Deploy and manage update rollups in VMM

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Important

This version of Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) has reached the end of support. We recommend you to upgrade to VMM 2022.

This article provides information about how to install, verify, and remove update rollups for System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM).

Note

Update rollups are installed automatically if Microsoft Updates are set to Automatic. If they aren't installed automatically, you can install these manually.

Obtain and install update rollups

The following sections provide information about how to obtain and install the update rollups manually through Microsoft updates, Microsoft Download Center, and through VMM command line.

Back up the VMM database

  1. In the VMM console, select Settings.
  2. On the Home tab, select Backup.
  3. In the VMM backup page, in the Path text box, specify the location for the backup file, and select OK.

Note

Ensure that the job completes successfully; otherwise review the error details, and redo the backup.

More information: Back up the VMM database 

Install update rollups from Microsoft updates

Follow these steps on a computer that has a VMM component installed and latest updates are yet to be installed:

  1. Under Settings > Update & Security, select Windows Update.
  2. In the Windows Update window, select Check Online for updates from Microsoft Update.
  3. Select Important updates are available.
  4. Select the update rollup package and select OK.
  5. Select Install updates to install the update package.

Install update rollups from Microsoft Download Center

To manually download the update rollups from the Microsoft download center, visit the Microsoft Download Center, search for the desired KB and manually download the update rollup packages.

Install update rollups through command prompt

To manually install an update rollup package through an elevated command prompt, run the following command:

msiexec.exe/update <package_name>

Note

In the <package_name> placeholder, enter the actual package name.

For example, to install the Update Rollup 2 for System Center 2016 Virtual Machine Manager server (KB3209586), run the following command:

msiexec.exe/update kb3209586_VMMserver_amd64.msp

For example, to install the Update Rollup 2 for System Center 2019 Virtual Machine Manager server (KB4569533), run the following command:

msiexec.exe/update kb4569533_VMMserver_amd64.msp

Note

There may be additional installation steps specific to an update rollup release. Check update rollup KB guide to ensure you complete all the installation steps.

Check the installation of an update rollup

Use the following procedure to check if an update rollup is successfully installed:

  1. Under Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates.
  2. Verify that an update entry was created after the update rollup was installed.
    • For example, the Update Rollup 2 was released as update 3209586. You should be able to see this detail under View installed updates if you've installed this update rollup and if it was successfully installed.
  3. Verify that the binary's version has the correct build number. 
  4. See the following to check the build number for a specific update rollup:

Note

 Not all the binaries have the current update rollup build number. However, if you don't have the binaries listed with the relevant update rollup build number, it's likely that the update rollup didn't install successfully.

Remove an update rollup

Important

  1. It isn't recommended that you remove the update rollups. Prior to removing, check all the available options if you can avoid the uninstall. You may also contact Microsoft Support to check and ensure if uninstallation is required.
  2. It's recommended that you back up your VMM database before you attempt to remove an update rollup.
  3. When you remove, the VMM binaries roll back to their earlier versions. However, the VMM database doesn't roll back.
  4. If you've one or more hotfixes installed on the server, ensure that you replace the hotfix binary with the official update rollup binary before you start the removal.

Remove an update rollup by using the control panel

  1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features. For quick access, enter appwiz.cpl in Run; it opens the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
  2. Select View installed updates.
  3. Find the update that you want to remove, right-click the update, and then select Uninstall.

Remove an update rollup by using the command line

Note

To remove an update by using the command line, you must have the following two globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) available:

  • RTM product GUID
  • Patch GUID

RTM Product GUIDs

  • SCVMM Server: {EBC28D9B-9565-46F3-A248-E26F07F81A98}
  • SCVMM Admin Console amd64: {B703D43A-ABF6-4A36-84CC-00D77FF8570B}
  • SCVMM Admin Console i386: {F5D46892-E1BD-4E0A-BD6E-DAA1900BA786}
  • SCVMM Guest Agent amd64: {3E71E1FB-AF93-4110-A8EB-973132A3B16B}
  • SCVMM Guest Agent i386: {57D2C983-23BF-4840-B784-BDDAC2DC932B}

Patch GUIDs

To find the patch GUID, right-click the update, select Properties. On the Details tab, and then select Revision number. This is the patch GUID.

When you know the RTM product GUID and the patch GUID, run the following command to remove the update:   Msiexec /I {< RTM Product GUID >} MSIPATCHREMOVE={< Patch GUID >}

Verify the successful removal of an update rollup

Use the following procedure to check if the update rollup was successfully removed:

  1. Check whether the update was removed from Programs and Features. 
  2. Verify that binaries were reverted successfully. To do this, go to the VMM installation directory, and verify that there's no binary that has the build version of the update rollup that you uninstalled. 

Note

When you uninstall the server and console updates from the VMM server, the order of uninstallation isn't important.

Restore the database backup in VMM

Note

  1. You can create a database backup at any time. But the database should be restored only if you uninstalled the latest update rollup on the server. If you uninstalled an older update rollup, you don't have to restore the VMM database.
  2. Ensure that you restore the database backup that you created prior to the update rollup installation.

For information on how to restore the database backup, see this article.

Post-restore tasks

This section applies only if you add a host or a library server after you create a database backup and before you uninstall an update rollup.

After the VMM database is recovered, you must do the following actions:

  • Remove any hosts that were removed from VMM since the last backup.
  • If a host was removed since the last backup, the host shows a status of Needs Attention in the VMM console. Also, the virtual machines on that host show a status of Host Not Responding.
  • Remove the virtual machines that were removed from the VMM since the last backup. If a host has a virtual machine that was removed since the last backup, the virtual machine shows a status of Missing in the VMM console.
  • Add any hosts that were added to the VMM since the last backup.
  • If you restored the VMM database to a different computer, you must re-associate the hosts that have a status of Access Denied in the VMM console.
    • A computer is considered different if it has a different security identifier (SID). For example, if you reinstall the operating system on the computer, the computer has a different SID, even if it has the same computer name.

For more information on post-restore tasks, see this article.

Note

You must follow these steps for any other fabric resource, such as storage providers, library servers, and so on, that you add after you create a database backup.