXP
- Attempt to install the Update Manager server or the UMDS again.
- On the machine you are installing the Update Manager server or the UMDS, open a command line interface and type the following command:
-
Update Manager Web Client is still present in the vSphere Web Client after Update Manager is uninstalled
When you uninstall Update Manager, the Update Manager tab remains under the Monitor tab in the vSphere Web Client, and the Scan and Attach buttons are still active. If you select the Update Manager tab in vSphere Web Client after uninstalling the Update Manager server, the following error message appears:There was an error connecting to VMware vSphere Update Manager.
Workaround: Log out and log in to the vSphere Web Client. -
Attempts to install the Update Manager server and UMDS with the bundled database fail on Windows operating system with Turkish language pack
On Windows operating systems with Turkish language pack, attempts to install the Update Manager server and UMDS with the bundled database fail with the following error:
Error 25003. Setup failed to create database tables.
Workaround: To work around the issue, perform one of the following tasks:- Install the Update Manager server and UMDS on a Windows operating system with English language pack.
- Install the Update Manager server and UMDS on a Windows operating system with Turkish language pack and use one of the following databases:
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012 64-bit
- Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 64-bit
- Oracle 11g R2 64-bit
-
After an upgrade, the Update Manager plug-in might be disabled for the duration of a download task
If Update Manager loses connection to vCenter Server while a download task is running, the Update Manager plug-in cannot be re-enabled. This problem might occur after an upgrade of Update Manager.
Workaround: Wait for the download task to complete, and then enable the Update Manager plug-in. -
A minimum of 600MB of free space for Update Manager on the boot drive is required to install Update Manager
Although Update Manager does not need to be installed on the boot drive, some required components must be installed on the boot drive. 600MB of space for Update Manager is required at installation time to accommodate these required components, as well as temporary files used during the installation.
Workaround: Ensure at least 600MB of free space on the boot drive before installing Update Manager.
Scanning, Staging, and Remediation
-
Remediation of Virtual SAN cluster fails if total number of CPUs for the virtual machines in the Virtual SAN data store exceeds 384
Attempts to remediate a Virtual SAN cluster with virtual machines in the Virtual SAN data store that have 384 or more active CPUs, against a patch that requires the hosts to enter maintenance mode, fail.
Workaround: Perform one of the following workarounds:- Power off the virtual machines that are part of the Virtual SAN data store to keep the number of active virtual machine CPUs below 384.
- After Virtual SAN cluster remediation fails due to the inability of a host to enter maintenance mode state, attempt to run remediation on the hosts from the Virtual SAN cluster that failed to remediate.
-
During staging or remediation of patches a wrong warning message might appear
During patch staging or remediation operations in Update Manager, you might be incorrectly warned that some patches are not available. The warning message you receive is:
Some of the patches you selected for remediation are not available. Do you want to continue?
.
Workaround: Ignore the message, and click Yes to proceed with staging. All patches that you initially selected will be staged. -
Update Manager reports the compliance status as Incompatible when scanning or remediating ESXi 5.x hosts that belong to an HA cluster
When you perform an upgrade scan of ESXi 5.x hosts that belong to an HA cluster, Update Manager might report the compliance status of the hosts as Incompatible and might not allow the hosts to be remediated. The Incompatible compliance status is because of the way the FDM (HA) agent is installed on ESXi 5.x hosts. Starting with vSphere 5.0, the FDM agent is installed on ESXi hosts as a VIB. When a VIB is installed or updated on an ESXi host, a flag is set to signify that the bootbank on the host has been updated. Update Manager checks for this flag while performing an upgrade scan or remediation and requires this flag to be cleared before upgrading a host. The flag can be cleared by rebooting the host.
When you perform an upgrade scan of ESXi 5.x hosts that belong to an HA cluster, Update Manager might report the compliance status of the hosts as Incompatible and might not allow the hosts to be remediated. The Incompatible compliance status is because of the way the FDM (HA) agent is installed on ESXi 5.x hosts. Starting with vSphere 5.0, the FDM agent is installed on ESXi hosts as a VIB. When a VIB is installed or updated on an ESXi host, a flag is set to signify that the bootbank on the host has been updated. Update Manager checks for this flag while performing an upgrade scan or remediation and requires this flag to be cleared before upgrading a host. The flag can be cleared by rebooting the host.
Workaround: Reboot hosts that report the compliance status as Incompatible. Run the upgrade scan or remediation again after the host is back online. -
Host remediation might not complete if the host contains powered on fault tolerant virtual machines
Host remediation might not complete if there are any Primary virtual machines with disabled FT on the host, and you select Fail Task or Retry on the Host Remediation Options page of the Remediate wizard. In such a scenario, powered on Primary virtual machines with disabled FT cannot be powered off or migrated in a DRS cluster. The host cannot enter maintenance mode while there are powered on virtual machines on it, and the remediation cannot be completed.
Workaround: When you remediate hosts containing Primary or Secondary virtual machines, you can use one of the following workarounds:- Select Power Off virtual machines and Retry or Suspend virtual machines and Retry on the Host Remediation Options page of the Remediate wizard.
- Manually migrate the fault tolerant virtual machine to another host before you start a remediation.
- If EVC is enabled on a DRS cluster, virtual machines with disabled FT can be automatically migrated when the host tries to enter maintenance mode. This is possible only if DRS is not disabled on the particular host.
-
The Remediation Selection page might display an incorrect number of patches for the selected baselines
When you remediate a vSphere inventory object against a patch or extension baseline preselected in Compliance view, the initial page of the remediation wizard might show an incorrect number of patches that need to be remediated. In this case, when the inventory object has multiple attached patch and extension baselines, the number of patches corresponds to the number of compliant patches from all attached baselines, and not just from the selected baselines.
Workaround: Either change the selection of baselines or groups in the Remediation Selection page, or first click Next to go to the next page and then click Back to return to the selection page. -
Host upgrade scan and remediation might fail if there is not enough free space on the host
Host upgrade scan and remediation might fail with theAgentInstallFailed
error message. This error might result from insufficient free space on the ESXi host.
Workaround: To upgrade ESXi hosts, ensure you have at least 20MB free space in the/tmp
directory of the host. -
Host remediation might fail for some patches because of irresolvable conflict with the patches on the host
Patch remediation of a host might fail when a patch (for example, patch A) in a baseline input conflicts with the host and the conflict cannot be resolved by the other patches in the baseline input.
Workaround: The Patch Details window for patch A displays a recommendation to use another patch to resolve the conflict. The recommendation might also contain many patches. Including one or all of the recommended patches into the baseline might resolve the conflict. For more information, refer to the KB article associated with patch A and the recommended patches.
Internationalization Issues
-
The word
Partner
is not localized
When you navigate toHome > Update Manager > Manage > ESXI Images > Import ESXi Image
, the wordPartner
in the Update Manager's Import ESXi Image dialog is not localized -
When you double-click VMware vSphere Update Manager.msi, the hint message is not localized
When you extract all components that are required for the installation of Update Manager to a local folder, either from a.zip
file or an.iso
image, you can run theVMware vSphere Update Manager.msi
application by double-clicking it. When you run the application, the hint pop-up displays the messageThe installer should be started using VMware-UpdateManager.exe
. The message is in English and not localized. -
You cannot install Update Manager and download patches to directories with non-ASCII characters in their names
In the installation wizard of Update Manager, you can change the installation and patch download locations of the Update Manager. Changing the installation and patch download locations to folders containing non-ASCII characters in their names might result in errors. Only ASCII characters are supported in installation paths and user names. However, non-ASCII characters are supported in passwords.
Using Update Manager
-
NEW An ESXi image is not displayed in the list after an import task
If you delete an ESXi image, and after some time import it again, the imported image is not displayed in the list of ESXi images that Update Manager can use. The image is actually uploaded, but is not displayed in ESXi Images under Manage tab of Update Manager Admin View. After you use the vSphere Web Client refresh button, the ESXi image is still not displayed in the Imported ESXi Images list.
Workaround: To work around this issue, use the refresh button of your browser. -
NEW Uploading an offline bundle or an upgrade ISO might fail
If you have not used Update Manager for a few days after you deployed the vCenter Server Appliance, attempts to upload an offline bundle or an upgrade ISO might fail.
Workaround: Restart the Update Manager service. -
You cannot change the patch store settings for Update Manager from the Update Manager Admin view in the vSphere Web Client
If the hostname of the Update Manager server machine contains high-ASCII or non-ASCII characters, attempting to toggle between hostname and IP address for the Update Manager patch store under the Update Manager networking settings, fail with the following error message:
Error info: com.vmware.vim.vmomi.core.exception.Unmarsh allException: Unable to unmarshal response.
Workaround: Use ASCII characters only in the hostname of the Update Manager server machine. -
Update Manager service does not automatically start after VMware VirtualCenter Server service restarts
If vCenter Server stops working unexpectedly, there are automated processes that force the VMware VirtualCenter Server service (vmware-vpxd service) to start again. However, after the start of the VMware VirtualCenter Server service, the Update Manager service does not automatically start.
Workaround: Manually start the Update Manager service. -
The help of the Update Manager Utility that runs on Linux wrongly exposes an option to refresh Update Manager certificates
When you call the help of the Update Manager Utility that runs on Linux, in the line of suggested positional arguments you see the option to refresh certificates used by Update Manager. This option is not supposed to be exposed.
Workaround: None. Do not use this option. The Update Manager service might not start if you configure it to use custom port lower than 1024
From the vSphere Web Client you can customize the port you use for VMware vSphere Update Manager service. If you customize the port to be lower than 1024, you are unable to start the Update Manager service. This occurs because ports lower than 1024 are already in use by the vCenter Server Appliance, therefore Update Manager service fails to start.
Workaround: None. If you use custom port for Update Manager service, set the port higher than 1024.-
Update Manager displays only one vCenter Server in vSphere environments with multiple vCenter Server instances
In vSphere environments with multiple vCenter Server instances, which are either registered to one Platform Services Controller or each of them is registered to individual Platform Services Controller, Update Manager displays only the vCenter Server instance which IP/DNS was used in the Update Manager Client.
Workaround: None. Regardless of which IP/DNS you entered in the Update Manager Client, in the inventory you should see both the vCenter Server instances. -
You might fail to use Update Manager in vSphere environments with multiple vCenter Server instances, which are registered to one Platform Sevices Controller
If you set a vSphere environment with two vCenter Servers that are registered to one Platform Sevices Controller, and you have Update Manager servers registered to each vCenter Server instance, you can successfully log in to one of the Update Manager instances, but when you attempt to log in to the second one, the Update Manager Client fails to connect. The following error message is displayed in the case of the Update Manager instance that you cannot log in to:
Insufficient permissions to retrieve data.
Workaround: In vSphere Web Client that manages the vCenter Server instances, create a new user with all vSphere privileges, and use that account to log in to the Update Manager instance that displays the error. -
The Update Manager server can loose connection to the vCenter Server instance after a few days of uptime
If you use the Update Manager server for a few days, it might loose connection to the vCenter Server instance, and while you perform operations in Update Manager Client you might see the following error:
No connection to VC server to relogin.
Workaround: By using the Update Manager Utility reconnect the Update Manager server to the vCenter Server instance, and then restart the Update Manager service. -
Non-informative system error is displayed when a host that is part of Virtual SAN cluster fails to enter into maintenance mode during remediation
During remediation, if a host that is part of a Virtual SAN cluster fails to enter maintenance mode, a generic system error about Virtual SAN is displayed, such as the following:
A general system error occurred: Operation failed due to vSAN error.
The error message does not contain any context for the cause of the failure or relevant error message.
Workaround: To see more context about the cause of the failure, perform the following steps:- In the Recent Tasks pane, click View Details.
- Click Submit error report and see more information about the cause of the failure under Error Stack.
-
Update Manager Utility does not support IPv6 address for login
Attempts to login to the Update Manager Utility by typing a vCenter Server machine IPv6 address fail with an error.
Workaround: To successfully log in to the Update Manager Utility, type the vCenter Server machine IPv4 address or host name. -
VMware Update Manager does not use the configured proxy authentication
When you initiate a patch download task, even though Update Manager is configured to use a proxy with authentication, Update Manager uses anonymous credentials to authenticate to the proxy server. If the proxy server does not accept anonymous credentials, the patch download task may fail.
Workaround: Change Update Manager service to run using a local administrator account with local administrator rights or a domain account with local administrator rights. -
The virtual machine that runs Update Manager might be powered off during a host upgrade
Outside DRS clusters, Update Manager does not upgrade the host on which the vCenter Server or Update Manager virtual machine runs. In DRS clusters, if you start a remediation task on the host running the vCenter Server or Update Manager virtual machine, DRS attempts to migrate the virtual machine to another host, so that the remediation succeeds. If you remove the host on which the Update Manager virtual machine runs from a DRS cluster and then add it to a datacenter in the vSphere Web Client inventory, you can remediate the host and the Update Manager virtual machine powers off.
Workaround: Before remediation, ensure that the host on which the Update Manager virtual machine runs is in a DRS cluster or move the Update Manager virtual machine to another host. -
You might be unable to view compliance information for a cloned virtual machine
When you clone a virtual machine, enable Fault Tolerance for the machine, and power on the cloned virtual machine, you might not be able to view compliance information. When you open the Compliance view, the errorFailed to retrieve data
appears. -
Missing patch type information in the Import Patches wizard
On a new Update Manager installation, when you import offline patch bundles for the first time, patch type information is not displayed in the Import Patches wizard. The Type column on the Confirm Import page is empty.
Workaround: Although the patch type information is not displayed, you can import the patches successfully by completing the wizard. This problem occurs only during the first import of offline patch bundles. Consequent import operations have the patch type information displayed correctly in the wizard. -
Download patch definitions task might fail if Update Manager is configured to use authenticated proxy
If the Update Manager server is configured to use a proxy server that requires authentication, theDownload patch definitions
task might fail to download patches.
Workaround: Enable anonymous user access on the proxy server. -
Update Manager cannot download updates from a valid download source
A non-existent HTTPS URL might be incorrectly displayed as accessible in the Add Download Source window. For example, if you typehttps://mydepot.com
instead ofhttp://mydepot.com
and click Validate URL, the validation might succeed even if the actual download source is an HTTP address. As a result, Update Manager cannot download updates from the specified HTTPS URL address.
Workaround: Delete the URL and add it correctly. -
Invalid email addresses in the email notification settings prevent Update Manager from sending email messages
In the patch and notification download schedules, you can configure Update Manager to send emails when new patches or notifications are downloaded. If you enter invalid email addresses, Update Manager might not send emails. If you enter an invalid email address with the same domain name as the SMTP Server sender account in vCenter Server mail sender setting, Update Manager does not deliver emails to any of the email addresses (including the valid ones). If the domain name of the invalid email addresses is different from the SMTP Server sender account in vCenter Server mail sender setting, email notifications can be successfully delivered to the valid email addresses entered in the Update Manager email notification settings.
Workaround: Remove the invalid email addresses from the email notification settings. -
In Windows Vista, all Help buttons in the Update Manager Client open the default Update Manager help page
If you are using Internet Explorer 7 browsers installed on Windows Vista machines, the vSphere Update Manager context-sensitive help does not display the relevant help pages. Instead, the help displays the default vSphere Update Manager help page.
Workaround: Apply Service Pack 2 to Windows Vista. For more details, see the Microsoft KB article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942172. -
Notification emails might be blocked by antivirus software
You might not receive any email notifications from Update Manager if you have certain antivirus software installed on your vCenter Server system. Update Manager can be configured to send email notifications, such as notifications for newly downloaded patches and other scheduled tasks. If you have installed antivirus software (for example, McAfee) that monitors and blocks email traffic, you might not be able to receive the notifications from Update Manager.
Workaround: Disable the antivirus software rule that blocks the email traffic. -
Update Manager does not take snapshots of virtual machines on which FT is turned on before remediation
You cannot take snapshots of virtual machines on which FT is enabled. If you remediate a virtual machine on which FT is turned on and in the Remediate wizard choose to take a snapshot before remediation, Update Manager ignores this setting and does not take a snapshot of the virtual machine.
Workaround: Disable FT, configure Update Manager to take a snapshot of the virtual machine, and remediate the machine. If you want to turn on FT after the remediation, delete the snapshot and then enable FT. -
When multiple users attempt to create a baseline with the same name simultaneously, Update Manager displays an ambiguous error message
When multiple users attempt to create a baseline with the same name simultaneously, Update Manager displays the messageThe specified key, name, or identifier already exists
. The message does not inform you explicitly that another user is attempting to create a baseline with the same name. -
When you stage a baseline that contains multiple bulletins, some bulletins might be shown as missing
After the successful staging of a baseline that contains multiple bulletins, some bulletins might be shown as Staged and others as Missing. For more information, see After you stage a baseline, a bulletin might be shown as Missing instead of Staged (KB 1018530). -
Update Manager fails to install and upgrade the Cisco Nexus 1000V VEM, if the ESX host is running on an IPv6 networking stack
When an ESX host is added to a Cisco Nexus 1000V DVS, Update Manager installs the Cisco Nexus 1000V VEM on the host. Upgrading the Cisco Nexus 1000V VSM to the latest version invokes Update Manager to upgrade the VEM on the host attached to the DVS. Both the installation and the upgrade operations might fail if the host is running on an IPv6 networking stack.
Workaround: Install or upgrade the VEM on the host manually, by using the offline bundle. -
During VMware Tools upgrade you might see a misleading error message in Recent Tasks pane
When you perform a VMware Tools upgrade of a virtual machine, you might see a misleading error messageCannot complete operation because VMware Tools is not running in this VM
even though the remediation is successful. -
Scheduling a remediation task generates a set of tasks
When you schedule a remediation task, several active tasks appear in the Recent Tasks pane. One of these tasks isRemediate Entity
. This task appears when you create a new remediation task and is not an actual remediation task in which the objects are remediated. TheRemediate Entity
task creates sub-tasks for the scheduled remediation based on your input in the Remediate wizard. -
Administration view and Compliance view quick-switch links might not work properly if your environment is in linked mode
If your vCenter Server system is part of a Linked Mode and you have a separate Update Manager instances registered with each vCenter Server system, the Admin view and Compliance view navigation links might not work properly. For example, consider a scenario in which Update Manager instance 1 is registered with vCenter Server system 1 and Update Manager instance 2 is registered with vCenter Server system 2. When you select an object managed by vCenter Server system 1, click the Update Manager tab, and then click Admin view in the upper-right corner, you see the Administration view of Update Manager instance 1. When you click Compliance view, select an object from the inventory managed by vCenter Server 2, and click Admin view in the upper-right corner, you see the Administration view of Update Manager instance 1 again.
Workaround: Click Compliance view and then click Admin view again to see the Administration view of the second Update Manager instance. -
Conflicting patches are counted in the remediation wizard
After you scan a selected object against a patch baseline, you might see a number of conflicting patches in the Patch Baselines window. When you try to remediate the selected object, the conflicting patches are counted in the Remediation wizard as patches that are going to be installed on the object, but only some or none of the conflicting patches are installed during the remediation process. -
Update Manager Service might fill the \Temp directory with many temporary system files
You might see many files with names likeufa{*}.tmp
andufa{*}.tmp.LOG{*}
in the Windows\Temp
directory (the default location isC:\WINDOWS\Temp
).ufa{*}.tmp
files – These files are created when the Update Manager service becomes unavailable in the middle of an offline virtual machine scan. To delete theufa{*}.tmp
files (for example, to delete aufa729F.tmp
file), perform the following steps:- Select Start > Run.
- In the Run window, type
regedit
and press Enter. - In Registry Editor, navigate to the
My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
folder and select theufa729F.tmp
file. - Select File > Unload Hive.
- Open a command prompt window.
- Navigate to
C:\
and run the following command:
del C:\Windows\Temp\ufa729F.tmp
ufa{*}.tmp.LOG{*}
files – These files are Windows transaction log files for registry operations. They can be generated as a result of Windows logging registry transactions, and are removed after use.ufa{*}.tmp.LOG{*}
files are like any other Windows temporary files and can be deleted as a part of a Windows Disk Cleanup task.
To delete theufa{*}.tmp.LOG{*}
files (for example, to delete aufaFF50.tmp.LOG2
file), perform the following steps:- Open a command prompt window.
- Navigate to
C:\
and run the following command:
del C:\Windows\Temp\ufaFF50.tmp.LOG2
-
Update Manager Web Client is not displayed in the vSphere Web Client
If you registered the Update Manager server with a vCenter Server system using IPv6 address but then log in the vSphere Web Client using an IPv4 address, the Update Manager tab does not display in the vSphere Web Client.
Workaround: To see the Update Manager tab in the vSphere Web Client, perform one of the following tasks:- If you registered the Update Manager serer with a vCenter Server system using IPv4, use IPv4 address to connect to the vSphere Web Client.
- If you registered the Update Manager serer with a vCenter Server system using IPv6, use IPv6 address to connect to the vSphere Web Client.
-
Compliance state information inconsistencies might appear on Update Manager Web Client page
When you select a baseline in Update Manager Web Client, you see compliance state information for the object in the Attached Baselines table, the Attached Baseline Groups drop-down menu, and compliance state details under the Attached Baselines table.
If you or another user perform operations that affect the compliance state of an object, some inconsistencies might appear in the compliance state information that is displayed on the Update Manager Web Client page. For example, operations that can affect an object's compliance state are remediating the object in Update Manager Client, updating the object directly or changing the contents of the baseline in Update Manager Client.
When you select a baseline in the Update Manager Web Client the compliance state details always show information for the object's latest compliance state. However, the baseline displays the compliance state from the last scan operation initiated from the Update Manager Web Client or from the last time you refreshed the vSphere Web Client. -
The attached baselines in the Update Manager Web Client differ from the attached baselines in the Update Manager Client
When you attach a baseline to a vSphere inventory object in the Update Manager Client, it does not appear in the Attached Baselines table of the Update Manager Web Client.
When you detach a baseline in the Update Manager Client, it does not disappear from the Attached Baselines table in the Update Manager Web Client.
If you initiate a scan from the Update Manager Web Client against a baseline that is already detached in the Update Manager Client, but is still visible in the Update Manager Web Client, after the scan operation completes, the baseline disappears from the Attached Baselines table of the Update Manager Web Client.
This behavior occurs because Update Manager Web Client does not automatically refresh all contents after performed operations from the Update Manager Client.
This behavior is the same for baselines and baseline groups.
Workaround: Manually refresh the vSphere Web Client.