The document discusses the process for upgrading vSphere, including upgrading vCenter Server, ESXi hosts, and virtual machines (VMs). It provides the following key steps:
1. Read release notes, back up the configuration, and verify solution compatibility.
2. Upgrade vCenter Server, then upgrade ESXi hosts using various supported methods like interactive installation or scripting.
3. After upgrading hosts, reconnect them to vCenter and reapply licenses. Verify the upgrade was successful before powering on VMs.
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Vsphere Upgrade Process
The document discusses the process for upgrading vSphere, including upgrading vCenter Server, ESXi hosts, and virtual machines (VMs). It provides the following key steps:
1. Read release notes, back up the configuration, and verify solution compatibility.
2. Upgrade vCenter Server, then upgrade ESXi hosts using various supported methods like interactive installation or scripting.
3. After upgrading hosts, reconnect them to vCenter and reapply licenses. Verify the upgrade was successful before powering on VMs.
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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vSphere Upgrade Process
vSphere Upgrade Tasks
Upgrading vSphere includes the following tasks:
1. Read the vSphere release notes. 2. Verify that you have backed up your configuration. 3. If your vSphere system includes VMware solutions or plug-ins, verify that they are compatible with the vCenter Server appliance version to which you are upgrading. See VMware Product Interoperability Matrix at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php. 4. Upgrade vCenter Server. 5. Upgrade your ESXi hosts. 6. To ensure sufficient disk storage for log files, consider setting up a syslog server for remote logging. Setting up logging on a remote host is especially important for hosts with a limited amount of local storage. 7. Upgrade your VMs manually or by using vSphere Lifecycle Manager to perform an orchestrated upgrade. ESXi Host Upgrade Process
The following high-level steps are for upgrading ESXi.
1. Verify that your system meets the upgrade requirements. 2. Determine where you want to locate and boot the ESXi installer. 3. After upgrading ESXi hosts, you must reconnect the hosts to the vCenter Server and reapply the licenses.
Before Upgrading ESXi Hosts
For a successful ESXi upgrade, follow these best practices: 1. Make sure that you understand the ESXi upgrade process, the effect of that process on your existing deployment, and the preparation required for the upgrade. o If your vSphere system includes VMware solutions or plug-ins, make sure they are compatible with the vCenter Server version that you are upgrading to. See the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php. o Read Overview of the ESXi Host Upgrade Process to understand the upgrade scenarios that are supported, and the options and tools that are available to perform the upgrade. o Read the VMware vSphere Release Notes for known installation issues. 2. Prepare the system for the upgrade. o Make sure that the current ESXi version is supported for the upgrade. See Overview of the ESXi Host Upgrade Process. o Make sure that the system hardware complies with ESXi requirements. See ESXi Requirements and VMware Compatibility Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php. Check for system compatibility, I/O compatibility with network and host bus adapter (HBA) cards, storage compatibility, and backup software compatibility. o Make sure that sufficient disk space is available on the host for the upgrade. o If a SAN is connected to the host, detach the Fibre Channel system before continuing with the upgrade. Do not deactivate HBA cards in the BIOS. 3. Back up the host before performing an upgrade. If the upgrade fails, you can restore the host. 4. Depending on the upgrade option you choose, you might need to migrate or power off all virtual machines on the host. See the instructions for your upgrade method. o For an interactive upgrade from CD, DVD, or USB drive: see Upgrade Hosts Interactively. o For a scripted upgrade: see Installing or Upgrading Hosts by Using a Script. o For vSphere Auto Deploy: see Using vSphere Auto Deploy to Reprovision Hosts. If the ESXi 6.5x or 6.7.x host was deployed by using vSphere Auto Deploy, you can use vSphere Auto Deploy to reprovision the host with a 7.0 image. o For the esxcli command method: see Upgrading Hosts by Using ESXCLI Commands. 5. Plan for the tasks that must be performed after the ESXi host upgrade: o Test the system to ensure that the upgrade completed successfully. o Apply a host's licenses. See Licensing ESXi Hosts After Upgrade. o Consider setting up a syslog server for remote logging, to ensure sufficient disk storage for log files. Setting up logging on a remote host is especially important for hosts with limited local storage. You can optionally install VMware vCenter Log Insight, which provides log aggregation and analytics. See Required Free Space for System Logging. 6. If the upgrade was unsuccessful and you backed up the host, you can restore the host.