Module 10 Managing the vSphere Lifecycle PDF

Module 10 Managing the vSphere Lifecycle 10-2 Importance Managing the life cycle of v Sphere involves keeping vCenter and ESXi hosts up to date and integrated with other VMware and third-party solutions. It also involves keeping VMware Tools and virtual hardware in a VM up to date. To achie...

Module 10 Managing the vSphere Lifecycle 10-2 Importance Managing the life cycle of v Sphere involves keeping vCenter and ESXi hosts up to date and integrated with other VMware and third-party solutions. It also involves keeping VMware Tools and virtual hardware in a VM up to date. To achieve these goals, you must understand how to keep vCenter up-to-date and how to use the features provided by vSphere Lifecycle Manager, namely, cluster-level management of ESXi hosts. 10-3 Module Lessons 1. Managing the vCenter Life Cycle 2. Overview of vSphere Lifecycle Manager 3. Managing the Life Cycle of ESXi Hosts and Clusters 4. Managing the Life Cycle of VMware Tools and VM Hardware 541 10-4 Lesson 1: Managing the vCenter Life Cycle 10-5 Learner Objectives Plan for vCenter updates and upgrades by generating interoperability reports Recognize how to update vCenter with the latest patches, updates, and upgrades 542 10-6 About Upgrades, Updates, and Patches vSphere products distinguish between upgrades, updates, and patches: Upgrades: Major change to the software Either digit in the release number changes, for example, 6.7, 7.0, 8.0 Updates and Patches: Smaller changes to the software Update number is added to release number, for example, 7.0 Update 3 543 10-7 Planning for vCenter Updates and Upgrades To plan for v Center updates and upgrades, you can produce interoperability reports about VMware products associated with vCenter. You check VMware products against both the installed version of vCenter and the version to which you plan to upgrade. To generate interoperability reports, you must first JOin the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program (CE IP). '~ sa-vcsa-Ol.vclass local : A CTIV HS summary I M:oni: !"CE: i'FNO.. ~ !roo?'"H PLJ.gr,a.:r> IT '.:.ocr 0"1..'>$i- te> D~it{'!Hlt t'- VM.,'~.;4.r.::-·s C uSh.'!rt"Ef E ll.p~r,;::.'Ktl- lmD OV?O'renr ~~0"9f..1~" 1 11 \' · t~ve s.ome Se s s.~ o ns Fl~ '.m!: yvur cr,o:.:~ 's r::.phca1~a ocrc-s~ a ·.:Cent.::r ~'=""' ~r ~ r.. ;::;l-'i:ret--s Si?Cu r:ty -:n~.;·e p,a:r of Enoed..:J€'0 U11kect Mo:>aJ~.· 0 ;.:-~;..:1 0 (5.~1 0?.11Y2022 When you select a downloaded file, the details appear to the right: When you select an ESXi version, the details include the version name, build number, category, and description, and the list of components that make up the base image When you select a vendor add-on, the details include the add-on name, version, vendor name, release date, category, and the list of added or removed components. When you select a component, the details include the component name, version , publisher, release date, category, severity, and contents (VIBs). Downloading host updates and related metadata is a predefined automatic process that you can modify. The automatic download task is enabled by default and starts immediately after you deploy vCenter. After the initial download, the task runs according to its schedule. 556 10-18 Importing Content Into the Image Depot from Online Sources At regular intervals, vSphere Lifecycle Manager downloads updates from configured download sources to the image depot. Regardless of the download schedule, you can manually initiate synchronization between the image depot and the download sources. From the ACTIONS drop-down menu in the Lifecycle Manager pane, select Sync Updates. (J E~ll.' An online depot is the hosted version of the software updates that VMware, OEMs, and third- party software providers ship. You enable vSphere Lifecycle Manager to access an online depot by providing a URL to that depot. An Internet connection is required to access an online depot. 557 10-19 Specifying the Download Source Select Settings > Patch Setup to view the default download sources. From this pane, you can change the download source or add a URL to configure a custom download source. A~'TIIr.iSI!il\i;)O Patches Clownioadt..>d trom the internf:!t (~f""' ·~'·'~.. You can click NEW to add other download sources besides the VMware download sources. For example, third-party vendors might provide a download source (depot) that contains images for additional components such as CIM modules. However, working with additional third-party depots and independent components is rarely necessary. In most cases, the vendor add-ons that are available in the official VMware depot provide full OEM customization for ESXi. vSphere Lifecycle Manager downloads to the local vSphere Lifecycle Manager depot the content from all the online depots that you configure it to use. 558 10-20 Importing Content Into the Image Depot from Offline Sources You can also import updates from an offline bundle: From the Actions drop-down menu, select Import Updates_ Enter a URL or browse for a ZIP file that contains the update (an ESXi image, vendor add- on or component ). 1mpcrt Updates. X Oov.;:~ul~!~!ll'"~' ~Uil.:t·n~ 'l ~ 1-1 1' 01 1t l'::/L (,v.,t~l·h.-..1 ~~(' hTpurlcrlt · I Ha:;~~; O; ;,ol J"'m~m.afio"' Software t:omp11aoce 8.0 GA - ::'003:; 38~ lt...;~t. The status of a host can be unknown, compliant, out of compliance, or not compatible with the image. A host status is unknown before you check compliance. A compliant host is one whose installed software and firmware matches the ESXi image defined for the cluster and with no standalone VIBs or differing components. If the host is out of compliance, a message about the impact of remediation appears. In the example, the host must be rebooted as part of the remediation. Another impact that might be reported is the requirement that the host enters maintenance mode. A host is not compatible if it is running software and firmware that is newer than the desired cluster image version, or if the host does not meet the installation requirements for the vSphere build. You can check the image compliance at the level of various vCenter objects: At the host level for a specific ES Xi host in a cluster At the cluster level for all ESXi hosts in the cluster At the data center level for all clusters and hosts in the data center At the vCenter level for all data centers, clusters, and ES Xi hosts in the v Center inventory. 565 10-28 Running a Remediation Pre-check To ensure that the cluster's health is good and that no problems occur during the remediation process of your ESXi hosts, you can perform a remediation pre-check. Image Compliance !1· P1e-che...t">rfi(~CI!:.;~wr; rnt:> trom the upgrt~ de proc.es~ F X P Of< l IMPAC T OE T ~H.)Ml' '· bil-i (> ,i.I~Ot"~~t ,a.,._,.,\i" ~-.;~ {.;,:;m·,~·· ,-,,,...,.~,...,.01 ;..,::>,.'1,.! i'iMI"P!J.-.. I' 1 ESk !~.»