VM /ETC

Posts Tagged ‘patch’

Being that it is the end of the week and I have fallen a day or so behind in keeping up with the VMware updates for the August 12 time bomb bug, I decided that I would post the remaining emails I received from VMware. I’m also including an update from John Troyer from the VMTN Blog providing some clarity on version number information differences between the install media and the express patched ESX/ESXi 3.5 versions. Read the rest of this entry »

I just received the third VMware email customer update about the August 12 time bomb bug. Unfortunately, this email informs customers that the effort to find a resolution where VM reboots could be avoided has not produced a reliable process. The email does indicate that the express patches are working properly and are compatible with VMware Update Manager. Also, The previously set deadline of 6 PM PST today (AUG 13) for the download availability of the corrected ESX/ESXi update 2 install media is still on schedule.

Here’s the body of the entire email as I received it: Read the rest of this entry »

The product expiration time bomb that was mistakenly left in the first versions of the ESX 3.5 and ESXi 3.5 Update 2 download media is no doubt an embarrassing and horrible mistake by VMware. The timing of this disaster couldn’t be worse with Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, and others starting to be considered as an alternative virtual infrastructure platform for companies just beginning to explore the benefits of virtualization. How could this have happened and what are some lessons to be learned, not just for VMware, but for VI administrators around the world? Read the rest of this entry »

I just received word that the following email is being sent (or will be sent) to all ESX 3.5 and ESXi 3.5 customers likely to be impacted by the Aug 12 time bomb BUG. I assume the 6:00 pm deadline is PST as VMware’s headquarters is in Palo Alto, California?

Dear VMware Customers,

Please find the latest update about the product expiration issue. From this point on, we’ll provide an update every two hours. Thanks.

Problem:

An issue has been discovered by many VMware customers and partners with ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 where Virtual Machines fail to power on or VMotion successfully. This problem began to occur on August 12, 2008 for customers that had upgraded to ESX 3.5 Update 2. The problem is caused by a build timeout that was mistakenly left enabled for the release build.

Affected Products:

- VMware ESX 3.5 Update 2 & ESXi 3.5 Update 2

- Reports of problems with ESX 3.5 U1 with the following 3.5 Update 2 patch applied.

1. ESX350-200806201-UG

- No other VMware products are affected.

What has been done?

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New Patches have been released for ESX 3.5 / 3i, ESX 3.02, and ESX 3.01. Information from the email notifications I received are copied in this post. Looks like monthly patching has become a reality for VMware. That’s the ultimate proof of success, I guess. If it’s a popular product the chances of it being exploited are increased exponentially. Make sure your Update Manager server is working properly …..

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The Offline Virtual Machine Serving Tool appears to be Microsoft’s equivalent to VMware’s Update Manger for ESX – in some capacity. The Solution Accelerator tool schedules and automates updates of virtual machines that are not normally powered on in your virtual infrastructure. The tool powers up the VMs allowing them to receive updates such as antivirus definitions, security updates and patches. Unlike ESX 3.5′s Update Manager, the tool only manages the offline VM updates. Server 2008, Hyper-V, and running VM updates will be handled via WSUS and normal Windows Update processes.

The Executive Overview page provides some more information: Read the rest of this entry »

Another session I attended at VMware’s Partner Exchange last week was titled ESX Log Analysis – Tech 207. I did not realize it when I signed up, but this was essentially the same session that I previously attended at VMWorld 2007 last September. I did a quick Google search on this topic to find the VMWorld slides and noticed that Scott Lowe live blogged from San Francisco while attending this very session. Then Searching on the VMWorld.com site I found that this was also a session at VMWorld Europe 2008 titled VI3 Advanced Log Analysis. You can get a copy of the .ppt used at the VMWorld Europe 2008 session on my Files Page.

There is nothing really too new about t-shooting ESX logs here, but the following are my notes from last week. On the other hand, there are some general notes directly related to ESXi logs and using Update Manager included.

I cleaned up my notes a little, but the following is still a raw outline. use These notes and the .ppt mentioned above to hopefully help educate yourself on this topic.

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