You’re going to update my what?
With the release of ESX 3.5 and VirtualCenter Server 2.5, VMware also released Update Manager. Update Manager is a neat concept…download Windows, windows programs (e.g. firefox, adobe reader, etc), RHEL, and ESX (3.5 only) updates to the update host, then let VirtualCenter Server apply the updates. I can see where the ESX updates would be valuable, however I think any IT department big enough to support a large number of Windows VMs is already going to have a method of deploying updates (i.e., SMS, or whatever you windows admins use). Same for linux shops. So those updates, in my opinion, aren’t as valuable to the enterprise. I do see where small-to-medium businesses, especially those with a very small IT department, would want the advantage of having updates deployed to all VMs via a product they’ve already purchased (ESX) rather than having to buy another MS product (SMS, etc).
ESX is different however. Previously, there was no VMware product (to my knowledge) that allowed for automated update of the ESX hosts. There were some fantastic utilities that were published by the community, but there was no VMware product.
Well, that has changed. Once the Update Manager is installed, you simply tell it to update it’s database and download the updates.
Or is it so simple… What if you are not connected to the internet? What if you are on an isolated network? Well, VMware has what’s called the Update Manager Download Service.