Update ESXi from the command line

Update your single ESXi machine from the command line with the update saved to the datastore.

Needed

• SSH enabled on your ESXi machine
• My VMware account (free)
• Patch file (https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/patch)

1. Check your update file

Upload the patch file to your datastore and check the md5sum with the vmware kb52236

[root@localhost:/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/] md5sum ESXi650-201801001.zip
1e4a80c89e0afa6249c82ea1d2105e9a  ESXi650-201801001.zip

2. Update profiles

To update ESXi you need the correct profile name from the update file, list the profile names as followed:

[root@localhost:/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/]  esxcli software sources profile list -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/ESXi650-201801001.zip
Name                             Vendor        Acceptance Level

ESXi-6.5.0-20180104001-no-tools  VMware, Inc.  PartnerSupported
ESXi-6.5.0-20180104001-standard  VMware, Inc.  PartnerSupported

3. Install the update

Use the correct profile name to update your ESXi machine, normally this is the standard one.

[root@localhost:/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/]  esxcli software profile update -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/ESXi650-201801001.zip -p ESXi-6.5.0-20180104001-standard

4. Reboot

Reboot the ESXi machine.

[root@localhost:/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/] reboot