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Just want the easy upgrade (rather than download ISO) methods for vSphere 6.5 Update 1, also known as 6.5U1 or 6.5 U1? No problem, jump on over to:

• How to easily update your VMware Hypervisor from 6.5.x to 6.5 Update 1 (ESXi 6.5 U1).

Today's big vSphere 6.5 Update release is a big deal in that many customers choose to wait for these Update 1 versions of any major vSphere version before upgrading their enterprise. Yes, to mee, it seemed that vSphere 6.5 was such a major change from 6.0 that it could have just as well been called 7.0. That nitpicking aside, the wait-for-N+1 customers and risk-averse home-labbers is over. Start your downloads, but be sure to read this entire article before you begin installing!

Download

For new installs, or upgrade-from-bootable-ISO installs

Download 1

• VMware vCenter Server Appliance
  Release Notes and Download Page

  File size: 3.443 GB
  File type: iso
  Name: VMware-VCSA-all-6.5.0-5973321.iso
  Release Date: 2017-07-27
  Build Number: 5973321

Download 2

• VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi ISO) image (Includes VMware Tools)
  Release Notes and Download Page

  File size: 332.63 MB
  File type: iso
  Name: VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6.5.0.update01-5969303.x86_64.iso
  Release Date: 2017-07-27
  Build Number: 5969303

Overview

Let's roll up our sleeves and have a look at all the great new vSphere features and fixes:

• What's inside VMware vSphere 6.5 Update 1
  Jul 28 2017 by Florian Grehl at Virten.net

For those of you into vSAN, there's considerable refinement that moving from vSAN 6.6 to vSAN 6.6.1 will bring.

VMware vSAN 6.6.1 Release Notes

VMware vSAN 6.6.1 27 July 2017 ISO Build 5969303

Check for additions and updates to these release notes.

There are many fixes, and a few new features. This article helps remind folks that the vSAN bits are baked right into the Hypervisor, so there is no separate download for vSAN 6.6.1, it's right in vSphere 6.5 U1! Also, anybody can now upgrade from vSphere 6.0 U3 to vSphere 6.6.1 / vSphere 6.5 U1,.

Don't miss the VUM Integration video featured in the video gallery below.

VMware's Announcements

From earlier today:

added Jul 28 2017, another closely related post

Don't forget to check out the deeply technical overview by Jeff Hunter and others over at StorageHub.

If you are already at vCenter/VCSA 6.5.x and ESXi 6.5.x, then you can get vSAN bits today by simply installing or upgrading to vCenter/VCSA 6.5 U1 and ESXi 6.5 U1. Details appear (soon) for both new installs and upgrade.

vSphere 6.5 Update 1 Prerequisites

1. read VMware's vSphere Upgrade guide
2. You will also need to do your homework before any major upgrade, even in a home lab. While all that goes into such efforts is well beyond the scope of this article, a great place to get started appears here:
   • My vSphere 6.5 Upgrade Checklist – painful
     Jan 29 2017 by Michael White at Notes from MWhite

vSAN Prerequisites

1. You will need the right hardware for the best experience, especially if you're expecting resilience and performance. Not just on the VCG (VMware Compatibility Guide) aka HCL, but also on the VMware Compatibility Guide for vSAN, featuring a caching layer made from SSDs of the proper write endurance paired with PLP/Supercapacitors, typically found in enterprise (costlier) flash storage devices
2. You will need a vSAN license key
3. Licensing was discussed recently here, with VMware EVALExperience~being by far the most affordable way to dip your toes into to a 6 node hybrid vSAN (unconfirmed, but the license key should cover 6), albeit a bit behind on version. I'm hoping for updates to that program soon, stay tuned.~
   This has been [mostly] Fixed! That huge update story broke right here at TinkerTry first:
   • VMUG Advantage just added the latest NSX 6.3.1 and All Flash vSAN 6.6 bits to EVALExperience, great for vSphere home labs, just $180 a year!
     May 01 2017

It shouldn't be too long before the EVALExperience downloads links are updated to 6.5 U1. Keep in mind that you can always upgrade your 6.5.x version quite easily, seen below.

VCSA baby! (NOT vCenter)

My focus and yours should be on VCSA going forward, not the old school vCenter installed on Windows. That is why TinkerTry how-to guides generally don't include vCenter on Windows. I'm all in with HMTL5 UIs, and enjoy the ease-of-install, ease-of-update, and speed of this Photon OS-based appliance. See for yourself in the update videos.

Easy Upgrade

Here's the exact way that I got these two upgrades done safely and easily, with a focus on simplicity for smaller home labs, download and install is done with one command, which I tested using the latest BIOS and IPMI on Xeon D:

What are you still reading this for? Roll up your sleeves, backup your VCSA and ESX, and get upgrading! Then come back and let us know how it went by dropping comments below the articles.

Video

The VMware Enhanced Authentication Plug-in provides Integrated Windows Authentication and Windows-based smart card functionality.

In this vSphere 6.5 release, the VMware Enhanced Authentication Plug-in replaces the Client Integration Plug-in from vSphere 6.0 releases and earlier. The Enhanced Authentication Plug-in provides Integrated Windows Authentication and Windows-based smart card functionality. These are the only two features carried over from the previous Client Integration Plug-in. The Enhanced Authentication Plug-in can function seamlessly if you already have the Client Integration Plug-in installed on your system from vSphere 6.0 or earlier. There are no conflicts if both plug-ins are installed.

Watch the video 'vSphere Web Client after the Client Integration Plug-in Removal' for more information about the workflow changes to the vSphere Client:

Install the plug-in only once to enable all the functionality the plug-in delivers.

If you install the plug-in from an Internet Explorer browser, you must first disable Protected Mode and enable pop-up windows on your Web browser. Internet Explorer identifies the plug-in as being on the Internet instead of on the local intranet. In such cases, the plug-in is not installed correctly because Protected Mode is enabled for the Internet.

For information about supported browsers and operating systems, see the vSphere Installation and Setup documentation.

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, disable Protected Mode.

Procedure

1. Open a Web browser and type the URL for the vSphere Web Client.
2. At the bottom of the vSphere Web Client login page, click Download Enhanced Authentication Plug-in.
3. If the browser blocks the installation either by issuing certificate errors or by running a pop-up blocker, follow the Help instructions for your browser to resolve the problem.
4. Save the plug-in to your computer, and run the executable.
5. Step through the installation wizard for both the VMware Enhanced Authentication Plug-in and the VMware Plug-in Service which are run in succession.
6. When the installations are complete, refresh your browser.
7. On the External Protocol Request dialog box, click Launch Application to run the Enhanced Authentication Plug-in.

   The link to download the plug-in disappears from the login page.