The Update Manager Repository Cannot Be Deleted

When you uninstall the Update Manager server, you might want to delete the Update Manager repository.

Problem

You might not be able to delete the Update Manager repository.

Cause

The maximum number of characters that a filename (including the path) can contain on the operating system is set to 255 by default.

As part of the patch and upgrade download process, the files that Update Manager downloads in the Update Manager repository, might have paths that are deeper than the Windows MAX_PATH. You cannot open, edit, or delete such files, by using Windows Explorer, for example.

Map a network drive to a folder that is as deep in the folder tree of the Update Manager repository as possible. This shortens the virtual path.

Important: Ensure that you have the necessary permissions on the network drive and the Update Manager repository. Otherwise, you might not be able to delete the files from the Update Manager repository.

Solution

• ♦ To map the local folder to a network drive, in a command prompt run the following command.

  subst Z: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\VMware\VMware Update Manager\Data\hostupdate

  For example, if the path to the folder of the Update Manager repository where Update Manager stores host updates is the following: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\VMware\VMware Update Manager\Data\hostupdate, and the total length of this path exceeds 255 characters, you should map a network drive to the vaupgrade directory (inclusive) or a directory deeper.