ESXi 4.x / 5.x does not include RPM format for VMware Tools
Article ID: 311221
Updated On:
Products
VMware vSphere ESXi
Issue/Introduction
This article explains that the ESXi 4.x RPM installer is not available for Linux VMware Tools.
Environment
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
Resolution
As of vSphere 4.0, there is a different linux.iso for ESX and ESXi.
The ESX linux.iso contains both the RPM and tar formats. However, to reduce the footprint of ESXi, the linux.iso no longer contains the RPM installer. RPM containing VMware tools for linux was deprecated in favor of Operating System Specific Packages(OSPs). VMware Tools OSPs allow you to use your operating system's native update mechanisms to automatically download, install, and manage VMware Tools for the supported operating systems. For more information regarding OSPs, see http://www.vmware.com/download/packages.html.
The ESX linux.iso contains both the RPM and tar formats. However, to reduce the footprint of ESXi, the linux.iso no longer contains the RPM installer. RPM containing VMware tools for linux was deprecated in favor of Operating System Specific Packages(OSPs). VMware Tools OSPs allow you to use your operating system's native update mechanisms to automatically download, install, and manage VMware Tools for the supported operating systems. For more information regarding OSPs, see http://www.vmware.com/download/packages.html.
Installation Notes for This Release in the ESXi 4.0 Release Notes and Install VMware Tools on a Linux Guest with the RPM Installer in the vSphere Basic Administration Guide both discuss this change.
Note: The ESXi 4.0, ESXi 4.0 Update 1, and ESXi 4.0 Update 2 download pages have the option to download the VMware Tools CD image for Linux guest operating systems ISO, which contains both the RPM installer and .tar format for the Linux VMware Tools. However, ESXi 4.1 does not have the RPM installer in the VMware Tools CD image for Linux guest operating systems ISO.
Note: The ESXi 4.0, ESXi 4.0 Update 1, and ESXi 4.0 Update 2 download pages have the option to download the VMware Tools CD image for Linux guest operating systems ISO, which contains both the RPM installer and .tar format for the Linux VMware Tools. However, ESXi 4.1 does not have the RPM installer in the VMware Tools CD image for Linux guest operating systems ISO.
Note: The VMware Tools RPM installer, which is available on the VMware Tools ISO image for Linux guest operating systems, has been deprecated and will be removed in a future ESX release. VMware recommends using the tar.gz installer to install VMware Tools on virtual machines with Linux guest operating systems. For related information, see the VMware ESX/ESXi 4.0 Update 2 Release Notes. The option to use OSP tools still remain, for further information, see VMware Operating System Specific Packages (OSPs)
Additional Information
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