I know that if you have vcenter you can use VUM, but for a single ESXi host that's not possible.
Is there an API or some way of automating the download of patches from the Patch Portal?
it is possible, i posted the details yesterday
If it is possible, I am one of the first to try it.
I dont' know about automation (I suppose it could be scripted) but hava a look here:
http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/02/quickest-way-to-patch-an-esxesxi-using-the-command-line.html
I've read that blog before, but it doesn't mention an automated way of retrieving the patches from the portal. Patching shouldn't be a tedious task just because we have a single host. VMware should really create a new GUI update utility for single hosted environments.
it is possible, i posted the details yesterday
Very interesting I will have a look at your solution! Thanks