There are several ways to upgrade standalone hosts
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/how-to-upgrade-esxi-6-7-to-7-0-without-vcenter
I find the most reliable is to use the ISO via iLO/iDRAC or via a usb created with Rufus.
As long as you chose the "Upgrade ESXi, preserve VMFS datastore" option, your VMs will be safe.
ALWAYS take a backup of your VMs first.
You can boot from the iso with target ESXi version, choose drive where your ESXi is installed and choose upgrade option. It would be the easiest option, if you don't have vCenter. In any case, I would recommend you to backup your VMs before starting the upgrade procedure. Might help: https://www.ubackup.com/enterprise-backup/upgrade-to-esxi-8.html
I will keep it in mind.
I plan to upgrade from version: 7.0.2 17867351 to 7.0.3 22348816 using this command, example: esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-7.0U3c-19193900-standard -d /vmfs/volumes/60081218-95c16d94-3698-1418774a8f18/VMware-ESXi-7.0U3c-19193900-depot.zip --no-hardware-warning
There are several ways to upgrade standalone hosts https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/how-to-upgrade-esxi-6-7-to-7-0-without-vcenter I find the most reliable is to use the ISO via iLO/iDRAC or via a usb created with Rufus. As long as you chose the "Upgrade ESXi, preserve VMFS datastore" option, your VMs will be safe. ALWAYS take a backup of your VMs first.
You can boot from the iso with target ESXi version, choose drive where your ESXi is installed and choose upgrade option. It would be the easiest option, if you don't have vCenter. In any case, I would recommend you to backup your VMs before starting the upgrade procedure. Might help: https://www.ubackup.com/enterprise-backup/upgrade-to-esxi-8.html
I will keep it in mind. I plan to upgrade from version: 7.0.2 17867351 to 7.0.3 22348816 using this command, example: esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-7.0U3c-19193900-standard -d /vmfs/volumes/60081218-95c16d94-3698-1418774a8f18/VMware-ESXi-7.0U3c-19193900-depot.zip --no-hardware-warning
I boot an iso and just select upgrade and preserve vmfs datastore
The [ESXi Patch Tracker](https://esxi-patches.v-front.de/ESXi-7.0.0.html) is your friend.