Patching/Updating VMware vCenter Server Appliance VCSA and Platform Service Controller PSC through Appliance Management Interface VAMI

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides instructions for updating the vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform Services Controller, a vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller, or a Platform Services Controller.

 

Use the Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) to install patches from the available 2 options:

1. Patching via URL - remote repository using the default VMware repository URL (requires internet connection)
2. Patching via CD - local repository by attaching an ISO image to the appliance

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x
VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x

VMware vCenter Server 8.0.x

Resolution

WARNING

• Before attempting to update any vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Service Controller, please ensure proper backups have been taken.
• Take offline snapshot of the appliance (while the VCSA or PSC virtual machine is powered off). If possible, VMware recommends Appliance File Based backups.
• For more info on backing up the vCenter Appliance, please see Overview of Backup and Restore options in vCenter Server 6.x/7.0.x (318731)

Notes Before Patching

• Ensure the root password is NOT expired. For more information, see Resetting root password in vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 / 6.7 / 7.x (322247) .
• Ensure the local SSO Administrator Credentials are available (by default, [email protected]). For more information, see Using vCenter Single Sign-On with vSphere.
• Environments with external PSCs, the PSCs must be patched first followed by the vCSA.

Option 1 - Patching via URL

1. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (https://appliance-IP-address-or-FQDN:5480) as root.
   

   Example: https://vcsa.example.com:5480

   Note: For vSphere 6.7 and 7.0, the vSphere SSO Administrator Credentials "[email protected]" can be used for patching the appliance instead of the root account.

2. Click on Update tab.
3. Ensure the CHECK UPDATES button is selected for CD ROM + URL.
4. Select the target patch of vCenter. For more information about vCenter build numbers, see Build numbers and versions of VMware vCenter Server (326316).
5. Click "Stage and Install." (Select Stage Only if installation will be scheduled at a later time.)

 

 

6. Read and accept the End user license Agreement.
7. A system pre-check verifies that the patches can be successfully installed with the provided information.
8. Sign in using the vSphere SSO Administrator password (ie: [email protected]).

9. Confirm the vCenter Server has been backed up before clicking Finish.
10. Patching will start. 
11. Patching is complete when the message "Installation succeeded" is shown.

Option 2 - Patching via CD

1. Download the patch ISO images from https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx
   • Refer to Instructions to find Product Downloads, OEM custom images, Patches and Addons in the Broadcom Support Portal (366685) for additional download steps.
   • Note: Ensure to download the correct vCenter patch ISO with the file ending in "-FP.iso."
2. Open the vCenter UI to upload the ISO Image to a datastore
   1. Identify on which ESXi Host the vCenter Appliance VM is running
   2. Select a datastore mounted to the ESXi Host with enough space for the ISO file.
   3. Browse the datastore files to upload the ISO file.
   4. Select the ISO file to upload.

Note: Should the ISO upload fail with the below error message, refer to the below KB to resolve the issue.

The operation failed for an undetermined reason. Typically this problem occurs due to certificates that the browser does not trust. If you are using self-signed or custom certificates, open the URL below in a new browser tab and accept the certificate, then retry the operation.
https://<target-IP>

 

Reference: The operation failed for an undetermined reason" transferring files through vSphere Client (343447)

3. Mount the ISO file to the Appliance.
   1. Right click on the Appliance VM and click on Edit Settings.
   2. Expand the CD/DVD Drive and select Datastore ISO File then Browse to select the file.
   3. Select the file and click OK.
4. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (https://appliance-IP-address-or-FQDN:5480) as root.
   

   Example: https://vcsa.example.com:5480

   Note: For vSphere 6.7 and 7.0, the vSphere SSO Administrator Credentials "[email protected]" can be used for patching the appliance instead of the root account.

5. Click on Update tab.
6. Click CHECK UPDATES and select Check CD ROM.

7. Available updates will show up once the system finds the mounted ISO image. Note: This step will take some time.

8. Same steps should apply from the previous section "Option 1 Patching via URL" from step 5.

Additional Information

If the patching task didn't complete for any reason, please collect log bundle from the failure node using Command Line before restoring from backup or reverting back to the snapshot.

To collect VCSA or PSC logs using CLI, please follow the below steps:

1. Open SSH session to the VCSA or PSC
2. Log in as an administrative user ie: root
3. Enter in:
   
   shell.set --enabled true
   
   
4. Enter in: 
   
   shell
   
   
5. To export the logs to /storage/log/, run: 
6. vc-support -l

 

For patching vCenter in a High Availability Environment, see Patch a vCenter High Availability Environment.