vCenter Server Upgrade

1. vCenter Server Upgrade Option

The Two Core Components of Vmware are ESXi and vCenter Server. The ESXi is a
Virtualization Platform that is used for Creating and running Virtual Machine and Virtual
Appliances. The vCenter Server is a Service that act as a Central Administrator for managing
ESXi Host connected to the Network. You can pool and mange the Resources of Multiple
ESXi Host. The vCenter Server Appliance is a Pre-Configured Linux OS based Virtual Machine
that is Optimized for running vCenter Server and vCenter Server Components. Starting with
vSphere 6.0, all the required Services for running vCenter Server and vCenter Server
Components are bundled together with Platform Services Controller.

You can Upgrade your vCenter Server to one of the below Deployment Methods

 vCenter Server with Embedded Platform Services Controller

 vCenter Server with External Platform Services Controller

 Overview of vSphere Upgrade Process

 Before Starting your vSphere Upgrade Process, Backup your Configuration.

 If your vCenter Server System is using Vmware Solution or Plug-Ins, verify that they
are compatible with vCenter Server or vCenter Server Appliance version that you are
going to Upgrade.
  If your vSphere environment using Platform Services Controller, Upgrade Platform
Services Controller Appliance.
 Upgrade your vCenter Server
 If your using vSphere Update Manager, Upgrade your vSphere Update Manager
 Upgrade your ESXi Host
 Ensure you have sufficient disk space for storing your ESXi Log Files, Consider Setting
up Syslog Remote Server.
 Upgrade your Virtual Machine or Virtual Appliance Manually or using vSphere
Update Manager.

 Overview of vCenter Server Upgrade Process

  Before Upgrading your vCenter Server, verify that your System meets the
Hardware and Software Requirements
 Prepare your vSphere environment for vCenter Server Upgrade or Migration
 Chose any of the Upgrade Methods to Upgrade your vCenter Server
 You can Upgrade your vCenter Serer for Windows or vCenter Server
Appliance.
 You cam Migrate your vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server
Appliance
 Complete the Post Upgrade Task
 Upgrade to vCenter Server is Completed.

 vCenter Server Supported Upgrade Methods

 Graphical User Interface (GUI) Installer - The GUI Installer provides two Step
Upgrade Method using OVA File that you deploy and the vCenter Server Appliance
Management GUI. The First Step deploys unconfigured Platform Services Controller
Appliance and vCenter Server Appliance as an OVA File. The Second Step uses
vCenter Server Appliance Management GUI to configure New Appliance using
Source Deployment Data.

 Command Line Interface (CLI) Installer - The Command Line Interface (CLI) Installer
is used to Upgrade vCenter Server Appliance or Migrate the vCenter Server on
Windows to vCenter Server Appliance.

 Migration Assistant Interface for Migrating vCenter Server on Windows to vCenter

Server Appliance - Using Migration Assistant Interface, you can Migrate vCenter
Single Sign On, platform Services Controller or vCenter Server on Windows to
Appliance.

 Depreciated vCenter Server Deployment Models - When you are Upgrading or

Migrating Depreciated vCenter Server, you need to first Upgrade or Migrate the
vCenter Server to Currently Supported Model.

 Patching and Updating vCenter Server - You can Patch and Update your vCenter
Server to Current Version.
 vCenter Server Upgrade Compatibility

Related Vmware Products and Components for Upgrading vCenter Server

Product or Component Compatibility

vCenter Server Verify the Upgrade Path from Current Version to Planned
Upgrade Version
vCenter Server Verify that your Database is supported to the Upgraded
Database Version
vSphere Web Client Verify that your vSphere Web Client Works with Upgraded
Version
ESXi Host Verify that your ESXi Host works and Managed by vCenter
Server you have Upgraded
Vmware Host Profiles You can vSphere Host Profile Version 6.0 or Later
VMFS3 Volumes Upgrade the VMFS 3 Datastore to VMFS 5 or VMFS 6
Datastore Supported
Virtual Machines You need to Upgrade your Virtual Machines to Upgraded
Version
Vmware Tools Need to Update your Vmware Tools to Current Version
Auto Deploy Upgrade Auto Deploy to Current Version
vSphere Distributed You must Upgrade your vSphere Distributed Switch before
Virtual Switch (DVS) Upgrading
vSphere Network I/O You need to Upgrade your vSphere NIOC to Current
Control (NIOC) Upgraded Version
Legacy Fault Tolerance Need to Turn off the FT Features.
 Upgrade or Migration Order

 You must Upgrade or Migrate your Platform Services Controller before Upgrading or
Migrating your vCenter Server.
 If your vSphere uses Mixed Environment with Platform Services Controller on
Windows and vCenter Server Appliances, you must first Upgrade or Migrate all the
Platform Services Controller on Windows Instances before Upgrading vCenter Server
Appliances.
 If your vSphere uses Mixed Environment with Platform Services Controller
Appliances and vCenter Server Instances on Windows, you must first upgrade or
Migrate Platform Services Controller Appliances before Upgrading or Migrating
vCenter Server Instances on Windows.
 The vCenter Server Instances that point to same Platform Services Controller can be
Upgraded or Migrated concurrently.

 Difference between Upgrading and Migrating vCenter Server on Windows

 The Upgrading vCenter Server is to Upgrade your vCenter Server on Windows (either
6.0/6.5 Version) to vCenter Server on Windows 6.7 Instances
 The Migration of vCenter Server is to Migrate your vCenter Server on Windows
Instances to vCenter Server Appliances.
 You can Migrate your vCenter Server on Windows to either vCenter Server
Appliance with Embedded or External Platform Services Controller
 When you are Migrating vCenter Server with Embedded PSC is a Single Work Flow
 When you are Migrating your vCenter Server with External PSC, first you need to
Migrate your PSC before Migrating your vCenter Server Instances
 vSphere Updates or Patches are the Minor Changes done in the vSphere Software.
Such as vSphere 6.5 U1, 6.5U2 etc...

 Platform Services Controller with Load Balancer

 Platform Services Controller with Load Balancer across vCenter Single Sign-On Sites

 Platform Services Controller with No Load Balancer

 Platform Services Controller with No Load Balancer across vCenter Single Sign-On Sites
 vCenter Server Upgrade Paths

You can Migrate vCenter Server 6.0/6.5 on Windows Instances to vCenter Server Appliance
6.7
2. Upgrading vCenter Server for Windows

 Supported vSphere Upgrade Paths

 Before Upgrade After Upgrade

vCenter Server 6.0/6.5 vCenter Server 6.7 with

with Embedded Embedded Platform
Platform Services Services Controller on
Controller on Windows Windows

 Before Upgrade After Upgrade

Platform Services Platform Services

Controller 6.0/6.5 on Controller 6.7 on
Windows Windows

 Before Upgrade After Upgrade

vCenter Server 6.0/6.5 vCenter Server 6.7 on

on Windows Windows
 Requirement for vCenter Server on Windows

 Synchronize the Clock on all Machines running vCenter Server Services

 Verify that the System Network Name on the Machine running vCenter Server
Service are valid and reachable from other Machine in the Network
 Verify the Host Name of the Virtual Machine or Physical Server on which you are
upgrading vCenter Server Compiles with RFC 1123 Guidelines
 If your vCenter Server Service is using User Account other than Local System
account, verify the user account in which vCenter Server Service is running has the
following Permission

 Member of Administrator Group

 Log on as a Service
 Act as a part of Operating System

 Verify the Local Policy of the Virtual Machine or Physical Server on which you are
Upgrading vCenter Server allows assigning Log on as a Batch Job.

 Pre-Upgrade Checks for vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller on Windows

 Windows Version
 Minimum Processor Requirement
 Minimum Memory Requirement
 Minimum Disk Space Requirement
 Permission on the Selected Data and Repository
 Internal and External Port Availability
 External Database Version
 External Database Connectivity
 Administrator Privileges on Windows Machine

 Hardware Requirement for vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller on Windows

Platform vCenter vCenter vCenter vCenter vCenter

Services Server with Server with Server with Server with Server with
Controller Embedded Embedded Embedded Embedded Embedded
PSC or PSC or PSC or PSC or PSC or
External PSC External PSC External PSC External PSC External PSC
for Tiny for Small for Medium for Large for XLarge
Environment Environment Environment Environment Environment
(10 Host (100 Host (400 Host (1000 Host (2000 Host
&100 VM) &1000 VM) &4000 VM) &10000 VM) &35000 VM)
CPU 2 2 4 8 16 24
Memory 4 GB 10 GB 16 GB 24 GB 32 GB 48 GB
 Storage Requirement for vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller on Windows

Default Folder vCenter Server with vCenter Server with External Platform
Embedded PSC External PSC Services Controller
Program Files 6 GB 6 GB 1 GB
Program Data 8 GB 8 GB 2 GB
System Folder 3 GB 3 GB 1 GB

 Required Ports for vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller on Windows

Port Protocol Description

22 TCP Port for SSH
53 TCP DNS Service
80 TCP HTTP Connection
88 TCP Active Directory Server
389 TCP/UDP LDAP Port Number
443 TCP vSphere Web Client
514 TCP/UDP vSphere Syslog Collector
636 TCP vCenter Single Sign-On for LDAP
902 TCP/UDP Default Port that vCenter Server uses to send Data to
Managed Host
2015 TCP DNS Management
5480 TCP Appliance Management Interface
6500 TCP/UDP ESXi Dump Collector Port
6501 TCP Auto Deploy Service
6502 TCP Auto Deploy Management
7080 TCP Secure Token Service
7081 TCP Vmware Platform Services Controller Web Client
9084 TCP vSphere Update Manager Web Server
9443 TCP vSphere Web Client HTTPS

 Before Upgrading vCenter Server

 Verify that your System Meets the Hardware and Software Requirement
 If your vSphere Environment is using Vmware Solution or Plug-Ins, ensure that it is
Computability with the Version you are Upgrading.
 Verify that the vCenter Server is not in Active Directory Primary or Backup Domain
Controller
 Upgrade your ESXi Host 5.0/5.1/5.5 to vSphere ESXi 6.0/6.5 Host
 If you Choose not to Upgrade ESXi Host 5.0/5.1/5.5, then you need to remove the
ESXi Host from Inventory
 Upgrade your vSphere Host Profiles to 6.0 or Later
 Upgrade your vSphere Distributed Switch to 6.0 or Later
 If you have Smaller Environment with 100 ESXi Host upgrade the Database to
PostgreSQL Database
 For Larger Environment use External Oracle or SQL Database
 Verify that your Network Settings and Connectivity before Upgrading
  Verify that the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of your System where you
Upgrade your vCenter Server is resolvable
 Verify that the DNS Reverse Lookup return FQDN when queried with IP Address of
the vCenter Server
 If you DHCP instead of Static IP Address for vCenter Server, make sure that the
vCenter Server Computer Name is Updated in the DNS
 If you use Active Directory as an Identity Source, verify that it is setup correctly
 Verify that the Load Balancer is correctly Configured
 Backup all the SSL Certificate that are in vCenter Server System before Upgrading
vCenter Server

 Post vCenter Server Upgrade Verification

 Login as a Member of Administrator Group on the Host Machine

 Verify that the Required Services are started
 Verify that your vCenter Server is Synchronized with the Clock after Upgrade
 Verify and Update the Valid License Keys to vCenter Server
 From vSphere Web Client connect to vCenter Server and verify all the vSphere
Components are manageable

 Required Information for Upgrading vCenter Server on Windows

Required Information Default Value

vCenter SSO Administrator User Name [email protected]
vCenter SSO Password
vCenter Server User Name [email protected]
vCenter Server Password
Syslog Service Port 514
Syslog Service TLS Port 1514
Auto Deploy Management Port 6502
Auto Deploy Service Port 6501
ESXi Dump Collector Port 6500

 Upgrading vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 on Windows

You can Upgrade vCenter Server Instances with Embedded or External Platform Services
Controller. The vCenter Server with Embedded PSC Upgrade Process is one Step. Whereas,
the vCenter Server with External PSC is two-way process, first you need to Upgrade PSC and
then you need to Upgrade vCenter Server Instances.
 vCenter Server with Embedded Platform Services Controller Before and After
Upgrade

 vCenter Server with External Platform Services Controller Before and After
Upgrade

 Procedure

 Download the vCenter Server for Windows ISO file

 In the Software Installer, autorun.exe file to start the Upgrade
 Select vCenter for Windows and Click Install
 Review the Welcome Page and accept the License Agreement
 Enter your Credentials
 Configure the Ports and Click Next
 Configure Install, data and export Data directories and Click Next
 Review the Vmware Customer Improvement Program (CCEIP)
 Review the Summary Page to verify the settings and Select Checkbox to
Verify that you have made the Backup of the vCenter Server Machine and
vCenter Server Database and Click Upgrade
 Click Finish to complete the Upgrade.
3. Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance

You can Upgrade vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Services Controller Appliance 6.0/6.5
to Version vSphere 6.7 using vCenter Server Appliance Installer, which can be downloaded
from Vmware Web Site.

The Upgrade of vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Services Controller Appliance is a

Migration from Older Version to Newer Version. During Upgrade of vCenter Server
Appliance or Platform Services Controller Appliance from Version 6.0/6.5 to 6.7, You assign a
Temporary IP Address to facilitate the Configuration and Services Data Migration to the
Newly Deployed Appliance. After Migration, the IP Address and Host Name of the Old
Appliance is assigned to the New Upgraded Appliance. At the end of Upgrade, the
Temporary IP Address is released, and the Old Appliance is Powered Off.

If the vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 is using Embedded PostgreSQL Database. If you want to
Upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance with External Database. You need to vCSA with
External Database to vCSA with Embeddeed PostgreSQL Database of New Upgraded
Appliance. During the Upgrade, you must choose the correct Storage Size for the Database.

If the vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 uses Embedded Vmware vSphere Update Manager
Extension Service. If you are Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance that is using External
Vmware vSphere Update Manager Service. You Need to Migrate the vCenter Server
Appliance from External to Embedded Vmware vSphere Update Manager Extension Service
of the New Upgraded Appliances. The vCenter Server Appliance Installer contains Executable
GUI and CLI Upgrade Files.

The GUI Upgrade is a Two Stage Process: First Stage is Deployment and Second Stage is
Configuration. During First Stage the Deployment Wizard that deploys OVA File of New
Appliance to target ESXi Host or vCenter Server Instances. The Second Stage sets up and
transfer the Services and Configuration Data from Old Appliances to the Newly Deployed
Appliances.

The CLI Upgrade Involves running CLI Command against JSON File. The CLI Upgrade
generates an OVF Tool Command that deploys the New Appliance. The OVF Tool Command
also Transfer Services and Configuration Data from Old Appliance to Newly Deployed
Appliance.

Reference: https://www.wojcieh.net/upgrade-vcenter-server-appliance-6-5-to-6-7/

Note: If the Appliance you are Upgrading are Configured with Mixed IPV4 and IPV6
environment, only IPV4 Settings are preserved.

To Upgrade Appliance Version 5.5 or earlier, you must first Upgrade Appliance from 5.5 to
6.0/6.5. After that only you can migrate the Appliance to 6.7 Version.
 Upgrade Process of vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller

You can Upgrade vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Services Controller Appliance 6.0/6.5
to vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Services Controller Appliance 6.7.

When you run GUI or CLI Upgrade Process include following:

 You Need to Deploy the New Appliance with Temporary Network Configuration
 To Upgrade the Appliance from older version to Newer Version, you need to choose
the Deployment Storage and Database Size of the Newly Deployed Appliance.
 During Upgrade you can Migrate the Services and Configuration Data from Old
Appliance to New Appliance
 You can Migrate vCenter Server Appliance with External Vmware vSphere Update
Manager Extension Service to vCenter Server Appliance with Embedded Vmware
vSphere Update Manager Extension Service. Ensure that the Migration Assistant is
running on Update Manager Machine.
 If you are deploying Appliance directly on ESXi Host, the Non-Ephemeral Distributed
Virtual Port Group is not supported and will not be shown.
 If the Source Appliance is using External Database, you need to Migrate the
Appliance with Embedded PostgreSQL Database.
 You need to assign Temporary IP Address to facilitate the transfer of Services and
Configuration Data from Old Appliance to New Appliance. After the Upgrade is
completed, the Temporary IP Address is Released, and the Source Appliance is
Powered Off.

 vCenter Server Appliance with External Platform Services Controller Upgrade Workflow
 Pre-requisites for vCenter Server Appliances and Platform Services Controller

 Your System must meet the Specific Hardware and Software Requirements
 When you use the FQDN, verify that the Client Machine from which you are
deploying the Appliance and the Network on which you are deploying the Appliance
use the Same DNS Server.
 Before you deploy New Appliance, Synchronize the Clock on the Target Server and
all vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller Instances on the vSphere
Network.
 The vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller can be deployed on
ESXi 6.0 Host or Later or on vCenter Server Instance 6.0 or Later

 Hardware Requirement for vCenter Server Appliance with Embedded or External PSC

No of vCPU Memory
Tiny Environment (10 Host, 100 VM) 2 10 GB
Small Environment (100 Host, 1000VM) 4 16 GB
Medium Environment (400 Host, 4000 VM) 8 24 GB
Large Environment (1000 Host, 10000 VM) 16 32 GB
X-Large Environment (2000 Host, 35000 24 48 GB
VM)

 Storage Requirement for vCenter Server Appliance with Embedded or External PSC

Default Large X-Large

Storage Storage Size Storage
Size Size
Tiny Environment (10 Host, 100 VM) 300 GB 825 GB 1700 GB
Small Environment (100 Host, 1000VM) 340 GB 870 GB 1750 GB
Medium Environment (400 Host, 4000 525 GB 1025 GB 1905 GB
VM)
Large Environment (1000 Host, 10000 740 GB 1090 GB 1970 GB
VM)
X-Large Environment (2000 Host, 35000 1180 GB 1230 GB 2110 GB
VM)

 Required Ports for vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller

Port Protocol Description

22 TCP Port for SSH
53 TCP DNS Service
80 TCP HTTP Connection
88 TCP Active Directory Server
389 TCP/UDP LDAP Port Number
443 TCP vSphere Web Client
514 TCP/UDP vSphere Syslog Collector
636 TCP vCenter Single Sign-On for LDAP
 902 TCP/UDP Default Port that vCenter Server uses to send Data to
Managed Host
2015 TCP DNS Management
5480 TCP Appliance Management Interface
6500 TCP/UDP ESXi Dump Collector Port
6501 TCP Auto Deploy Service
6502 TCP Auto Deploy Management
7080 TCP Secure Token Service
7081 TCP Vmware Platform Services Controller Web Client
9084 TCP vSphere Update Manager Web Server
9443 TCP vSphere Web Client HTTPS

 Preparing to Upgrade vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance

Before Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance, you
must download vCenter Server Appliance Installer ISO file and mount to Network Virtual
Machine or Physical Server on which you are going to perform Upgrade. Before the Upgrade
check ESXi Host Compatibility and Hardware/Software requirement for Upgrade. If your
vCenter Server Appliance is using External Oracle Database, verify the Database Size. If your
vCenter Server Appliances is using External vSphere Update Manager Instance, Run
Migration Assistant on the vSphere Update Manager Machine.

You can vCenter Server Appliance GUI and CLI Installer for

 Deploying vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller

 Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller
 Migrating Windows Installation of vCenter Server, vCenter SSO and Platform
Services Controller to vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller
Appliance.
 Restore vCenter Server Appliance from File-Based Backup

 Synchronizing Clock on vSphere Network

Verify that all the vSphere Components on the Network are Synchronized with Time NTP
Server. If the vSphere Component are not Synchronized with Time, the SSL Certificate and
SAML Token which are Time Sensitive will not be recognized.

The Unrecognized Clock may result in Authentication Problem and may start the vCenter
Server Appliance Services vmware-vpxd service. The Time Inconsistency may cause First
Boot to fail, this may be due to Target ESXi Host in which Destination vCenter Server
Appliance is not Synchronized with NTP Server.
 To avoid Time Synchronizing Issue, ensure following are correct before Installing, Upgrading
and Migrating vCenter Server Appliance

 Verify that the Target ESXi Host where destination vCenter Server Appliance is to be
deployed is synchronized with NTP.
 Verify the ESXi Host running Source vCenter Server Appliance is synchronized with
NTP
 During Upgrade or Migration, If the vCenter Server Appliance is connected to
External Platform Services Controller, ensure that the ESXi Host running external PSC
is synchronized with NTP
 During Upgrade or Migration, verify that the Source vCenter Server or vCenter
Server Appliance and External PSC is synchronized with NTP.

 Transferring Data from Existing vCenter Server Appliance

You can Transfer the Data from existing vCenter Server Appliance on External Database to
Embedded PostgreSQL Database.

You can Migrate or Transfer following types of Data from External Database to Embedded
PostgreSQL Database in vCenter Server Appliance

 Configuration Data - This is Minimum Amount of Data that can be Transferred from
External Database vCenter Server Appliance to the Newly deployed vCenter Server
Appliance Database. You can transfer the Configuration Data during Upgrade or
Migration in Short amount of time.
 Configuration and Historical Data - Along with Configuration Data, you can also
transfer Historical Data include Usage Statistics, Events and Task. The vCenter Server
Appliance Installer gives you the Option to Copy or transfer both Configuration and
Historical Data at once or copy or transfer only Configuration Data during Upgrade
process and copy the Historical Data in the Background after you start your New
vCenter Server.
 Configuration, Historical and Performance Metrics Data - Along with Configuration
and Historical Data, you can transfer or Copy Performance Metrics Data during
vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade. This is Large amount of data you can transfer to
new Database in vCSA. You choose to copy or transfer only Configuration Data
during Upgrade Process and Transfer or copy both Historical and Performance
metrics Data in Background after you start New vCenter Server Appliance.
 vCenter Server Supported Database for Data Transfer after Upgrade or Migration

vcenter Server Version Database vCSA 6.7 Support for

Database Transfer
vCSA 6.0 External Oracle Database Supported
Embedded PostgreSQL Not Supported
Database

vCenter Server 6.0 External Oracle or SQL DB Supported

Embedded PostgreSQL DB Not Supported
vCSA 6.5 Embedded PostgreSQL DB Not Supported
vCenter Server 6.5 External Oracle or SQL DB Supported
Embedded PostgreSQL DB Not Supported

You can Monitor and Manage the Background of Data Migration of Historical Data
using vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface. You can perform Following
Data Management Task

 Monitor the Progress of Data Migration

 Pause the Data Import
 Cancel the Data Import

 Prepare ESXi Host for vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade

To Upgrade vCenter Server Appliance, Your ESXi Host must meet the following requirement

 ESXi Host must be ESXi 6.0 or Later

 Your Source and Target ESXi Host must not be in Maintenance Mode, Lockdown
Mode or Fully Automated DRS
 Review your environment Certificate Authority (CA) signed SSL Certificate
If you have vSphere HA Cluster, SSL Certificate Checking must be enabled.

 Host Upgrade Certificates

When you Upgrade your ESXi Host to ESXi Host 6.0 or Later, each ESXi Host is assigned with
Self Signed Certificate which is replaced by VMCA signed Certificate. If your ESXi Host is using
Custom Certificate, the Host Certificate is not Replaced even if the Certificate is Expired or
Invalid. The ESXi Host can be Provisioned with the Following Certificates

 Host Provisioned with Thumb Print Certificate - If your ESXi Host is Provisioned with
Thumb Print Certificate, it is automatically replaced by VMCA Certificate.
 Host Provisioned with Custom Certificate - If you ESXi Host are Provisioned with
Thumb Print Certificate, after the Upgrade the Certificate remains same and it is not
replaced.
 Host Provisioned with Auto Deploy - You can Deploy ESXi Host with Auto Deploy,
the Host is assigned Certificate from VMCA.
 Prerequisites for Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Services Controller
Appliance

Before Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Services Controller Appliance, you
must do some Precheck or Prerequisites Task

 Ensure that the ESXi Host is meeting Minimum Hardware and Software
Requirements
 The ESXi Host in which you deploying New Appliance is not in Maintenance Mode or
Lockdown Mode
 Ensure that the Target ESXi Host in which you are deploying New Appliance, the ESXi
Host Cluster is not configured with Fully Automated DRS Cluster
 Ensure that the Cluster DRS settings is set to Manual or Partially Automated to make
sure that VM does not Migrate during Upgrade
 Verify that the SSH Port 22 is opened for Upgrading Appliance
 If you Upgrading vCenter Server Appliance with Update Manager Instances, run the
Migration Assistant on the Source Update Manager Machine
 Verify that HTTPS Port 443 is Opened on the Source ESXi Host in which Appliance is
Deployed.
 Ensure you have sufficient Dis Space on the Appliance you are Upgrading
 Take Snapshot of Appliance you are Upgrading
 If you are using External Database, make sure the Database enough Storage Size
available for Upgrade
 If you are using External Database, You Backup the vCenter Server Appliance
Database.
 Verify that the New Appliance which you are going to Upgrade can connect to
Source ESXi Host or vCenter Server Instance
 If you have Configured the Appliance with Temporary IP Address, verify the Forward
and Reverse DNS record
 If you use DHCP IP Address, verify that the ESXi Host on which you deploy the New
Appliance is on the Same Network of the ESXi Host on which Existing vCenter Server
Appliance runs.

 GUI Upgrade of vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance

You can use GUI Installer to Upgrade your vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services
Controller Appliance. You need to Download vCenter Server Appliance GUI Installer and
perform the Upgrade.

The GUI Installation includes two Stage Process

 First Stage is Deployment Process, were you want to deploy New Appliance with
Temporary Network Settings. You can Deploy OVA file on the Target ESXi Host
Server. After OVA Deployment, you can Proceed to Second Stage of Upgrade
Process.
 In the Second Stage that determines the Data Transfer Types from old to New
Appliance. The New Appliance uses Temporary IP Address for Data Transfer. Once
 the Data Transfer is completed the New Appliance assumes the IP Address of the
Old Appliance and Releases the Temporary IP Address and Old Appliance is Powered
Off.

Below are Required Information during Stage 1 of Upgrade Process

 FQDN or IP Address of Source Appliance

 HTTPS Port of Source Appliance
 vCenter SSO Administrator User Name and Password
 Password for root user for Source Appliance
 Deploy Size of the New Appliance
 Storage Size of the New Appliance
 Datastore Name on which you need to Store Configuration and Virtual Disk Files of
New Appliance
 Name of the Network to connect the New Appliance
 Temporary System Name (FQDN or IP Address)
 DNS Server Name required
 Data Types to Transfer from Old Appliance to New Appliance

 Upgrade a vCenter Server Appliance with an External vCenter SSO or PSC by using GUI

You can use GUI Installer to Upgrade vCenter Server Appliance with External vCenter SSO or
Platform Services Controller Instances 6.0/6.5 to vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 External
Platform Services Controller.
 vCenter Server Appliance with External vCenter SSO or PSC work flow

 Stage 1: Deploy OVA File on New vCenter Server Appliance with External PSC

 Click on vCenter Server Appliance GUI Installer downloaded

 On Home Page, Click Upgrade

 Review and Click Next

 Read and Accept the License Agreement and Click Next
 Enter the FQDN/IP Address and HTTPS Port Number of the Source vCenter Server
Appliance you want to Upgrade
 Enter the Vcenter SSO Administrator User Name and Password
 Enter Information about Source ESXi Host or vCenter Server Instances on which
vCSA you are going to Upgrade
 Verify the Certificate Warning and Click Yes
 Enter the Name of New vCenter Server Appliance Click Next
 Select Deployment Size of New vCenter Server Appliance

 Select the Storage Size of the New vCenter Server Appliance

 Configure Temporary Networking Settings for Communication between Source

vCenter Server Appliance and New vCenter Server Appliance
 On Ready to Complete Page Click Finish
 Wait for OVA Deployment Process to Completed and Proceed to Stage 2
  Stage 2: Transfer Data and setup Newly Deployed vCenter Server Appliance with External
Platform Services Controller

 Review the Introduction to Stage 2 and Click Next

 Wait for Pre-Upgrade Check to Finish
 On Select Migration Data Page, Choose the types of Data that you want to transfer
from Old Appliance to New Appliance
 On Ready to Complete Page, Review and Click Finish
 Read the Shutdown Warning Message and Click OK
 Wait for Data Transfer and Setup Process to finish and Click OK

Reference: https://www.ivobeerens.nl/2018/04/23/upgrade-the-vcenter-server-appliance-vcsa-to-
version-6-7/

 Prerequisites for Upgrading High Availability vCenter Environments

 The vCenter HA Cluster consist of three Nodes Active, Passive and Witness Node.
The Active Node must be Configured as vCenter HA Node.
 The Active Node is a Part of vCenter HA Cluster
 All Nodes must be present in the Cluster
 The vCenter HA Cluster must be in Healthy State
 The vCenter HA Cluster must be in Enabled Mode
 The Host that is in vCenter Server Virtual Machine must be managed by container
vCenter Server. It must not be a Standalone.
 The Target vCenter Server must have same Placement as Source vCenter Server
 The vCenter Server cannot be set up on vCenter Server on more than one datastore
4. Migrating vCenter Server from Windows to vCenter Server Appliance

 Overview of vCenter Server Migration on Windows to Appliance

Supported Migration Paths

vCenter Server 6.0 with

Embedded PSC on
Windows vCenter Server 6.7
Appliance with Embedded
vCenter Server 6.5 with PSC Appliance
Embedded PSC on
Windows

Platform Services
Controller 6.0 Instance on
Windows External Platform Services
Controller 6.7 Appliance
Platform Services
Controller 6.5 Instance on
Windows

vCenter Server 6.0 Instance

on Windows
vCenter Server Appliance 6.7
with External Platform
vCenter Server 6.5 Instance Services Controller Appliance
on Windows

 Work Flow for Migration of vCenter Server on Windows to vCenter Server Appliance

Below are Steps for Migrating vCenter Server on Windows to vCenter Server Appliance

 Start your vCenter Server on Windows Migration

 Verify your Migration Requirements
 Prepare your Migration Task
 Choose your Deployment Type
 If you Choose Deployment Type as Embedded, run Migration Assistant on Source
vCenter Server Leave it Open during Migration
 If you Choose Deployment Type as External, run Migration Assistant on Source
vCenter SSO or PSC. Leave it open during Migration.
 After that you Migrate the vCenter Server on Windows on vCenter Server Appliance
 Perform Post Migration Task
  The Migration of vCenter Server Appliance is Completed.

Below are the Work Flow for vCenter Server on Windows to vCenter Server
Appliance.

You can use GUI and CLI Installer Method to Migrate your vCenter Server on Windows to an
Appliance
 Migration of Update Manager for Windows to a vCenter Server Appliance

Supported Migration Paths for Update Manager that runs on Windows to a vCenter Server
Appliance

Source Configuration Target Configuration

vCenter Server and Update Manager runs vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 with
on Same Windows Machine embedded Update Manager
vCenter Server and Update Manager run vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 with
on different Windows embedded Update Manager
Update Manager run on a Windows vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 with
machine and is connected embedded Update Manager

 System Requirement for Migrating vCenter Server on Windows to vCenter Server

Appliance

 Your Source System must meet the Specific Software and Hardware Requirements
for vCenter Server on Windows
 Synchronize the Clock on all Machine running vCenter Server Service
 Verify that the vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller Certificate are Valid.
 Verify that the System Network Name of Machine running Target vCenter Server
Services are Valid and reachable from other Machine in the Network.
 Verify that the Host Name of the Virtual Machine or Physical Server from which you
are Migrating vCenter Server compiles with RFC 1123 Guidelines.
 If your vCenter Server Service running in a User Account other than Local System
Account, verify that the User Account in the vCenter Server Service is running has
the following

 Member of Administrator Group

 Log on as a Service
 Act as a Part of Operating System
 Replace a Process Level Token

 Verify that the Local Service Account has read permission on the Folder in which
vCenter Server is Installed and on the HKLM registry
 Verify that the Connection between Virtual Machine or Physical Server and Domain
Controller is working.
 Verify that the Source vCenter Server Instance and Platform Services Controller
Instance on Windows does not use DHCP IP Address
 Your Target System must meet the Specific Hardware and Software Requirements
 When you use FQDN, make sure the Machine you are deploying vCenter Server
Appliance and the Target ESXi Host or vCenter Server Instances are not in the Same
DNS Server.
 Synchronize the Clock on all Target Machine on the vSphere Networking before
Migration.
 Pre-Migration Checks

Before you Migrate vCenter Server or Platform Services Controller on Windows to Appliance,
the Installer Performs Pre-Migration Checks such as to verify there is Enough Disk Space
Available on the Virtual Machine or Physical Server you are going to Migrate and also Check
External Database Connectivity.

Some of the Pre-Migration Checks performed on the Source Machine

 Verifies the Migration of vCenter Server or Platform Services Controller on Windows

is supported
 SSL Certificate Validation and Compatibility with the System Name
 Network Connection
 DNS resolution
 Internal and External Ports used
 External Database Connectivity
 Administrator Privileges on the Machine
 Required Disk Space for Migration of Configuration Data
 NTP Server Validation
 Other Credentials that you enter

Some of the Pre-Migration Checks performed on the Target Machine

 Minimum Processor Requirements

 Minimum Memory Requirements
 Minimum Disk Space Requirements
 Administrative Privileges on the Target Machine
 Other Credential that you enter

Below are the Common Features that are not Supported during Migration

 You cannot Migrate Local Windows OS users and Groups to Target vCenter Server
Appliance. After Migration you can re-create the Local Windows OS users and Groups
in the Appliance
 After Migration from Windows vCenter Server to Appliance, the Source vCenter
Server is Powered Off. The Solution or Application that are not Migrated to appliance
cannot be used
 The Migration of Deployment that use Custom Port for services other than Auto
Deploy, Update Manager, vSphere ESXi Dump Collector and HTTP Reverse Proxy are
not Supported
 The Migration Process allows to Migrate only one Network Adapter Settings to Target
Appliance.

 Preparing for Migration

 The Target ESXi Host running vCenter Server Appliance is Synchronized to NTP
 The Source ESXi Host running vCenter Server Appliance is Synchronized to NTP
 The ESXi Host running External Platform Services Controller is Synchronized to NTP
  If you Migrate or Upgrading, the Source vCenter Server or vCenter Server Appliance
and Platform Services Controller have correct Time.
 Verify that the Database Password are current and set as Not Expired
 Verify the Database Size before Migration
 Verify that the Database is Backed up before Migration
 Verify that the vCenter Server is Connected to Local Database
 The Source vCenter Server Content Library must be backed by Remote File Systems
or Datastore
 The Remote File System Shares used as a Library backing must be accessible at the
time of Migration
 The ESXi Host must be version 6.0 or later. If your ESXi Host is version 5.5, you
should Upgrade your ESXi Host to 6.0 or 6.5 before Migration
 The ESXi Host must not be in Maintenance or Lockdown Mode
 You must Verify your Source vCenter Server Certificate before Migration
 Verify the Size of External Database before Migration
 You must run Migration Assistant on the Source vCenter Server, vCenter SSO or
Platform Services Controller to Migrate from Windows to Appliance

 Pre-requisites for Migrating vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller

 Verify that the System meets the Minimum Hardware and Software requirement
 Verify that the Target ESXi Host is not in Maintenance or Lockdown Mode
 Verify that the Target ESXi Host is not a Part of Fully Automated DRS Cluster
 Verify that the Source Machine has sufficient Disk Space Available before Migration
 Verify that you have Backed up your Source Machine before Migration. So that you
can revert it back in case of any Failure in Migration
 Verify that you have Backed up your Database
 Verify that you can configured Forward and Reverse Lookup Zone for DNS

 Required Information for Migrating vCenter Server on Windows to Appliance

 Required Source vCenter Server Migration Data

 vCenter Server IP Address or FQDN

 vCenter Server SSO Administrator User Name and Password
 Migration Assistant Port Number
 vCenter Server Version
 Temporary Upgrade File Paths
 IP Address or FQDN of Source ESXi Host
 Source ESXi Host Password
 AD Administrator Credentials
 Service Account Details

 Required Target vCenter Server Migration Data

 IP Address or FQDN of Target ESXi Host

 User Name and Password of Target ESXi Host
  vCenter Single Sign-On User Name
 vCenter Single Sign-On Password
 Target vCenter Server Appliance Name
 Password of root User
 vCenter Server Appliance Size

 Storage Size of your vCenter Server Appliance

 Temporary Network Communication between Source vCenter Server and Target
vCenter Server Appliance
 Static Assignment Settings
 Enable or Disable SSH

 GUI Migration of vCenter Server with External vCenter Single Sign-On or Platform Services
Controller to an Appliance

You can Migrate vCenter Server with External PSC on Windows to vCenter Server Appliance
using GUI or CLI Installer. You can perform Migration in the following ways:

 If your Source Windows Deployment uses External Update Manager, Run Migration
Assistant on the Machine using Update Manager before Migration
 Migrate vCenter Single Sign-On Instances or Platform Services Controller Instances
from Windows to Appliance
 Migrate Windows vCenter Server Instance to Appliance

 Deploy OVA File for Migrating to Platform Services Controller Appliance

 Click on vCenter Server Appliance GUI Installer downloaded

 On Home Page, Click Migrate
 Review and Click Next
 Read and Accept the License Agreement and Click Next
 Connect to Target Server to which you want to migrate the Source vCenter Server
 Review the Warning Message and Click Yes
 On the Set-up target appliance VM page, enter a name for the new Platform
Services Controller, set the password for root user and click Next
  On the Connect to Source Page, enter the details of Platform Services Controller
instances and Click Next
 On Select Deployment Page, Select Platform Services Controller and Click Next
 From the list of available datastores, select the location where all the virtual
machine configuration files and virtual disks will be stored and, optionally, enable
thin provisioning by selecting Enable Thin Disk Mode.
 Configure Temporary Networking Settings for Communication between PSC
Appliance that you want to Upgrade to New PSC Appliance and Click Next
 On Ready to Complete Page Click Finish
 Wait for OVA Deployment Process to Completed and Proceed to Stage 2

 Set Up the Target Platform Services Controller Appliance

 Review the introduction to stage 2 of the migration process and click Next
 On the Select source vCenter Server page, enter the vCenter Single Sign-On
administrator password and the root password of the source vCenter Server and
Click Next
 If your source Windows machine is connected to an Active Directory domain, enter
the credentials for an administrator domain user with permission to add the target
machine to the Active Directory domain, and click Next.
 Review the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) page and
choose if you want to join the program.
 On the Ready to complete page, review the settings for the Platform Services
Controller appliance, accept the backup acknowledgement, and click Finish.
 Click OK to confirm the shutdown of the source vCenter Single Sign-On or Platform
Services Controller and initialize the target appliance.
 Wait for the data transfer and setup process to complete and click OK to go to the
Platform Services Controller Getting Started page.

 Deploy the OVA File for the Target vCenter Server Appliance with an External Platform
Services Controller

 Click on vCenter Server Appliance GUI Installer downloaded

 On Home Page, Click Migrate
 Review and Click Next
 Read and Accept the License Agreement and Click Next
 Connect to the target server to which you want to migrate the source vCenter
Server.
 On the Set-up target appliance VM page, enter a name for the target vCenter Server
Appliance, set the password for the root user, and click Next.
 On the Connect to source instance page, enter the details for the source Windows
installation that you want to migrate.
 Verify the Certificate Warning and Click Yes
 Select Deployment Size of New vCenter Server Appliance
 Select the Storage Size of the New vCenter Server Appliance

 From the list of available datastores, select the location where all the virtual
machine configuration files and virtual disks will be stored and, optionally, enable
thin provisioning by selecting Enable Thin Disk Mode.
 Configure Temporary Networking Settings for Communication between Source
vCenter Server Appliance and New vCenter Server Appliance
 On Ready to Complete Page Click Finish
 Wait for OVA Deployment Process to Completed and Proceed to Stage 2
 Set Up the Target vCenter Server Appliance

 Review the introduction to stage 2 of the migration process and click Next
 On the Select source vCenter Server page, enter the vCenter Single Sign-On
administrator password and the root password of the source vCenter Server, enter
the password of the user with administrative privileges on the vCenter Server
instance, and click Next.
 If your source Windows machine is connected to an Active Directory domain, enter
the credentials for an administrator domain user with permission to add the target
machine to the Active Directory domain, and click Next.
 On the Select migration data page, choose the types of data that you want to
transfer from the source vCenter Server to the target appliance.
 On the ready to complete page, review the migration settings, accept the backup
acknowledgment, and click Finish.
 Click OK to confirm the shutdown of the source vCenter Server.
 Wait for the data transfer and setup process to finish. Click OK to go to the vCenter
Server Getting Started page.

Reference: http://virtualinfograce.com/2016/11/24/how-to-deploy-vcenter-server-
appliance-6-5-with-an-embedded-platform-services-controller/

https://www.wojcieh.net/migration-of-windows-vcenter-server-6-x-to-vcenter-
server-6-5-appliance/

https://defaultreasoning.com/2017/02/07/migrate-windows-vcenter-server-6-with-
embedded-psc-to-vcsa-6-5-with-external-psc/

https://esxsi.com/2016/11/17/vcsa65m/

5. After Upgrading or Migrating vCenter Server

After you Upgrade to vCenter Server, Some of the Post Upgrade Task Performed

 You can review Database Upgrade Logs

 Complete any Component re-configuration that might require Changes during
Upgrade
 When you Migrate vCenter Server on Windows to vCenter Server Appliance the
Local OS User account is used to login to vCenter SSO will not be Migrated. You need
to recreate or assign Permission to Local OS user account on PSC Appliance after
Migration
 Upgrade or Migrate ESXi Host in the vCenter Inventory to the same Version as
vCenter Server Instances
 If you Migrate vCenter Server on Windows to Appliance, the Update Manager
Module is also Migrated
  If vCenter Server and Update Manager is running on Separate Machine prior to
Migration, Shutdown or Delete Update Manager Host Machine after Migration is
Completed

 Verify that your vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade or Migration is Successful

 Verify that the IP Address is Correct

 Verify that the Active Directory Registration has not changed
 Verify that Network Registration is correct
 Verify that the Domain is correct
 Verify that the Certificates are Valid
 Verify that the Inventory Data is correctly Migrated

 Log into vCenter Server using vSphere Client

 Open a Web Browser and the enter the URL of your vCenter Server Instance
https://vCenter_Server_IP_Address_or_FQDN
 Select Launch vSphere Client (HTML5)
 Enter the Credentials of User who has Permission on vCenter Server and Click Login
 If any Warning Message about Untrusted SSL Certificate appears, Select the
appropriate action based on your Security Policy
 To Log out Click Logout Option

 Install Vmware Enhanced Authentication Plug-In

The Vmware Enhanced Authentication Plug-In provides Integrated Windows Authentication

and Windows based Smart Card functionality. Starting from vSphere 6.5, the Vmware
Authentication Plug-In is replaced by Client Integration Plug-In in vSphere 6.0. If you are
Using IE for Installing Vmware Enhanced Authentication Plug-In, you need to disable
Protected Mode in IE.

 Open Web Browser and type the URL for vSphere Web Client
 Click Download Enhanced Authentication Plug-In
 Save the Plug-In in your Computer and run executable
 When the Installation is Completed, Refresh your Browser
 Click Launch Application to run Enhanced Authentication Plug-In

 Uninstall TLS configuration Utility on Windows

You can Remove the Previous Version of Configuration Utility.

 Locate the Folder

C:\ProgramFiles\VMware\CIS\TlsReconfigurator\VcTlsReconfigurator.
 Right Click on Folder Name or Icon and Select Delete
 Verify that the TLS Configuration Utility is removed
 Collect vCenter Server Log Files

After you Install vCenter Server, you can collect the vCenter Server Log Files for diagnosing
and for Troubleshooting Purpose.

 Login as Administrator in Windows Machine were vCenter Server is Installed

 Navigate to Start  Programs  Vmware  Generate vCenter Server Log Bundle to
generate the Log Bundle

 Identity Sources for vCenter Server with vCenter Single Sign-On

You can use Identity Source to attach one or more Domains to vCenter Single Sign-On. The
Domain is a repository of Users and Groups that vCenter Single Sign-On can use for
Authentication.

 Active Directory Version 2003 or Later, Shown as Active Directory (Integrated

Windows Authentication) domain as Identity Source
 Active Directory over LDAP is used as an Identity Source
 Open LDAP version 2.4 or Later as Identity Source
 Local Operating System User is used as an Identity Source
 vCenter Single Sign-On System Users used as an Identity Source

 Re-Register Plug-In Solution in vCenter Server after Upgrade or Migration

 In Web Browser Navigate to Managed Object of your vCenter Server

https://vcenter_server_ip_address_or_fqdn/mob/?moid=ExtensionManager
 Login to vCenter Server Credentials
 On the ManagedObjectReference:ExtensionManager page, under Methods, click
UnregisterExtension
 To Unregister the Extension Click Invoke Method

 Monitor and Manage Historical Data Migration

You can Monitor and Manager the Historical Data Migration in Background using vCenter
Server Appliance Management Interface. Using vCenter Appliance Manage Interface you can
perform the following Task

 Monitor the Progress of Data Migration

 Pause the Data Migration
 Cancel the Data Migration

Prerequisites:

 Verify that the vCenter Appliance is Successfully deployed or running

 You must choose Import Historical data from External Database
6. Changing vCenter Server Deployment Topology

After you Upgrade vCenter Server, you can Change the vCenter Server Deployment Topology
by either repointing Platform Services Controller or Converting vCenter Server Instance with
External PSC to Embedded PSC

 Change vCenter Server Deployment Type after Upgrade or Migration

 You can repoint the vCenter Server Instance to existing Functional Platform Services
Controller Instances with free load capacity in same Domain and Site
 You can Install or Deploy a New Platform Services Controller Instance in the Same
Domain and Site to which to repoint the vCenter Server Instance

Prerequisites:

 If the Old Platform Services Controller Instance has stop responding, remove the
Node and Clean up the stale vmdir data by running cmsso-util unregister command
 Verify that the New Platform Services Controller Instance are in the Same vCenter
Single Sign-On Domain and site by running vdcrepadmin -f showservers command
 If you want to repoint vCenter Server Appliance that is configured in vCenter HA
Cluster, remove vCenter HA Configuration

Procedure:

 Log into vCenter Server Instance

 Navigate to C:\Program Files\Vmware\vCenter Server\bin
 Run cmsso-util repoint Command
 Log into vCenter Server Instance using vSphere Web Client

 Converging vCenter Server with External Platform Services Controller to a vCenter Server
with an Embedded Platform Services Controller

Convergence is the process of reconfiguring or converting a vCenter Server instance with an

external Platform Services Controller to a vCenter Server instance with an embedded
Platform Services Controller.

If you have deployed or upgraded a vCenter Server instance with an external Platform
Services Controller, you can convert it to a vCenter Server instance with an embedded
Platform Services Controller using either the vSphere Client, or the vcsa-util command line
converge utility.
7. Patching and Updating vCenter Server Deployments

You can Update vCenter Server Appliance with Patches using Software-Package utility
available in vCenter Server Appliance Shell. You can update Java Component and vCenter
Server for Windows tc server with VIMPatch.

 Patching vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance

You can use Appliance Management Interface or Appliance Shell to apply patches to vCenter
Server Appliance that contains vCenter with Embedded PSC, External PSC and Platform
Services Controller. The Vmware Makes Patches on Monthly Basis. The Vmware distributes
the Patch in two forms one for ISO-Based and one for URL Based Models.

 Patching vCenter Server Appliance using Appliance Management Interface

You can use Appliance Management Interface of vCenter Server Appliance that contains
vCenter server with embedded PSC, External PSC and Platform Services Controller to view
the Installed Patches, Check for New Patches and Install them and Configure automatic
checks for available Patches.

 Log into vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface

Prerequisites:
 Verify that the vCenter Server Appliance is successfully deployed and running
 If you are using IE verify that TLS 1.0,1.1 and TLS 1.2 are enabled in Security Settings.

Procedure:

 In Web Browser go to Appliance Management Interface

 Log in as root

 Check for and Stage Patches to the vCenter Server Appliance

Before you install available patches, you can stage the patches to the appliance. You can use
the Appliance Management Interface to stage patches either from a local repository by
attaching an ISO image to the appliance, or from a remote repository directly by using a
repository URL.

Prerequisites:

 If you are Staging Patches from an ISO image. You must attach ISO Image to CD/DVD
Drive of vCenter Server Appliance.
 If you are staging Patches from a remote Repository, verify that you have configured
repository settings and the current repository URL is accessible.

Procedure:

 Login to Appliance Management Interface as root

 Click Update
  Click Check Updates and select the Source
 You can run pre-check of an update to verify that is compatible with your current
deployment
 Click on Staging Option that you would like to use

 Configure Repository for URL Based Patching

For URL Based Patching, by default vCenter Server Appliance is configured to use default
Vmware repository URL.

Prerequisites:

 Login to vCenter Server APPLIANCE Management Interface as root

Procedure:

 If you want to Configure Custom Repository URL, build a Repository on your Local
Web Server
 In Appliance Management Interface Click Update
 Click Settings
 Select the Repository Settings
 Click OK
 Install vCenter Server Appliance Patches

You can Check and Install Patches either from ISO Images or directly from repository URL.

Prerequisites:

 Login to Appliance Management Interface as root

 Before you Install Patches, Check for New Patches and Stage the Patches for
Appliance
 If you are Patching the Appliance using ISO Image, the ISO image file is downloaded
and attached to CD/DVD Drive of the Appliance
 If you are Patching the Appliance using URL Repository, verify that you have
configured Repository Settings and current URL repository is accessible
 If you are Patching the vCenter Server Appliance with External Platform Services
Controller, verify that you have applied patches.

Procedure:

 In vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface Click Update

 Select the range of Stage Patches to apply and Click Install Updates
 Read and accept End User License Agreement
 After Installation Completes Click OK
 Click Summary and Click Reboot to reset the Appliance

 Enable Automatic Checks for vCenter Server Appliance Patches

You can Configure the vCenter Server Appliance to perform automatic checks for available
patches in the configured repository URL at a regular Interval.

Prerequisites:

 Login to Appliance Management Interface as root

 Verify that you have configured the Repository Settings and Current Repository URL
is accessible

Procedure:

 In Appliance Management Interface, Click Update

 Click Settings
 Select Check for Updates automatically
 Click OK

 Patching vCenter Server Appliance using Appliance Shell

You can use Software-Package utility in the Appliance Shell of vCenter Server Appliance that
contains vCenter Sever with embedded, external PSC and PSC to see installed Patches, Stage
New Patches and Install New Patches.
 Procedure:

 Access the Appliance Shell and Login as user who has super Administrator role
 To view the List of full Patches and Software Package installed in Appliance
Software-Packages -list
 To view all the applied Patches in Appliance type command software-Packages -list –
history
 To view the details about specific Patch run the following command, software-
packages list -patch patch_name

 Configure URL based Patching

By default, current repository for URL based Patching is the default Vmware repository URL.

Procedure:

 If you want to configure a custom repository URL, build the repository on your local
Web server.
 Access the appliance shell and log in as a user who has a super administrator role.
 To see information about the current URL-based patching settings, run the
update.get command.
 To configure the appliance to use the default VMware repository URL, run the
following: update.set --currentURL default
 To enable automatic checks for vCenter Server Appliance patches in the current
repository URL at regular Interval, run the following command: update.set --
CheckUpdates enabled [--day day] [--time HH:MM:SS]
 To disable automatic checks for vCenter Server Appliance patches, run the following
command: update.set --CheckUpdates disabled

 Update Java Component and vCenter Server tc server with VIMPatch

Prerequisites:
 Download Java Component Patch from Vmware Downloads
 Stop any vCenter Server Component Operation, when you apply Patch all running
services will be stopped

Procedure:

 Mount Vmware VIMPatch Iso File were vCenter Server Component is Installed
 Double Click on ISO mount/autorun.exe
 Click Patch all
8. Troubleshooting vSphere Upgrade

 Collecting Logs for Troubleshooting vCenter Server Installation or Upgrade

Procedure:

 Access the Appliance Shell

 Enter the User Name and Password for Appliance
 In the Appliance shell, run pi shell command to access the Bash Shell
 In the Bash shell run vc-support.sh command to generate the Support bundle
 Export the Generated Support Bundle
 Determine which First Boot File Failed

 Retrieve Installation Logs Manually

 Navigate Installation Logs files manually

 C:\Program Data\Vmware\vCenter server\Logs
 %Temp% directory usually C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp

 Collect Database Upgrade Logs

 On the Microsoft Windows system on which you attempted to perform the

installation or upgrade, Navigate Database Upgrade Log Location
 C:\ProgramData\VMware\vCenterServer\logs
 %TEMP% directory, usually C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp
 Open the database upgrade logs in a text editor for examination.

 Roll Back vCenter Server Instance on Windows when Upgrade Fails

Prerequisites:

 You must have access to vCenter Server on Windows Machine

 The Platform Services Controller upgrade must be successful
 Ensure vCenter Server roll back happened properly in case of Upgrade Failure and
that no stale failed update log entries remain

Procedure:

 Manually un-register legacy vCenter Server from PSC

 Restore vCenter Server Database from Backup
 Re-install vCenter Server Instance pointing to PSC and also pointing to Database
 Restore Platform Services Controller from Snapshot
 Restore vCenter Server Instance from Snapshot
 Restore vCenter Server Database from Snapshot
 Ensure vCenter Server Services is Up and Running.