Module 10: Managing the

vSphere Lifecycle
Importance

Managing the life cycle of vSphere 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.

2
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

3
Lesson 1: Managing the vCenter Life Cycle
Learner Objectives

• Plan for vCenter updates and upgrades by generating interoperability

reports
• Recognize how to update vCenter with the latest patches, updates, and
upgrades

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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

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Planning for vCenter Updates and Upgrades
To plan for vCenter 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 (CEIP).

7
Generating the Interoperability Report

The Interoperability page on

the vCenter instance's
Monitor tab shows VMware
products that are currently
registered with vCenter and
their compatibility with the
current version of vCenter.
You can export report
results in CSV format and
use the report as a guide
to prepare for an update.

8
Updating and Patching vCenter

To manage the life cycle of vCenter, use the vCenter Management Interface to
update and patch vCenter.

9
Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance

You use the vCenter installer to upgrade vCenter Server Appliance to a

newer version.

10
Overview of the vSphere Upgrade Process

• vSphere is a product with multiple

components to upgrade.
• Knowing the required sequence of tasks
is vital for a successful vSphere upgrade.

11
Review of Learner Objectives

• Plan for vCenter updates and upgrades by generating interoperability reports

• Recognize how to update vCenter with the latest patches, updates, and upgrades

12
Lesson 2: Overview of vSphere Lifecycle Manager
Learner Objectives

• Recognize features of vSphere Lifecycle Manager

• Import images into the vSphere Lifecycle Manager image depot
• Change the download source for patches and updates

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About vSphere Lifecycle Manager
vSphere Lifecycle Manager enables centralized and simplified
life cycle management for ESXi hosts in a cluster through the
use of images.
vSphere Lifecycle Manager includes the following tasks:
• Managing VMware Tools and VM hardware upgrades
• Upgrading and patching ESXi hosts
• Installing and updating third-party software on ESXi hosts
• Installing and updating ESXi drivers and firmware
• Standardizing ESXi images across hosts in a cluster
From the main menu, select Lifecycle Manager.

15
About Images
Managing clusters with images helps to standardize the software
running on your ESXi hosts.
An ESXi image consists of several elements:
• ESXi base image: An update that provides software fixes and
enhancements
• Components: A logical grouping of one or more VIBs (vSphere
Installation Bundles) that encapsulates functionality in ESXi
• Vendor add-ons: Sets of components that OEMs create and
distribute
• Firmware and Drivers Add-On: Firmware and driver bundles
that you can define for your cluster image
– Requires the Hardware Support Manager plug-in for the
desired server family
To maintain consistency, you apply a single ESXi image to all hosts
in a cluster.

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About Image Depots

The vSphere Lifecycle Manager image depot represents all software available for
consumption to vSphere Lifecycle Manager:
• The depot is located on the vCenter system.
In the Image Depot tab, you can view details about downloaded content:
• ESXi base images
• Vendor add-ons
• Third-party components

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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.

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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.

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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).

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Review of Learner Objectives

• Recognize features of vSphere Lifecycle Manager

• Import images into the vSphere Lifecycle Manager image depot
• Change the download source for patches and updates

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Lesson 3: Managing the Life Cycle of ESXi Hosts and Clusters
Learner Objectives

• Activate vSphere Lifecycle Manager in a cluster and define a cluster image

• Validate ESXi host compliance against a cluster image
• Remediate ESXi hosts using vSphere Lifecycle Manager
• View recommended images for a cluster

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Creating a Cluster and Specifying an Image
A vSphere Lifecycle Manager
cluster is a cluster of ESXi hosts
that you can manage with a single
image.
When creating a cluster, you can
select a cluster image:
1. Create a cluster.
2. Select the Manage all hosts in the
cluster with a single image check
box.
3. Choose the image to use for the
cluster.

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Viewing Cluster Image Information

The Image pane in the Updates tab shows the image for the cluster.

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Overview of Managing Clusters with vSphere Lifecycle Manager

Over time, software updates become available in the image depot.

Using images from the image depot to update ESXi hosts is a multi-stage
process:
1. Check the compliance of the ESXi hosts in the cluster against the image
specification.
2. Run a remediation pre-check on the hosts in the cluster to ensure software
and hardware compatibility with the image.
3. Remediate the non-compliant ESXi hosts in the cluster.

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Checking Compliance of Host Against an Image
After you define a cluster image, you can perform a compliance check to compare the cluster
image with the software and firmware that runs on the ESXi hosts in the cluster.

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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.

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Staging the Cluster

Staging is the process during which

vSphere Lifecycle Manager downloads
patches and extensions from the image
depot to the ESXi hosts.
During staging, the patches and
extensions are not installed on the host.
Staging patches and extensions speeds
up the remediation process, because
the patches and extensions are already
available locally on the hosts.
A green icon next to a host indicates that the
current image has been staged to the host.

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Remediating a Cluster
Against an Image
Remediation makes the selected
hosts compliant with the cluster
image.
You can remediate the entire
cluster or a single ESXi host, or
simply pre-check hosts without
updating them.
The goal is to make the entire
cluster compliant with the
image.

© 2022 VMware, Inc. M10_Managing the vSphere Lifecycle | 1 - 30

Reviewing Remediation Impact

The Review Remediation

Impact dialog box contains
information about all
changes that remediation
performs on the hosts in the
cluster.
vSphere Lifecycle Manager
performs a remediation pre-
check before each
remediation.
If the pre-check is
successful, vSphere
Lifecycle Manager applies
the image to the hosts.

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Parallel Remediation

You can configure vSphere

Lifecycle Manager to perform
parallel remediation in a
cluster.
Parallel remediation
remediates all hosts that are in
maintenance mode in parallel
instead of in sequence.
You can also specify the
maximum number of
concurrent remediations.

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vSphere Lifecycle Manager Integration with vSphere DRS

When performing remediation operations on a cluster that is configured for vSphere

DRS, vSphere Lifecycle Manager automatically integrates with vSphere DRS:
• When vSphere Lifecycle Manager places hosts in the maintenance mode, vSphere
DRS evacuates each host before the host is patched.
• When vSphere Lifecycle Manager attempts to place a host in the maintenance mode,
certain checks are performed to verify that the ESXi host can enter the maintenance
mode.
• The vSphere Client reports any configuration problems that might prevent an ESXi
host from entering the maintenance mode.
• After a host is patched and rebooted, vSphere Lifecycle Manager exits the host from
the maintenance mode and vSphere DRS migrates some VMs back to the host.

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Recommended Images

Using vSphere Lifecycle Manager, you can check for recommended images for a cluster
that you manage with an image.
vSphere Lifecycle Manager checks for compatibility across the image components. The
process verifies that the recommended image has no missing dependencies or
conflicting components.

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Viewing Recommended Images

To view recommended images for a

cluster, click Recommendations at
the top, or select View
recommended images from the
drop-down menu.
The recommended image is always in
the major release series of the ESXi
version of the image for the cluster.

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Customizing Cluster Images
After you start managing a
cluster with an image, you can
edit the image:
• Change the base image.
• Change, add, and remove
components.
Before saving the image
specification, you can validate it:
• Ensures completeness of the
image
• Verifies that the image has no
missing component
dependencies
• Confirms that components do
not conflict with one another

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Hardware Compatibility

Hardware compatibility checks ensure that the host or cluster hardware is compliant with
the VMware Compatibility Guide and vSAN Hardware Compatibility List.

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Tech Preview: Managing Host Configurations

You can manage the

configuration settings of all
hosts in a cluster:
• Known as Configuration
Manager
• A Tech Preview feature:
vSphere 8.0 provides you
with early access to test
the feature and provide
feedback.

38
Review of Learner Objectives

• Activate vSphere Lifecycle Manager in a cluster and define a cluster image

• Validate ESXi host compliance against a cluster image
• Remediate ESXi hosts using vSphere Lifecycle Manager
• View recommended images for a cluster

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Lesson 4: Managing the Life Cycle of
VMware Tools and VM Hardware
Learner Objectives

• Use vSphere Lifecycle Manager to upgrade VMware Tools and VM hardware

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Keeping VMware Tools Up To Date

VMware can provide a new release of VMware Tools with a release of ESXi.
New releases include:
• Bug fixes
• Security patches
• New driver support for ESXi enhancements
• Performance enhancements for virtual devices
Keeping VMware Tools up to date is an important part of ongoing data center
maintenance.

42
 Upgrading VMware Tools (1)
From a host or cluster's Updates
tab, select VMware Tools.
Step 1: Check the status of
VMware Tools running in your
VMs:
• Up to Date
• Upgrade Available
• Version Unsupported
• Not Installed
• Guest Managed
• Unknown

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Upgrading VMware Tools (2)
Select the VMs that use VMware
Tools whose version you want to
upgrade.
Step 2: Click UPGRADE TO
MATCH HOST.
1. Select the VMs to upgrade.
2. Schedule the upgrade.

Plan the upgrade during your

maintenance window.
3. Select rollback options.

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Keeping VM Hardware Up To Date

With almost every update of ESXi, VMware provides a new release of VM hardware.
As ESXi improves its hardware support, VMware often carries that support into its VMs.
New releases include:
• Greater configuration maximums
• New types of hardware (for example, vGPU, vNVMe, vSGX, vTPM, and so on)
Always upgrade VMware Tools before upgrading VM hardware.
Consider upgrading VM hardware only when new features are required.

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 Upgrading VM Hardware (1)
Select VM Hardware to upgrade
your VMs' hardware.
Step 1: Check the status of the
VM hardware running in your
VMs:
• Upgrade Available: Upgrade
VM hardware to match the
current version available for
your ESXi hosts.
• Up to Date: The version of VM
hardware configured in the
VM matches the latest
available version for the ESXi
host.

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Upgrading VM Hardware (2)
Step 2: Select the VMs whose
hardware version you want to
upgrade.
Step 3: Click UPGRADE TO
MATCH HOST.
1. Schedule the upgrade.

Plan the upgrade during your

maintenance window.
2. Select rollback options.

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Lab 1: Using vSphere Lifecycle Manager

Update ESXi hosts using vSphere Lifecycle Manager:

1. Create a Cluster and Select an Image
2. Add ESXi Hosts to the Cluster
3. Check for Host Compliance
4. Remediate Noncompliant Hosts

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Review of Learner Objectives

• Use vSphere Lifecycle Manager to upgrade VMware Tools and VM hardware

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Key Points

• You can generate interoperability reports to verify that your vCenter system meets the
minimum requirements for a successful upgrade. It also verifies the order in which
vCenter and other products should be upgraded.
• vSphere Lifecycle Manager centralizes automated patch and version management for
clusters, ESXi hosts, drivers and firmware, VM hardware, and VMware Tools.
• In vSphere Lifecycle Manager, you can manage ESXi hosts by using images.
• Keeping VMware Tools up to date is an important part of ongoing data center
maintenance.
• Consider upgrading VM hardware only when new features are required.
Questions?

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