Permissions required to perform VM hardware updates under the Updates tab of a VM or ESXi host

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article refers to permissions required for performing hardware updates of virtual machines (VMs) through the Updates tab of the VM or its ESXi host.

When selecting or viewing options to update the VM hardware under the Updates tab, a red banner is present with the following error message:

You have no privileges to view this object.

Performing Check Status under the Updates tab for the VM results in a failed vCenter Task showing the below status:

Scan entity: The operation is not supported on the object.

Performing Upgrade To Match Host under the Updates tab for the VM results in a failed vCenter Task with the following status:

Remediate entity: The operation is not supported on the object.

Environment

vCenter

VMware vSphere

Cause

Updates tab permissions are managed by permissions under Lifecycle Manager privileges assigned to an user or group.

However, the intended user or group needs to have Read access at the vCenter level to view Lifecycle Manager related objects.

The user or group will also need Read access to view the VMs and ESXi host objects to be updated.

These Read permissions are needed to populate the tables, dropdowns and fields used by the corresponding operations.

Resolution

Ensure that the intended user or group has Read access at the vCenter level.

Check that the intended user or group has Read access to the desired VMs and ESXi hosts to be updated.

See the below for the minimum Lifecycle Manager privileges necessary for managing the Updates tab of a VM or ESXi host:

• Manage Patches and Upgrades
  • Remediate to Apply Patches, Extensions, and Upgrades
  • Scan for Applicable Patches, Extensions, and Upgrades
  • Stage Patches and Extensions
  • View Compliance Status

Additional Information

VMware vSphere Lifecycle Manager Hardware Compatibility Privileges (vSphere 8)