When I install new ESX4 Hosts, most of the time I patch them manually, have the patches with me on a USB Stick. This saves me lot of time.

  1. Use following cli command on ESX4 to put the host into maintenance mode: vimsh -n -e /hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter
  2. Put the Patch Archive e.g. ESX400-200909001.zip  to the ESX4 Host
  3. Run following cli to manually install the Patch Bundle:  esxupdate –bundle ESX400-200909001.zip update
  4. Reboot the Host: reboot
  5. Exit maintenance mode: vimsh -n -e /hostsvc/maintenance_mode_exit