How to upgrade VMware Tools in ESXi 4.1 to meet the Security for Virtualized Environments requirements

Security for Virtualized Environments (SVE) is the first comprehensive security solution for virtualized datacenters. The solution protects virtualized Windows, Linux, and Solaris systems, both servers and desktops. While integrated with VMware vShield, the unique architecture of the solution allows it to be leveraged when using any system virtualization offering.

This article shows you how to upgrade VMware Tools in ESXi 4.1 to support agentless protection with Security for Virtualized Environments for Windows VMs. Specifically, you find out how to do the following:

• Upgrade the VMware Tools ISO image in ESXi 4.1 so that any new VMware Tools installation on Windows virtual machines can support agentless protection.
• Upgrade existing VMware Tools installation on Windows virtual machines to support agentless protection.

Note
The instructions provided hereinafter also work for ESX 4.1 hosts. However, take into account that ESX is not officially supported.

Note
Besides upgrading VMware Tools, make sure to meet the other prerequisites for agentless protection:

• The ESXi 4.1 host must have Patch 3 installed.
• Upgrade virtual machines to hardware version 7 or 8.
• Install the vShield Endpoint host driver on ESXi 4.1 from vShield Manager. Installation procedure is the same as for ESXi 5.x.

Overview

In VMware vSphere environments, Security for Virtualized Environments integrates with VMware vShield Endpoint 5.0 to provide agentless protection for Windows VMs. vShield Endpoint requires installing the following components:

• A host driver, which can be installed from vShield Manager
• A guest driver, included in VMware Tools 8.6.0 (released with ESXi 5.0 Patch 1) and later versions

VMware ESXi 4.1 does not provide native support for vShield Endpoint 5.0 because the VMware Tools versions supplied with ESXi 4.x do not include the required vShield Endpoint guest driver. However, by installing the VMware Tools package designed for ESXi 5.x in Windows guests running on ESXi 4.1, you will enable vShield Endpoint 5.0 support for those VMs (with no downside), making SVE work.

Note
The host driver can be installed without any problem as on ESXi 5.x hosts.

Bitdefender provides a custom patch that includes the latest VMware Tools version released for ESXi 5.x and helps you easily upgrade older versions on the ESXi 4.1 hosts and guests. Follow the steps described hereinafter to learn how to perform the upgrade.

Step 1 – Import Bitdefender Patch in ESXi 4.1 Hosts

To import the patch provided by Bitdefender on an ESXi 4.1 host:

1.    Click here to download the patch to your computer. The patch is named vmtoolsupdate.run.
2.    Using vSphere Client, upload the file to a datastore on the ESXi host that you want to patch.

a.    Go to Home > Inventory > Datastores and Datastore Clusters.
b.    Right-click the datastore and choose Browse Datastore.
c.    Click the Upload... icon from the toolbar and choose Upload File.
d.    Locate the patch file on your computer and open it.

Step 2 – Run Patch on the ESXi 4.1 Hosts

Run the patch on an ESXi 4.1 host to replace the VMware Tools ISO file on the host with the latest VMware Tools ISO file available for ESXi 5.x. In this way, any new VMware Tools installation or upgrade on Windows virtual machines will allow installing the vShield Endpoint guest driver.

To run the patch:

1.    Open an SSH connection to the host. If you are using a Windows computer, you must install a Windows SSH client, such as PuTTY.

Note
If you cannot open an SSH connection to the host, check that remote access is enabled on the host:

• From vSphere Client: in Hosts and Clusters view, click the host, go to the Configuration tab, click the Security Profile settings category and then the Properties link corresponding to Services. From this window, you can start the SSH daemon if it’s not running.

• From the ESXi direct console interface: press F2 to enter configuration mode, login as root, go to Troubleshooting Options and, if disabled, enable SSH.

2.    Change the current directory to where you have uploaded the patch. For example, if the datastore’s name is datastore1, run the following command:

$ cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/

If you have downloaded the patch file to a specific folder on the datastore, make sure to append the folder name to the path given in the example.

3.    Run the patch using the following command:

$ sh vmtoolsupdate.run

Step 3 – Upgrade Existing VMware Tools Installations on Virtual Machines

After upgrading the VMware Tools ISO image on an ESXi 4.1 host, you can upgrade existing VMware Tools installations on Windows virtual machines using vSphere Client.

Use the following procedure for automatic VMware Tools upgrade with installation of the vShield guest driver:

1.    In Hosts and Clusters view, click the host.
2.    Go to the Virtual Machines tab.
3.    Make sure virtual machines are powered on. To power on a VM, right-click it and choose Power On.
4.    Select all Windows virtual machines with VMware Tools already installed (use Ctrl-click or Shift-click for multiple selections).
5.    Right-click the selection and choose Guest > Install/Upgrade VMware  Tools.
6.    Choose Automatic Tools Upgrade.
7.    In the Advanced Options field, enter the following to install the vShield guest driver:
/S /v "/qn ADDLOCAL=ALL"
8.    Click OK to start automatic upgrade.

Step 4 – Performing a New VMware Tools Installation with vShield Guest Driver

Note that the vShield guest driver is not installed by default with VMware Tools. You must install VMware Tools in Complete mode or in Custom mode with the vShield Driver selected in the VMCI Drivers list.
 

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