VMware provides the patches to ESX Server, but automation of installing the patches is currently left as an exercise to the user. So here's a quick and easy script for you to use.

• Put the tarballs of all the patches on the server to be patched.
• Create the patches.txt file below in the same directory
• Run the patchall script

patchall script

#!/bin/sh
# scott_hanson@dell.com
# create file named patches.txt
# put names of patches in file in order to be installed
# leave off tgz extenstion

for i in `cat patches.txt`
do
tar -zxvf $i.tgz
esxupdate -n -r file:$PWD/$i update
done

patches.txt - current as of 7-18-2007

ESX-2158032
ESX-1410076
ESX-1006511
ESX-9986131
ESX-8173580
ESX-6921838
ESX-2066306
ESX-6075798
ESX-5497987
ESX-3996003
ESX-2092658
ESX-2031037
ESX-1917602
ESX-1271657
ESX-9865995
ESX-6856573
ESX-6050503
ESX-5885387
ESX-5031800
ESX-3199476
ESX-9916286
ESX-6431040
ESX-2559638
ESX-2257739
ESX-1541239
ESX-7557441
ESX-7408807
ESX-7302867
ESX-7281356
ESX-6704314
ESX-6657345
ESX-5140477
ESX-5095559
ESX-4825991
ESX-1000073
ESX-1000070
ESX-1000039

Other useful tools for ESX Patch Installation and Automation

• VMTS Patch Manager

Please feel free to add others you have found useful