Keeping your ESXi hosts up to date is vital for security, stability, and hardware/driver compatibility. When you don’t have—or don’t want to use—vCenter or Lifecycle Manager, the command line (ESXCLI with offline bundles or depot URLs) provides a reliable way to install patches or perform in-place upgrades. This article covers the key considerations—entering maintenance mode, selecting the correct image/profile or patch bundle, running the appropriate esxcli commands, and validating the host after reboot—without repeating the step-by-step commands here.
Read the original: How to Update ESXi to the Latest Version with Command Line?
Full steps and explanation: https://www.vinchin.com/vm-tips/esxi-update-upgrade.html
