Hey SixThree,
The VC being on the single host means you cannot use Update Manager to update the host. But then you can always update the Virtual Center and the ESXi host manually using the ESXi ISO image (iDRAC) or bundle using localcli
As to the backup, VCB has been replaced with VDP and VDR
http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/02/quickest-way-to-patch-an-esxesxi-using-the-command-line.html
Regards
a