Perform a Dry Run of an ESXCLI Installation or Upgrade

You can use the --dry-run option to preview the results of an installation or upgrade operation.

When you specify a target server by using --server=<server_name>, the server prompts you for a user name and password. Other connection options, such as a configuration file or session file, are supported. For a list of connection options, see Getting Started with ESXCLI, or run esxcli --help at the ESXCLI command prompt.

Prerequisites

A dry run of the installation or update procedure does not make any changes, but reports the VIB-level operations that will be performed if you run the command without the --dry-run option.

Install ESXCLI. See Getting Started with ESXCLI. For troubleshooting, run esxcli commands in the ESXi Shell.

Procedure

1. Enter the installation or upgrade command, adding the --dry-run option.

   • esxcli --server=<server_name> software vib install --dry-run

   • esxcli --server=<server_name> software vib update --dry-run

   • esxcli --server=<server_name> software profile install --dry-run

   • esxcli --server=<server_name> software profile update --dry-run

2. Review the output that is returned.
   The output shows which VIBs will be installed or removed and whether the installation or update requires a reboot.