Using the newly released version vCSA and ESXi 6.7U1, it is possible to manage VMware Tools and VM Hardware updates directly from the HTML5 panel.
A few notes from myself, as I was asked multiple time during the last few weeks about the option and how it will be implemented into the HTML5 client.
As soon as the update to the latest version is done you’ll find the option at the VM level:
After enabling the option to parts are shown, “VMware Tools Update” and “VM Hardware Compatibility”:
As the instance does not know by now what version the VM is running you’ll need to scan it in the first place.
Now it is possible to update the version through the web client by selecting the option below which will bring up another tiny wizard to start the action.
As you can see, the option to automatically restart “Auto Update” is disabled, which can be enabled in the previous screen by selecting “Automatically upgrade on reboot”.
But more important are the options down below to schedule the update process and set up a rollback option, just in case.
But the big deal at this point is that this process is manageable at the datacenter or VM folder level to edit multiple VM’s at once and schedule the update process for a specific time.
Remember, when the update starts it will probably restart the virtual machine which will cause a downtime, plan accordingly. Pre-checks due to application compatibility are also mandatory. These are just notes from myself to show the new feature in case somebody is wondering.
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