Different VMware Tools status in Windows virtual machines running on ESXi/ESX host

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

VMware Tools is packaged with ESXi/ESX host. With each host upgrade, a new VMware Tools upgrade might be available. Whenever host is upgraded, you need to determine if VMware Tools in virtual machines on the upgraded ESXi/ESX host version needs to be upgraded. This article provides information on determining when to upgrade VMware Tools.

Usually VMware Infrastructure (VI) /vSphere Client notifies the need for VMware Tools upgrade by displaying the out of date status for VMware Tools. However, you need to be aware of the scenarios in which the vSphere Client might not display the out of date status for VMware Tools, even when the VMware Tools version for the host is not the latest.

For example, when changes in VMware Tools are minor, its version is not changed in the ESXi/ESX host, and the vSphere Client does not display the out of date status for VMware Tools.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded

Resolution

Determining when to upgrade VMware Tools in Windows virtual machines that are running on ESXi/ESX hosts

In the vSphere Client, click the Summary tab for a virtual machine to verify if VMware Tools needs to be upgraded. In the General pane of the Summary tab:

Status	Description
If the vSphere Client displays the out of date status for VMware Tools	Upgrade the VMware Tools installed on the virtual machine. In this case, if the virtual machine is configured to automatically upgrade VMware Tools, the next time the virtual machine is powered on, the latest version of VMware Tools is installed on the virtual machine, and the guest operating system is restarted (if required). To manually upgrade VMware Tools, right-click the virtual machine and select Install/Upgrade Tools.
If the vSphere Client displays the OK or Running (Current) status for VMware Tools	VMware Tools need not be upgraded. The VMware Tools version installed on the virtual machine is either the latest version available for the ESXi/ESX host, or any higher versions of VMware Tools do not have any significant enhancements. In this case, even if the virtual machine is configured to automatically upgrade VMware Tools, the next time the virtual machine is powered on, the latest version of VMware Tools is not installed on the virtual machine. You can verify the version of VMware Tools and manually upgrade VMware Tools.

Scenarios in which the status is not displayed as out of date for VMware Tools

In the vSphere Client , the Summary tab for a virtual machine might not display the status of outdated VMware Tools as out of date in the following scenarios:

Virtual machines created in VMware Workstation 6.5.x, VMware Server 2.0.x, or VMware Fusion 2.0.x are moved to ESX Server 3.5.
VMware Tools can only be upgraded to a higher version. The VMware Tools version packaged with Workstation 6.5.x, Server 2.0.x, or Fusion 2.0.x is higher than the version packaged with ESX Server 3.5.
Virtual machines are moved from an earlier version of ESXi/ESX to a later version of ESXi/ESX (which is minor upgrade or a patch upgrade from the previous version of ESXi/ESX)
VMware Tools is not upgraded with every patch or update release. The VMware Tools version in a patch or an update is incremented only if there is a considerable change in the product. Hence, the out of date status might not be displayed for VMware Tools when virtual machines are moved to higher versions of ESXi/ESX hosts.

Verifying if VMware Tools is upgraded successfully

To verify whether an upgrade is successful, check whether the file version of the file VmwareService.exe / vmtoolsd.exe (for ESX/ESXi 4.1 and later) after the upgrade is higher than the version number before the upgrade.

For more information on VMware Tools, see:

Additional Information

For translated versions of this article, see: