Scanning is the process in which attributes of a set of hosts and virtual machines are evaluated against the patches, extensions, and upgrades included in the attached baselines and baseline groups.

You can configure Update Manager to scan virtual machines and ESXi hosts by manually initiating or scheduling scans to generate compliance information. To generate compliance information and view scan results, you must attach baselines and baseline groups to the objects you scan.

To initiate or schedule scans, you must have the Scan for Applicable Patches, Extensions, and Upgrades privilege. For more information about managing users, groups, roles, and permissions, see vCenter Server and Host Management. For a list of Update Manager privileges and their descriptions, see Update Manager Privileges.

You can scan vSphere objects from the Update Manager Client Compliance view.