VMware tools check happens with respect to the Host. Each ESXi host has a storage location for VM Tools installers, which is a configurable option and visibly referenced by the /productLocker symlink. The target can be either local to each host or point to a centralized repository of VM Tools on a shared datastore. One possible solution is to add a shared storage as the location for the VMware tools version for all the hosts.

This link has the list of what vmtools version comes bundled with what esxi release/version. By default this is what is tested against.

Type of VMware tools

1. Tools ISO for supported OS
2. For linux: Operating System Specific Packages, or OSPs (Not managed by vSphere)
3. For Linux: Open VM Tools (OVTs) (Not managed by vSphere)

Upgrading VMware tools

1. Automatic update on VM boot
2. Through vSphere UI
3. VMware update manager
4. In guest update - control to server owners
5. Mass updates through powerCLI
6. Native Linux package management processes
7. API

List of VMware tools

Build numbers and versions of VMware Tools (86165)
Mapping between VMware Tools version and ESXi version

Deploying through SCCM

references:

VMware Tools Lifecycle: Why Tools Can Drive You Crazy (and How to Avoid it!) - VMware vSphere Blog
Understanding the Three Types of VM Tools - VMware vSphere Blog
Installing and upgrading VMware Tools in vSphere (2004754)
Six Methods for Keeping VM Tools Up to Date – VMware vSphere Blog

packages.vmware.com/tools/versions
Options for Updating VMware Tools at Scale - VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Blog
Installing and upgrading the latest version of VMware Tools on existing hosts