Online Upgrade to ESXi 6.5 Using ESXCLi A few months back, we discussed how to upgrade ESXi hosts using VMware Update Manager. However, if you do not employ VUM, hosts can also be upgraded via ESXCLi commands using an online repository. In this tutorial, we will upgrade an ESXi host from 6.0 to 6.5 using VMware Online Depot. In addition, I will discuss how to differentiate image profiles within the depot.  If you are unfamiliar with the VMware Online Depot, it’s an online repository ...

Patch HP Drivers on ESXi Hosts – VMware Update Manager Today I wanted to run through the process used to patch HP drivers on an ESXi host; specifically through Update Manager. In a vSphere 6.5 troubleshooting post, we discussed a PSOD issue stemming from a specific HP iLO driver. That being the case, it seemed fitting to go through the patch process for the affected iLO driver in this post. Despite this being a very specific patch, the general patch procedure can be applied to other dri...

How to Downgrade/Roll Back ESXi 6.5 Occasionally, an issue or bug will require admins to revert to a previous build or version of ESXi. In the event you patch your hosts (as opposed to fresh installs), it is possible to rollback to a prior installed version via the GUI. Rollbacks should not be taken lightly. If you are reverting in a production environment, discuss options with support first. A few housekeeping items before we jump into the rollback process. Compatibility – If you...

Downgrade VMware VM Hardware Version A few weeks back, we discussed how to downgrade ESXi versions. These downgrades or rollbacks will often time bring compatibility issues into play. One such issue is the compatibility between the ESXi version and virtual machine hardware version. If a virtual machine with a higher version of hardware resides on an unsupported (lower) ESXi version, you will receive an error and not be able to start the machine. The error will state – This virtual machi...

Zerto Virtual Machine Hardware Support Quick byte for today; Last night, an issue arose while performing a VMware 6.5 upgrade in an environment that also leverages Zerto for replication. Zerto had been upgraded in early January to Version 5.0 Update 1 Patch 1 (Build 050111005) in preparation for the VMware upgrade. After virtual machine hardware was upgraded to version 13 last night, Zerto started sending compatibility alerts. The alerts stated that the Hardware version of the protected...

Zerto Replication – Install ZVM One of my favorite aspects regarding Zerto Replication is the ease of deployment. In this series, we will run through the installation and configuration of Zerto 5.5 for VMware environments. The series will consist of three parts to get Zerto Replication up and running. Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM) Install Virtual Replication Appliance (VRA) Deployment/Site Pairing Virtual Protection Group (VPG) Setup for Virtual Machines The focus of today’s...

File Level Restores from Zerto Journal Today I wanted to walk-through a Zerto journal file restore. This feature has been available since version 4.5 but fills such a crucial need in many organizations. The recovery process allows you restore a file or folder utilizing any checkpoint in the journal. When compared to traditional nightly backups, this can be a game changer when it comes to data loss. With Zerto RPOs typically in seconds, you can granularly restore data back to the moment ...

Enabling Zerto Plugin in vSphere Web Client 6.5 If you are a Zerto Replication user and have upgraded your VMware environment to 6.5, you may find yourself missing the Zerto plugin that was available in the vSphere C# client. To get the Zerto plugin to display within the vSphere Web Client, we will need to edit the webclient.properties file within vCenter to enable script plug-in support. I think it goes without saying, but when you are editing any vCenter files, ensure you have a cu...

Zerto Replication – VRA Install and Pairing Sites For the second part of our Zerto Replication install series, we are going install the Virtual Replication Appliances (VRAs) as well as pair our protected site to a recovery site. First, let’s look at the Virtual Replication Appliance(s). VRAs are lightweight, Linux-based virtual machines that handle replication between sites. These VRAs are installed on each host that houses either a protected or a recovery virtual machine. As part of...

VMware Common Logging Alarm and LVM In this byte, we will go over the VMware Common Logging Service Alarm as well as the dynamic resize of vCenter Hard disks. Over the weekend, I received a few traps from a 6.x vCenter Server Appliance. The specific trap came through stating the vmware-syslog status changing from yellow to red. I was able to confirm this within vCenter with a VMware Common Logging Health alarm. Normally this means one of two things: A service (syslog) has stopped....