Comments on: VMware Update Manager planning makes a difference http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/ Go Green with Virtualization. Go UGLY Green with vmetc.com. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:56:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Devin Shirley http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-2041 Devin Shirley Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:37:09 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-2041 your blog is great 380 gratz! your blog is great 380 gratz!

]]> By: rbrambley http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-2020 rbrambley Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:04:40 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-2020 Nicole,<br><br>Looks like Aaron's bladevault.info site has been parked by GoDaddy and the previous content is no longer available. Aaaron has recently started contributing to <a href="http://blog.scottlowe.org" rel="nofollow">http://blog.scottlowe.org</a>. He has a couple of posts from the last 2 weeks there. maybe you can leave a comment for him on one of those posts inquiring about his older posts?<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>Rich Nicole,

Looks like Aaron's bladevault.info site has been parked by GoDaddy and the previous content is no longer available. Aaaron has recently started contributing to http://blog.scottlowe.org. He has a couple of posts from the last 2 weeks there. maybe you can leave a comment for him on one of those posts inquiring about his older posts?

Thanks,

Rich

]]> By: Nicole Faust http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-2018 Nicole Faust Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:52:06 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-2018 Hello Aaron,<br><br>I've tried your links (<a href="http://www.bladevault.info" rel="nofollow">www.bladevault.info</a>...) and they only show "sponsored links".<br><br>I would really like to read your tips and tricks regardind Update Manager !<br><br>Thank you,<br>Nicole Faust Hello Aaron,

I've tried your links (http://www.bladevault.info…) and they only show “sponsored links”.

I would really like to read your tips and tricks regardind Update Manager !

Thank you,
Nicole Faust

]]> By: Joe Thomas http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1476 Joe Thomas Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:46:51 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-1476 I also started using VUM as soon as it was released -- I used to use a third party free product, which wasn't bad. VUM is great. I love it. I only patch my ESX hosts. I have continue to use Shavlik NetChk Pro for my VMs. I like the control and additional patching that it can do. Like Jason -- I also have the plug-in issue. You mentioned once a month -- Jason said "every few days". Mine is AT LEAST every few days -- usually every day. I generally just leave it disconnected until there are new updates and I am going to be using VUM. I do wish VMware would resolve this issue though. One problem I have found with VUM is that if it can't go into maintenance mode, the whole remediate hangs and eventually bombs. i.e. If a host can't be Vmotioned for some reason, the maintenance mode process hangs and times out, and the remediate process bombs. It would be pretty nice if that were detected when the remediate is submitted. When VUM first came out it was fast -- now it can take several minutes just to scan a single host. This also makes the remediate process longer since it scans during that. I have seen other people complain about this on the VMware forums. I am not sure what update to VIC caused this -- but somewhere along the line scans when from very fast to pretty slow. I even did a fresh install of VIC on a faster server and still see this behavior. VUM is a good addition and I am confident Vmware will continue to make it better. I also started using VUM as soon as it was released — I used to use a third party free product, which wasn’t bad. VUM is great. I love it. I only patch my ESX hosts. I have continue to use Shavlik NetChk Pro for my VMs. I like the control and additional patching that it can do.

Like Jason — I also have the plug-in issue. You mentioned once a month — Jason said “every few days”. Mine is AT LEAST every few days — usually every day. I generally just leave it disconnected until there are new updates and I am going to be using VUM. I do wish VMware would resolve this issue though.

One problem I have found with VUM is that if it can’t go into maintenance mode, the whole remediate hangs and eventually bombs. i.e. If a host can’t be Vmotioned for some reason, the maintenance mode process hangs and times out, and the remediate process bombs. It would be pretty nice if that were detected when the remediate is submitted.

When VUM first came out it was fast — now it can take several minutes just to scan a single host. This also makes the remediate process longer since it scans during that. I have seen other people complain about this on the VMware forums. I am not sure what update to VIC caused this — but somewhere along the line scans when from very fast to pretty slow. I even did a fresh install of VIC on a faster server and still see this behavior.

VUM is a good addition and I am confident Vmware will continue to make it better.

]]> By: Aaron Delp http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1446 Aaron Delp Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:38:19 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-1446 /shameless plugs for my site incoming Hey Rich - I have set up Update Manager for a number of customers and I have updated my site with tips and tricks related to Update Manager. Of particular note is how to tell Update Manager to not Download Windows and Linux Patches if you won't be using them. Every single one I have set up so far has been ESX patching only. Enjoy! http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/29/vmware-update-manager-set-up-cheat-sheet/ http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/30/how-to-start-a-vmware-update-manager-download-immediately/ http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/30/how-to-configure-vmware-update-manager-to-only-download-esx-updates/ http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/30/vmware-update-manager-configuration-best-practices/ /shameless plugs for my site incoming

Hey Rich – I have set up Update Manager for a number of customers and I have updated my site with tips and tricks related to Update Manager. Of particular note is how to tell Update Manager to not Download Windows and Linux Patches if you won’t be using them. Every single one I have set up so far has been ESX patching only. Enjoy!

http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/29/vmware-update-manager-set-up-cheat-sheet/

http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/30/how-to-start-a-vmware-update-manager-download-immediately/

http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/30/how-to-configure-vmware-update-manager-to-only-download-esx-updates/

http://www.bladevault.info/2008/09/30/vmware-update-manager-configuration-best-practices/

]]> By: Rich http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1445 Rich Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:33:07 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-1445 For those that tried to do the poll and received the "Please choose a valid poll answer" message - I think I got it fixed now. If you still get this message please email me (use the About Me page for my contact info), send me a Tweet at @rbrambley, or if neither of the first 2 are possible than leave a comment here. Thanks. For those that tried to do the poll and received the “Please choose a valid poll answer” message – I think I got it fixed now. If you still get this message please email me (use the About Me page for my contact info), send me a Tweet at @rbrambley, or if neither of the first 2 are possible than leave a comment here.

Thanks.

]]> By: Jason Boche http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1444 Jason Boche Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:09:31 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-1444 The plugin issue is merely an annoyance. It can be re-enabled in 5 seconds with a few mouse clicks and VUM comes back to life in the VIC. Like I said, it only seems to happen once every few days. I wish I could put my finger on a pattern because as always, there's a technical reason for everything that happens. I'm just not interested enough yet (nor do I have enough time right now) to dig deep to find out why. I'm sure the answers are in c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Update Manager\Logs\ The plugin issue is merely an annoyance. It can be re-enabled in 5 seconds with a few mouse clicks and VUM comes back to life in the VIC. Like I said, it only seems to happen once every few days. I wish I could put my finger on a pattern because as always, there’s a technical reason for everything that happens. I’m just not interested enough yet (nor do I have enough time right now) to dig deep to find out why. I’m sure the answers are in c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Update Manager\Logs\

]]> By: Rich http://vmetc.com/2008/11/02/vmware-update-manager-planning-makes-a-difference/comment-page-1/#comment-1443 Rich Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:06:04 +0000 http://vmetc.com/?p=1248#comment-1443 Jason, Most of my customers stuck with WSUS for the VM OS patching too. I say most because for a few we just talked about VUM and did not implement - they did not plan for it and wanted to wait until they could allocate a server. I was not aware of the plug-in problems. That sounds like a hassle, but I guess you only need it once a month so maybe it's more tolerable? Jason,

Most of my customers stuck with WSUS for the VM OS patching too. I say most because for a few we just talked about VUM and did not implement – they did not plan for it and wanted to wait until they could allocate a server.

I was not aware of the plug-in problems. That sounds like a hassle, but I guess you only need it once a month so maybe it’s more tolerable?

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