Unable to see the ISO mounted on the vCenter to patch the vCenter

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

The VAMI is unable to detect the ISO file after it has been attached via the CD/DVD option on the vCenter VM.

• The ISO is not detected via the CLI.

• It is also not visible in the VAMI under:
  Updates → Available Updates → Check Updates → Check CD-ROM.

Environment

vSphere 7.0

vSphere 8.0

Resolution

1. Attach the relevant ISO from the vCenter VM

• Select: Datastore ISO file from VM edit settings
• Tick the checkbox: Connect At Power On and save the settings

2. Login to vCenter CLI
   
   
3. Perform the following commands to mount the ISO

     mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom/

         Example output:

         mount: /mnt/cdrom: WARNING: device write-protected, mounted read-only

     4. To list the mounted ISO, you may run the command:

         ls /mnt/cdrom/

     5. To verify that you see the ISO mounted on the vCenter, please run the command:

         df -h

    Example output:

        /dev/sr0       6.3G  6.3G     0 100% /mnt/cdrom

6. Exit from SHELL with the command, exit.

         If it’s closing the session, run this command to change from using the BASH Shell to the Appliance Shell:

         chsh -s /bin/appliancesh root

         Log out and log in again for the changes to take effect.

     7. Stage the packages located in the .ISO file mounted to the vCenter Server VM:

    software-packages stage --iso --acceptEulas

     8. After the staging completes, list or install the staged packages:

1. 1. To verify the version of the mounted ISO:
      
      software-packages list --staged
      
      
   2. To install the staged packages:
      
      software-packages install --staged
      
      

     9.  Once completed, an output will state: "Packages upgraded successfully, Reboot is required to complete the installation”.

    10. If the patch installation requires a reboot of the appliance, run the following command to restart the appliance:

     shutdown now -r "patch reboot"

Additional Information

Additional steps that can be used to resolve the the issue with vCenter not seeing a mounted ISO file: 

1. In some instances if the ISO was successfully mounted on another vCenter the ESXI host running the other vCenter might currently have a storage lock on the ISO file. To get around this issue, ensure the ISO is completely disconnected (and the VM settings saved) from the other vCenter. Alternatively, simply copy the .iso file to a new name (e.g., vCenter-patch-copy2.iso) so this specific vCenter has its own dedicated file to read.

2. If the ISO file was uploaded to a datastore that is accessible by all ESXi hosts, Use the vSphere Client or ESXi host client to upload the ISO directly to the local, direct-attached datastore of the specific ESXi host where this vCenter VM resides. Mount that local copy to the vCenter VM. This bypasses the storage fabric entirely, and resolves latency issues or timeouts with SCSI read command from the virtual CD-ROM.