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I recently installed the free version of xenserver 6.5. Right now I can run updates through xencenter which is simple and easy. I've been reading though and I've come across a few articles mentioning that the free license expires after 30 days which then prevents you from updating through xencenter.

Can anybody confirm this with xenserver 6.5 free edition? And if that is true, how do you go about running updates?

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A user created a chart showing the various options that are different between the free and paid versions of Xenserver. From the chart, updating through Xencenter is available in the free version.

See discussion here: Citrix forum

And chart here: Chart:

enter image description here

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Yes, updating through XenCenter is one of the features of the paid edition. On the free edition you need to (I somehow missed that difference between 6.2 and 6.5 - indeed Xencenter 6.5 allows updating 6.5 Xenservers via Xencenter even in the free edition)

Alternatively you can as always apply patches from the command line, the correct procedure is explained on the patch notification page (see here for an example). The shortened and generic version of what needs to be to install hotfixes done, copied from that page:

  1. Download the update file to a known location.
  2. Extract the xsupdate file from the zip.
  3. Upload the xsupdate file to the Pool Master. XenServer assigns the update file a UUID which this command prints. Note the UUID.
  4. Apply the hotfix to all hosts in the pool, specifying the UUID of the hotfix
  5. Verify that the update was applied by using the patch-list command. If the update is successful, the hosts field contains the UUIDs of the hosts to which this patch was successfully applied. This should be a complete list of all hosts in the pool.
  6. To verify in XenCenter that the update is applied correctly, select the Pool, and then click the General tab. This displays the Pool properties. In the Updates section, ensure that the update is listed as Fully Applied.

It looks like a lot of work but with some exercise it's not that much of a hassle :) and if you're working over a slow (WAN) link, it might even be more comfortable. For some patches (eg drivers) the procedure may be different, but the proper procedure will always be explained on the notification page.

I also recommend you to subscribe via this page to get alert mails every time a patch comes out.

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  • Actually, one more question, the free version offers live migrations, high availability, basic email notifications, etc. These features aren't removed when the free license ends, correct?
    – jrd1989
    Sep 17, 2015 at 13:33
  • @jrd1989 live migration works, HA works, and dom0 comes with the ssmtp utility that enables sending mails - not sure if that last point is actually what you want to know.
    – fvu
    Sep 17, 2015 at 13:41
  • When updating through xen center are you able to do one server at a time? Should I start with the pool master then move down the list?
    – jrd1989
    Oct 28, 2015 at 16:17
  • @jrd1989 It's maybe not the most intuitive thing to do, but you should absolutely start with the pool master, reboot it without switching it to maintenance mode - see all update notices that need a reboot: "Update all hosts within a pool sequentially, always starting with the pool master. Failure to follow this sequence may result in pool members being unable to connect to the Pool Master until the Pool Master has been updated and rebooted."
    – fvu
    Oct 28, 2015 at 17:25
  • I appreciate the response. I thought if the pool master went down (for any reason) a new master was automatically was chosen. Is that true or am I misunderstanding this?
    – jrd1989
    Oct 29, 2015 at 13:10

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