You must understand the basic terminology that is used within this chapter to be able to use the vSphere Lifecycle Manager functionality efficiently.
vSphere Lifecycle Manager Terminology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Upgrade, update, and patch | You can upgrade to another major version of the software running on an ESXi host, and install patches and updates that include smaller changes, bug fixes, or other small improvements. |
| Depot | A depot is a well-defined folder structure that is used for distributing payloads and their metadata. Depots are consumed by different products and features such as the vSphere Lifecycle Manager and ESXCLI. The vSphere Lifecycle Manager works with three types of depots: online, offline, and UMDS. See Software Depots. |
| Component | A component is the smallest unit that the vSphere Lifecycle Manager uses during the installation and update processes. Software vendors use components to encapsulate a group of payloads that can be managed together. |
| Base image | A base image is a collection of components that shape the bootable ESXi used for the installation or upgrade process. Base images are currently distributed only by VMware and support x86 servers. VMware provides new versions of the base image for each upgrade, update, and patch release of the ESXi. Base images are hosted at the VMware online depot that is available by default to the vSphere Lifecycle Manager. Furthermore, you can download a different base image version, in the form of an offline ZIP bundle, from https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads. |
| Vendor add-on | An add-on is a collection of components that different OEMs provide on top of a base image. Vendors use an add-on to group some customizations for a family of servers. Unlike base images, add-ons are not complete and are not sufficient to boot an ESXi. Each add-on must have a unique name and version. An add-on allows vendors to add, remove, or update components that are part of the VMware base image, if there are no unresolved dependencies and conflicts between the components. |
| Solution | A solution contains one or more components, and provides information about its constraints and compatibility with the different ESXi versions. For example, from the perspective of the vSphere Lifecycle Manager solutions are VMware NSX, VMware vSphere® High Availability, vSAN. |
| Desired state | A desired state of a cluster is represented with a software specification. The desired state defines a set of components that a user wants to install on a single ESXi host or on a cluster of hosts. |
| OEMs | Original Equipment Manufacturers. VMware partners enrolled in the VMware Partner Connect application, such as Dell, Inc., HP Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd., and so on. |
| IOVP | I/O Vendor Partner. Qualified VMware partners providing certified I/O device drivers for network and storage host bus adapters. |
| Third-party software providers | Providers of I/O filters, device drivers, CIM modules, and so on, that are not part of VMware partner programs. |
| vSphere Configuration Profiles | With vSphere Configuration Profiles, you can manage the configuration of all hosts in a cluster collectively. This ensures consistency in host configuration at a cluster level. You can enable vSphere Configuration Profiles only on clusters that have the vSphere Lifecycle Manager enabled. |
