Updating VMware Tools for ESXi clusters

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

VMware Tools is a product that runs on ESXi hosts and VM's within a vSphere environment. Normally, VMware Tools is updated per VM.

Alternatively, you can update VMware Tools on all hosts in a cluster. This will cascade the updates from hosts to VM's running on the hosts.

Environment

ESXi 7.x
ESXi 8.x
vCenter Server 7.x
vCenter Server 8.x

Resolution

Steps to update VMware Tools for whole clusters:

1. Obtain the latest VMware Tools bundle:  Log in to your support.broadcom.com account, and click My Downloads. Type "vSphere" in the search bar, and then click the VMware vSphere button. Click the VMware vSphere - Enterprise Plus button, then click the appropriate release. Click "View Group" on the VMware Tools line, and then click the "down arrow cloud" button on the "VMware Tools Offline VIB Bundle" line.
2. Create a new lifecycle-managed cluster, specifying the VMware Tools component. To create a baseline or image-based management of the cluster, see Managing Host and Cluster Lifecycle.

Steps to update VMware Tools version using Lifecycle Manager:

1. Navigate to "Updates" tab in Lifecycle Manager.
2. Under "Components", select "Show Details".
3. Click "Add Components" and navigate to "VMware Tools Async Release", then select the newest version and add it to the cluster image.
4. Click "Save" and scan the hosts for compatibility.
5. Remediate the hosts with the new VMware Tools image.