Upgrade ESXi to 6.5 using the CLI

Here’s an easy three step procedure to update your ESXi to the latest build using the CLI.

Step1- SSH into your ESXi host and modify the firewall:

esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r httpClient

Step2- List latest available packages:

esxcli software sources profile list -d https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml | grep -i ESXi-6.5

Step3- Select latest, install and reboot:

esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-6.5.0-4564106-standard -d http://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml

Note I had to run Step3 twice on some hosts.