Tag Archives: update2

VMware ESX 3.5 Update 2 / Update 3

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With all of the hullabaloo around the licensing issue in 3.5 Update 2, some people might have missed the fact that there have been some really neat improvements in the product.

One of my pet irritations is that a lot of environments have dysfunctional DNS. In the past, this has caused HA to break, unless we put entries in the hosts files of the ESX hosts and the VirtualCenter host. Starting with ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2, DNS resolution or /etc/hosts file entries are no longer required to configure VMware HA. It’s now down to VirtualCenter to do that for you. This is no excuse to not have functioning DNS in place, but it does make situations where the ESX environment is the first thing going in a little more palatable.

The Remote Command Line Interface (Remote CLI), which was previously supported only on ESXi (with support for ESX only in conjunction with Storage VMotion), is now fully supported for both ESXi 3.5 Update 2 and ESX 3.5 Update 2.

As of ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2, VMware now supports up to 192 logical (virtual) CPUs per host, provided the host has no more than 170 VMs, and there are no more than three virtual floppy devices or virtual CDROM devices configured on the host at any given time. This is cool, although unfortunately it’s not something I’ve had time to test in the lab.

Hot virtual disk extension support has been added to this release, which makes the CLI-averse a little more comfortable with virtual disk expansion. Hot extend is supported for monolithic disks in VMFS that do not have a VM snapshot.

So, there are some cool things, besides the obvious boneheaded error mentioned previously. But don’t get too excited, as I noticed that VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 3 has just been released. Get it here and have a look through the release notes here. This release seems to focus on resolving issues, of which there are many in VirtualCenter, and this is no bad thing. There is a FLEX license server upgrade included, but (and I imagine they’ve poached coders from Sun for this functionality) “the license server will not be automatically upgraded when using the VMware Infrastructure Management Installer to upgrade an existing installation”. No, that would be too easy. There’s a standalone installer instead. Hopefully this will decrease the number of license server calls I get, but it’s still running FLEX isn’t it?

There’s still a lot of issues, but it wouldn’t be enterprise software without that, now, would it? things like “Storage Devices Connected to McData FC Switch Through QLogic Adapters Occasionally Do Not Reappear After Reboot“, “Incorrect Device Paths for LUNs Displayed in Storage Summary“, “ESX Server Host Might Lose Access to iSCSI Targets from EMC CX3 Series Array“, and so on. The sort of stuff that might just do your head in if you don’t have relaxation strategies in place. And upgrading VMware Update Manager is still hinky, while the whole experience, new install or upgrade, reeks of components slapped together rather than “unified”. But it’s a reasonably complicated product, and I’m no software engineer, so I can live with it. Enjoy.

VMware ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 – FAIL

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This is a quick one, as I’m in a training course at the moment, but this message from VMware just hit my inbox about a serious problem with Update 2. Full details can be found here. The text of the message is below:

“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?
• Product and Web teams pulled the ESX 3.5 Update 2 bits from the download pages last night so no more customers will be able to download the broken build.
• VMware Engineering teams have isolated the cause of the problem and are working around the clock to deliver updated builds and patches for impacted customers.
• A Knowledgebase article has been published (http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1006716), but traffic to the knowledgebase is causing time outs. A new static page has been published at http://www.vmware.com/support/esx35u2_supportalert.html that customers and partners will be able to view.
• The phone system has been updated to advise customers of the problem
• Vmware partners have been notified of the issue.

Workarounds:
1. Do not install ESX 3.5 U2 if it has been downloaded from VMware’s website or elsewhere prior to August 12, 2008.
2. Set the host time to a date prior to August 12, 2008. This workaround has a number of very serious side affects that could impact product environments. Any Virtual Machines that sync time with the ESX host and serve time sensitive applications would be broken. These include, but are not limited to database servers, mail servers, & domain administration systems.
Next Steps:
VMware to notify customers who have downloaded this version and provide an update every two hours.
Resolution:
VMware Engineering has isolated the root cause and is working to produce an express patch for impacted customers today. The target timeframe is 6pm, August 12, 2008 PST.

FAQ:
1. What would this express patch do?

More information will be provided in subsequent communication updates.
2. Will VMware still reissue the upgrade media and patch bundles in the timeframe that has been communicated?

Yes. We still plan to reissue upgrade media by 6pm, August 13 PST (instead of noon, August 13 PST) and all update patch bundles later in the week. We will provide an ETA for the update patch bundles subsequently. NOTE: the “patch bundles” referred to here are for the patches listed above under “Affected Products” and the other bundles released at GA. They are not the same as the express patch which is targeted for 6pm, August 12, 2008 PST as stated above.
3. Why does VMware plan to reissue the upgrade media before the patch bundles? That is a wrong priority call!

This is not a matter of priority. Since we can get done building and testing the upgrade media before the patch bundles, we want to make that available to customers first instead of reissuing all the binaries later in the week.
4. Can VMware issue a patch that opens the licensing backdoor in the next hour as a critical measure?

There is no licensing backdoor in our code.
5. Does this issue affect VC 2.5 Update 2?

No.
6. What is VMware doing to make sure that the problem won’t happen again?

We are making improvements on all fronts. The product team had endeavored to deliver a release with support customers deem important. But we fell short and we are deeply sorry about all the disruption and inconveniences we have caused. We have identified where the holes are and they will be addressed to restore customers’ confidence. ”

I’m thinking that next week when I’m back in town might be a little busy with this one …

**Update 1** – 13/08/2008 – 14:15 (AEST)

VMware have released an express update for this issue. Please look here for more information concerning the patch and its implementation. You can use VUM or run esxupdate on the affected hosts to install the patch. Which is nicer than frigging about with times on your ESX nodes. I haven’t had time to run the patch, but I’m sure I’ll hear about it from my customers if it is problematic :)

**Update 2** – 13/08/2008 – 15:30 (AEST)

I  may have spoken too soon regarding express patch deployment – according to the latest missive from VMware, the express patches have only been tested using esxupdate, not VUM.

“There are two express patches: one for ESX 3.5 Update 2 and one for ESXi 3.5 Update 2. They are specifically targeted for customers who have installed or fully upgraded to ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 or who have applied the ESX350-200806201-UG patch to ESX/ESXi 3.5 or ESX/ESX 3.5 Update 1 hosts. For customers who haven’t done either, these express patches should not be applied.
To be noted is that these patches have been validated to work with esxupdate. However, testing with the VMware Update Manager is still under way. In subsequent communications, we will provide confirmation whether the patches work with VMware Update Manger or if a re-spin is required.
We are currently testing an option to apply the patch without requiring VMotion or VM power-off and re-power-on at the point of patch application. To immediately refresh vmx on the VM, one can VMotion off running VMs, apply the patches and VMotion the VMs back. If VMotion capability is not available, VMs can be powered off before the patches are applied and powered back on afterwards.”

You having fun yet?

**Update 3** – 15/08/2008 – 09:30 (AEST)

Apparently VMware have now released updated install media for ESX 3.5 Update 2 and ESX3i, including upgrade files, etc. So go to http://www.vmware.com/download and get yourself some new media.