vCenter Server Windows & VCSA 6.5.0d is Out!!

Well that was fast... 5 days after the release of VCSA 6.5.0c, comes 6.5.0d for both Windows & Photon OS versions of vCenter.

Primary reason is bug fix support for VSAN 6.6 that was just released.

What's New

The vCenter Server 6.5.0d release includes new features and bug fixes related to vSAN 6.6. For more information, see the vSAN 6.6 Release Notes and the vSAN 6.6 documentation.

The new build is:
 Name: VMware-VCSA-all-6.5.0-5318154.iso
Release Date: 2017-04-18
Build Number: 5318154

The new patch is:
VMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-6.5.0.5500-5318154-patch-FP.iso
Download Size:1626.4 MB

The simplest way to install the patch is to use the Update feature in the VAMI interface of the VCSA GUI.
Login to https://<VCSA-IP-or_FQDN>:5480
Click on Update on the left.

You can use the Settings button to setup Automatic Checking for Updates to VCSA.
You can manually check for updates by clicking the Check Updates button.
Once an update is displayed as in the following picture, you can install it.


See also:  http://blog.vmtraining.net/2017/04/vcsa-650c-is-out.html 

VCSA 6.5.0c is Out!

VMware just released a new version and patch for their VCSA 6.5 vCenter Server Appliance.
6.5.0c addresses the Apache BlazeDS security vulnerability.

Resolved Issues

VMware vCenter Server contains a remote code execution vulnerability due the use of BlazeDS to process AMF3 messages. This issue may be exploited to execute arbitrary code when deserializing an untrusted Java object. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the identifier CVE-2017-5641 to this issue.

The new build is:
Name: VMware-VCSA-all-6.5.0-5318112.iso
Release Date: 2017-04-13
Build Number: 5318112

The new patch is:
VMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-6.5.0.5400-5318112-patch-FP.iso
Download Size:1627.4 MB

The simplest way to install the patch is to use the Update feature in the VAMI interface of the VCSA GUI.
Login to https://<VCSA-IP-or_FQDN>:5480
Click on Update on the left.

You can use the Settings button to setup Automatic Checking for Updates to VCSA.
You can manually check for updates by clicking the Check Updates button.
Once an update is displayed as in the following picture, you can install it.

The installation has a thermometer for completion status.
This particular update requires a reboot when done, which can also be done from inside the VAMI.

More information on the update is here in the Release Notes.

If you prefer the command line method for installing VCSA patches, checkout  KB 2149656:
https://kb.vmware.com/kb/2149656

Stop logging me out of the vSphere Web Client!!

I know VMware has increase the default timeout value in vSphere 5.5 & higher to 120 minutes, but for me, slowly prying my cold dead fingers off the old .NET, C# Windows vSphere Client, it's not long enough ... so here's how to increase it.

I'm pulling the basic information from KB 2040626.  Click here.

Increasing the VMware vSphere Web Client session timeout period

Changes need to be performed on the server/VM hosting vCenter Server.

File locations depending on version:

     vCenter Server 5.x
     Windows 2003 – %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware\vSphere Web Client
     Windows 2008/2012 – %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\VMware\vSphere Web Client
     VMware vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) – /var/lib/vmware/vsphere-client

     vCenter Server 6.x
     Windows 2008/2012 – C:\ProgramData\VMware\vCenterServer\cfg\vsphere-client
     VMware vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) – /etc/vmware/vsphere-client/

Add this line to the file:

          Note: If the line already exists, verify that the line does not contain a hash (#).

    session.timeout = value
          where value is the timeout value in minutes.

          For example, to set the timeout value to 300 minutes, add the line:

    session.timeout = 300
          Note: To set the client to never time out, specify a negative value or 0.

Restart the vSphere Web Client Services: 

• In Windows operating systems, restart the VMware vSphere Web Client service.
• In the VCSA (vCenter Server Appliance), restart the vsphere-client service.

Note: To restart the vSphere Web Client Service, run these commands:

In the vCenter Server Appliance 5.x:
/etc/init.d/vsphere-client restart

In vCenter Server Appliance 6.x:
service-control --stop vsphere-client
service-control --start vsphere-client

Increasing the VMware vSphere Web Client session timeout period

vSphere Data Protection End-of-Life (VDP EOL) & Goodbye 3rd Party Switches

Well, needing massive changes, VMware's vSphere Data Protection Appliance, even with the addition of the features from VDP Advanced, has proven no match for the plethora of backup Solutions currently on the market.

As a result they have announced the following:

vSphere Data Protection: End of Life

VMware is discontinuing VMware vSphere Data Protection (VDP), a general purpose backup product included with vSphere. VMware vSphere 6.5 is the last release which includes the VDP product.

All existing VDP installations with active Support and Subscription (SnS) will continue to be supported until their End of General Support (EOGS) date. Learn more.

Additionally, they have made this announcement about 3rd Party vSwitches:

Notify Customers: Update on vSphere 3rd Party vSwitch Support

VMware is discontinuing the third party virtual switch (vSwitch) program.
VMware will continue to support the 3rd party virtual switch APIs, and the enablement of a partner's use of these APIs up to the vSphere 6.5 Update 1 and prior vSphere versions, as long as an active support and subscription services contract exists.

All vSphere releases and vSphere 6.5 Update 1 will no longer have third party vSwitch APIs and third party vSwitches will no longer work. View these FAQs to learn more and encourage your customers to migrate to vSphere Distributed Switch using our free tool.