HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0U2 to ESXi 7.0U2a in 5 easy steps

• On 29 April 2021, VMware released the second U2a update for ESXi 7.0. ESXi 7.0 U2a is Build 17867351. 

• This article will show you how to update ESXi 7.0U2 to ESXi 7.0U2a in 5 easy steps to get your system up to the latest release. In this tutorial, the version of ESXi 7.0 installed is ESXi 7.0U2, released on 20 April 2021, but this article can be followed to upgrade any version of ESXi 7.0. If your ESXi host has access to the internet, there is a quicker method shown in this article - HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0U2 to ESXi 7.0U2a direct from VMware. 
  VMware has removed my older legacy processors (CPUs) from ESXi 7.0U2, and also storage and network controllers, please check the VMware Hardware Compatability Lists (HCL) here.
  
  The VMware Hardware Compatibility List is the list showing actual vendor devices that have been tested and certified by VMware or VMware partners. Items on the list are tested with VMware products and are known to operate correctly. Devices that are not on the list may function, but will not be supported by VMware, and may cause issues.
  VMware has removed my older legacy processors (CPUs) from ESXi 7.0 GA, and also storage and network controllers, please check the VMware Hardware Compatability Lists (HCL) here.

The VMware Hardware Compatibility List is the list showing actual vendor devices that have been tested and certified by VMware or VMware partners. Items on the list are tested with VMware products and are known to operate correctly. Devices that are not on the list may function, but will not be supported by VMware, and may cause issues.

Before we get started:

It is important to ensure you have valid backups of your virtual machines before you make any changes to a Production VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi 7.0 Host server, which is hosting virtual machines. All virtual machines must be powered off with the server in maintenance mode.

Here are the steps to upgrade your software:
 
1. Download ESXi 7.0U2a Offline Bundle

• Download the ESXi 7.0U2a Offline Bundle from VMware here
• The file is called VMware-ESXi-7.0U2a-17867351-depot.zip, check the following:

• MD5SUM:   9b676a33ef191221f8e456b63d46dd55
  SHA1SUM:   ea71d5cf770e64359d1668a6ca49d5c4758d51f9
  SHA256SUM:   e1e7988553ed6845cc68309d6c6022dedc747ab7d08eb97d7e0bd9fca15bb283

• Signatures are correct with the published figures above. See my Experts Exchange article Part 3: HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)
• To see how to check that these checksum signatures are correct for your offline bundle upgrade.

2. Upload the offline bundle to an ESXi 7.0 datastore

• Upload the offline patch to an ESXi 7.0 datastore. We will be uploading the patch bundle to datastore1 on our ESXi 7.0 host server. If you require additional help on how to upload this file to the ESXi datastore, please see my Experts Exchange article Part 4: HOW TO: Upload and Check the MD5 signature of an ISO CD/DVD image to a VMware datastore using the VMware Host Client, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)

3. Connect to the ESXi 7.0 host server via SSH

• Connect to the ESXi 7.0 host server via SSH. If your ESXi 7.0 server is not enabled for SSH, please see my Experts Exchange article Part 5: HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)
• Step 3 in the following Experts Exchange article details SSH access to an ESXi host server: Part 4: HOW TO: Upload and Check the MD5 signature of an ISO CD/DVD image to a VMware datastore using the VMware Host Client, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0).

At the console prompt, type

vmware -l 

to confirm the ESXi version. VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 2 or later should be returned, though this will depend upon whether any patches have been applied. In this tutorial the build installed is 7.0U2. 

4. Use esxcli at the console command line to update the server 

• At the console, type:

esxcli system maintenanceMode set -e true

This command enables maintenance mode. The host ESXi server must be in maintenance mode to be patched and updated. Virtual machines must be powered off.

esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-7.0U2a-17867351-standard -d /vmfs/volumes/esxi007_local1_vmfs6/isos/VMware-ESXi-7.0U2a-17867351-depot.zip

• The above command does not produce any feedback if entered correctly. After approximately 20 seconds, the upgrade should be completed, however, we have found that if you are using slow USB flash drives and SD cards, this can take considerably longer for the files to be written. You will be presented with the following screen upon completion:

• If all is well you should see an update screen, as above, you may have to scroll the screen to see all the information. But check the update result at the top. The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.
• You should be able to see new VIB packages installed, removed, and some have been skipped. If you are using a custom image (OEM version) of VMware ESXi 7.0U2 (e.g. from HPE, Lenovo, DellEMC, Fujitsu etc) your output could be different.

• Type 

reboot

•  to reboot the server.

5. Check the ESXi 7.0U2 Host server has been updated.

• Check the following:

Congratulations, you have successfully updated your host server from VMware ESXi 7.0 U2 to VMware ESXi 7.0U2a. This method works for all versions of ESXi and updates, you just need to change the updates!

Basic VMware Articles Series:

These articles are also applicable to VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi 5.0, 5.5, 6.0.
 

• Part 1: HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

 

• Part 2: HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client

 

• Part 3: HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

 

• Part 4: HOW TO: Upload an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image to a VMware datastore for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client, and checking its MD5 checksum signature is correct.

 

• Part 5: HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

 

• Part 6: HOW TO: Create your first Linux Virtual Machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) Host Server

 

• Part 7: HOW TO: Create your first Windows Virtual Machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) Host Server

 

• Part 8: HOW TO: Install VMware Tools for Windows on a VMware Windows virtual machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) Host Server

 

• Part 9: HOW TO: Install VMware Tools for Linux on a VMware Linux virtual machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) Host Server

 

• Part 10: HOW TO: Backup (Export) and Restore (Import) virtual machines to VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 for FREE

 

• Part 11: HOW TO: Suppress Configuration Issues System logs on the host are stored on non-persistent storage

 

• Part 12: HOW TO: Configure and Replace the SSL Certificate on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) Host Server

 

• Part 13: HOW TO: Configure basic networking on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) Host Server

These articles apply to VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5.

• Part 1:  HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5)

• Part 2: HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5) using the vSphere (HTML5 Web) Host Client 6.5

• Part 3: HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5)

• Part 4: HOW TO: Upload an ISO image to a VMware datastore for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5) using the vSphere Host Client, and checking its MD5 checksum signature is correct.

• Part 5: HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5)

• Part 6: HOW TO: Suppress Configuration Issues and Warnings Alert displayed in Summary status for ESXi 6.5 after enabling SSH or ESXi Shell

• Part 7: HOW TO: Create your first Windows Virtual Machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5) Host Server

• Part 8: HOW TO: Install VMware Tools for Windows on a VMware Windows virtual machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5) Host Server

• HOW TO: Deploy and Install the VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 (VCSA 6.5)

These articles apply to VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.7.

• Part 1: HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.7 (ESXi 6.7

• Part 2: HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.7 (ESXi 6.7) using the vSphere (HTML5 Web) Host Client 6.7

• Part 3: HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.7 (ESXi 6.7)

• Part 4: HOW TO: Upload an ISO image to a VMware datastore for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.7 (ESXi 6.7) using the vSphere Host Client, and checking its MD5 checksum signature is correct.

• Part 5: HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.7 (ESXi 6.7)

• Part 6: HOW TO: Suppress Configuration Issues and Warnings Alert displayed in Summary status for ESXi 6.7 after enabling SSH or ESXi Shell.

• HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 6.7 GA to ESXi 6.7U3(a) in 5 easy steps.

• HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 6.7 GA to ESXi 6.7U3(a) direct from VMware.  

 
Previous articles in this VMware vSphere 7.0 series are here.

• Part 1: HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)

• Part 2: HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0) using the vSphere (HTML5 Web) Host Client 7.0

• Part 3: HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)

• Part 4: HOW TO: Upload and Check the MD5 signature of an ISO CD/DVD image to a VMware datastore using the VMware Host Client, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)

• Part 5: HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)

• Part 6: HOW TO: Suppress Configuration Issues and Warnings Alert displayed in Summary status for ESXi 7.0 after enabling SSH or ESXi Shell.

• Part 7: HOW TO: Create your first Windows Virtual Machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0) Host Server

• Part 8: HOW TO: Install VMware Tools for Windows on a VMware Windows virtual machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0) Host Server

• Part 9: HOW TO: Create your first Linux Virtual Machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0) Host Server

• Part 10: HOW TO: Install VMware Tools for Linux on a VMware Linux virtual machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0) Host Server

• Part 11: HOW TO: Install open-vm-tools package for Linux on a VMware Linux virtual machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0) Host Server will show how to install open-vm-tools. 

• Part 12: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 6.7 to ESXi 7.0 GA in 5 easy steps.

• Part 13: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 6.7 to ESXi 7.0 GA direct from VMware.

• HOW TO: What is a VMware vExpert?

• Part 14: HOW TO:  P2V a Windows XP computer to VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)

• HOW TO:  Make Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware Workstation function side by side.

• Part 15: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0 GA to ESXi 7.0bs direct from VMware.

• Part 16: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0 GA to ESXi 7.0b direct from VMware.

• Part 17: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0 GA to ESXi 7.0bs in 5 easy steps.

• Part 18: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0 GA to ESXi 7.0b in 5 easy steps

• Part 19: HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0 ARM) on a Raspberry Pi 4

• Part 20 HOW TO: BOOT VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0 ARM) from an iSCSI LUN for the Raspberry Pi 4

• Part 21: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0U2 to ESXi 7.0U2a direct from VMware.

• Part 22: HOW TO: Update VMware ESXi 7.0U2 to ESXi 7.0U2a in 5 easy steps

and new for 2021 Hancock's VMware Half Hour Video Series

• Part 1: HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0)

• Part 2: HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0 (ESXi 7.0) using the vSphere (HTML5 Web) Host Client 7.0

If you found this tutorial helpful, please do click the Thumbs-Up icon below. This lets me know what is valuable for EE members and provides direction for future articles. If you have a related question based on this article, please click here.

Thank you very much! 

Regards, Andy