As a seasoned IT professional, I have always been skeptical about the need for vCenter Update Manager (VUM) to patch Windows and Linux guests. In his recent guest post on GestaltIT, Dwayne Lessner, who runs IT Blood Pressure, argues that the upcoming version 4.1 of vSphere will be the last to include this feature, and that it is a bad thing. However, I disagree with this assessment and believe that the removal of guest OS patching from VUM can only be a good thing.

Firstly, I have never understood why VMware saw it as their job to patch the operating systems that the guests are running. It is much more appropriate for “native” patching solutions such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to handle patching of the guests, rather than relying on VUM to do so. WSUS provides a more comprehensive and efficient way of patching the guests, and it also allows IT teams to maintain control over the patching process.

Furthermore, I have yet to see any practical use case for guest OS patching in VUM. In my experience, most organizations prefer to use native patching solutions for their guests, rather than relying on VUM to do so. The only exception might be in cases where the organization does not have a well-defined patch management process, but even then, I would argue that it is better to use a native patching solution rather than relying on VUM.

Moreover, removing guest OS patching from VUM can only be a good thing. It will allow VMware to focus on its core strengths, such as virtualization and cloud computing, rather than trying to be an all-in-one solution for patch management. By leaving patching of the guests to native solutions, IT teams can have more control over the patching process and ensure that their environments are properly maintained.

I do agree with Dwayne that vCenter Update Manager is a valuable tool for patching VMware products, and I would love to see it extended to cover patching of VMware Workstation, Fusion, and Player installations in the enterprise. However, I strongly believe that removing guest OS patching from VUM is a positive move that will benefit IT teams and organizations as a whole.

In conclusion, while Dwayne Lessner may see the removal of guest OS patching from vCenter Update Manager as a bad thing, I firmly believe that it is a positive development that will allow VMware to focus on its core strengths, and provide IT teams with more control over their patching process. Native patching solutions such as WSUS are much better suited for patching the guests, and removing this feature from VUM can only be a good thing.