VxRail: How to Update the VMware Tools Version on the ESXi host

1. Download the VMware Tools Offline VIB Bundle from the Broadcom support page. Go to the My Downloads section and search by VMware Tools. Select the wanted version and download the Offline vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB):
   
   

2. Before applying the update, you can check the current VMware Tools version in the ESXi host. Access the ESXi host by SSH and run the following command:

   esxcli software component get | grep VMware-VM-Tools -B 1 -A 14

   Example:

   [root@host01:~] esxcli software component get | grep VMware-VM-Tools -B 1 -A 14
   
   VMware-VM-Tools_12.3.5.22544099-23794019
      Name: VMware-VM-Tools
      Display Name: ESXi VM Tools
      Version: 12.3.5.22544099-23794019
      Display Version: 12.3.5
      VIBs: VMware_locker_tools-light_12.3.5.22544099-23794019
      Vendor: VMware
      Summary: ESXi Tools Component
      Severity: general
      Urgency: critical
      Category: security
      Release Type: patch
      Kburl: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/rn/vsphere-esxi-70u3q-release-notes/index.html#Resolved%20Issues-VMware-VM-Tools_12.3.5.22544099-23794019
      Description: This component contains the tools VIB.
      Contact: VMware
      ReleaseDate: 05-21-2024

   In this case, the current VMware Tools version in the ESXi host is 12.3.5.22544099-23794019.

3. In the ESXi host, create a temporary directory to place the VMware Tools Offline VIB Bundle. In this case, version 12.4.5 is approximately 370 MB in size. You must place this file in a supported ESXi host directory. In this example, a temporary directory inside a local datastore is created:

   [root@host01:~] cd /vmfs/volumes/LOCAL-DATASTORE
   
   [root@host01:/vmfs/volumes/LOCAL-DATASTORE] mkdir vmware-tools-temp

   After creating the temporary directory, copy the VMware Tools Offline VIB Bundle file into it. You can copy the file to the ESXi host using WinSCP, PowerShell, or your preferred application.

4. To update the VMware Tools version, it is unnecessary to put the ESXi host in maintenance mode or reboot it. You can use the following command to confirm it:

   esxcli software sources vib get --depot=file:/vmfs/volumes/LOCAL-DATASTORE/vmware-tools-temp/VMware-Tools-12.4.5-core-offline-depot-ESXi-all-23787635.zip

   Command output example:

   VMware_locker_tools-light_6.5.0-12.4.5.23787635
      Name: tools-light
      Version: 6.5.0-12.4.5.23787635
      Type: locker
      Vendor: VMware
      Acceptance Level: VMwareCertified
      Summary: VMware Tools VIB for Windows and Linux guests for ESXi 6.5.0
      Description: This package contains cdrom and floppy images used to install the VMware Tools inside virtual machines.
      ReferenceURLs:
      Creation Date: 2024-05-22
      Depends: esx-version = 6.5.0
      Conflicts:
      Replaces:
      Provides:
      Maintenance Mode Required: False
      Hardware Platforms Required:
      Live Install Allowed: True
      Live Remove Allowed: True
      Stateless Ready: True
      Overlay: False
      Tags:
      Payloads: tools
   
   VMware_locker_tools-light_12.4.5.23787635-23919197
      Name: tools-light
      Version: 12.4.5.23787635-23919197
      Type: locker
      Vendor: VMware
      Acceptance Level: VMwareCertified
      Summary: VMware Tools VIB for Windows and Linux guests (generated by vmtoolspkg build 23919197)
      Description: This package contains cdrom and floppy images used to install the VMware Tools inside virtual machines.
      ReferenceURLs:
      Creation Date: 2024-05-22
      Depends: esx-version >= 6.6.0
      Conflicts:
      Replaces:
      Provides:
      Maintenance Mode Required: False
      Hardware Platforms Required:
      Live Install Allowed: True
      Live Remove Allowed: True
      Stateless Ready: True
      Overlay: False
      Tags:
      Payloads: tools

5. Run the following command to apply the update:

   esxcli software vib install --depot=file:/vmfs/volumes/LOCAL-DATASTORE/vmware-tools-temp/VMware-Tools-12.4.5-core-offline-depot-ESXi-all-23787635.zip

   Command output example:

   [root@vxrail01:/vmfs/volumes/LOCAL-DATASTORE/vmware-tools-temp] esxcli software vib install --depot=file:/vmfs/volumes/LOCAL-DATASTORE/vmware-tools-temp/VMware-Tools-12.4.5-core-offline-depot-ESXi-all-23787635.zip
   Installation Result
      Message: Operation finished successfully.
      Reboot Required: false
      VIBs Installed: VMware_locker_tools-light_12.4.5.23787635-23919197
      VIBs Removed: VMware_locker_tools-light_12.3.5.22544099-23794019
      VIBs Skipped:

6. After that, you can check the VMware Tools version:

   [root@vxrail01:/vmfs/volumes/LOCAL-DATASTORE/vmware-tools-temp] esxcli software component get | grep VMware-VM-Tools -B 1 -A 14TOOLS-23919197
      Name: VMware-VM-Tools
      Display Name: VMware Tools Async Release
      Version: 12.4.5.23787635-23919197
      Display Version: 12.4.5
      VIBs: VMware_locker_tools-light_12.4.5.23787635-23919197
      Vendor: VMware
      Summary: VMware Tools 12.4.5 Async Release
      Severity: general
      Urgency: important
      Category: bugfix
      Release Type: patch
      Kburl: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Tools/12.4/rn/vmware-tools-1245-release-notes/index.html
      Description: VMware Tools 12.4.5 Async Release
      Contact: http://www.vmware.com/support/contacts/
      ReleaseDate: 06-27-2024

   As you can see, the new VMware Tools version is 12.4.5.23787635-23919197.

7. Now, you can access the vSphere Client, select the ESXi host that you updated the VMware Tools, and update the VMware Tools on virtual machines (VMs) running on it.

For vLCM enabled clusters, follow the steps under VxRail: Update VMware Tools to address the VMSA issue.