Introduction

There are always several reasons to move on from your existing infrastructure. Some admins are pursuing recent versions of familiar products. Some, on the other hand, just want to go rid of the bugs they already learned to live with but would rather not. Others are attracted by promises to increment the performance of their environment. Finally, everybody wishes to become with the times and apply the latest software. Whatever the reason, we all somewhen come in terms with the necessity to upgrade the infrastructure to the nearly contempo version.

need an upgrade

Starting on this loftier notation, permit's talk about upgrading VCSA 6.5 to six.7. While applying official recommendations from VMware in practice, this material will non only cover preliminary stages of preparing the infrastructure for an upgrade in my testing environment but gradually draw the upgrading process per se. Although you'll never know for certain what problem may occur during upgrading, we'll hash out the most common ones and ways to deal with them.
The news well-nigh vSphere 6.7u2 release were effectually for a while now, but I oasis't moved to VCSA half-dozen.7u2 until I was entirely sure in its stability and performative potential. Of course, the object of discussion itself begets a question of whether it is necessary at all. Why would anyone need working hard on upgrading infrastructure to VCSA 6.7u2 if in that location is already VCSA 6.7u3 out there? Well, the simplest answer would be security reasons and compatibility. Every time you are working with a new product that has not been but picayune in utilise, there is ever a risk at manus. Even the almost insignificant incompatibility of your software or your Os with vSphere half-dozen.7u2 can effect in problems, the kind of problems that'll cost you either money or valuable data. Therefore, at that place's no need to at all to blitz into this. Preparation never hurt anyone.

What'south the upgrade for?

Overall, the vSphere half-dozen.7u2 release brings to the table a lot of make-new improvements and useful functions. While the new vSphere Web Client provides you lot with HTML 5 support, vCenter Server Appliance promises to double the performance and to reduce memory consumption to third. Also, VMware has guaranteed DRS-related operations, such as starting a VM, to run three times faster.

Additionally, the vSphere 6.7u2 enables yous to kick the vSphere nodes rapidly with ESXi 6.7u2 and higher. This manner, information technology provides users with new benefits being:

  • reducing maintenance time by decreasing the number of necessary reboots;
  • restarting VMware ESXi without rebooting the physical host (basically, skipping the whole part with the hardware initialization).

New features

Basically, hither'due south what'south changed in vSphere 6.7:

NEW FEATURES

Organisation requirements

Earlier starting the vCenter Server 6.7u2 upgrade, what should you keep in heed?

  • Gear up time synchronization on every machine with an active vCenter Server. In case information technology'due south working on a single host, make sure you have checked the timing. Unsynchronized time causes more than problems than you may have idea. For example, SSL Certificates are very sensitive to this aspect, so the slightest inconsistency in timing could be problematic.
  • Brand sure that your vCenter Server's FQDN is valid and available to other machines.
  • If your vCenter Server user account is not your Local System account, make sure that vCenter Server user business relationship is:
  • A member of the Administrators grouping;
  • Log on as a service;
  • OS administrator (if the user is a domain user);

There is useful material on VMware web log that contains all valuable tips on upgrading vSphere vi.7u2.

1. General vSphere recommendations.

  • vSphere half dozen.0 – minimal version required for the vSphere 6.7u2 upgrade.
  • vSphere half-dozen.7u2 – the latest release that requires manually listing all the sites accessed with SSO.
  • In vSphere half-dozen.7u2, the only protocol enabled by default is TLS i.2. TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.i are disabled by default.
  • Since the VMFS6 metadata construction has inverse, you won't exist able to migrate existing VMFS5 datastore to VMFS6 datastore. This came from vSphere vi.5.

2. The vCenter upgrade recommendations.

  • The host must be ESXi 5.5 and higher.
  • The minimum hosts that you can connect every bit a function of the datacenter managed past VCSA 6.7 must be ESXi 6.0 and higher.
  • The vCenter Server Appliance 6.7u2 (vCSA) upgrade is a recommended configuration,
  • vCenter Server six.7u2 for Windows is appear to exist the final release for Windows, further it will only be modules for Windows.
  • The vCenter Server 6.7 only supports Host Profiles version 6.0. and higher.
  • Enhanced Linked Mode support is just enabled for vCenter Server 6.7u2 deployment with an Embedded PSC (Platform Services Controller). However, it'due south not relevant for upgrades! So be conscientious.
  • If y'all are protecting your vCenter Server in vSphere 6.5 with vCenter High Availability (VCHA), then call up that when upgrading from vSphere 6.5 to 6.7, VCHA must be deleted.

3. Hardware Recommendations.

  • The vSphere 6.7u2 doesn't support some AMD and Intel models. Y'all tin can run across the compatibility list hither. Besides, you lot tin bank check current compatibility in the VMware Compatibility Guide.
  • These CPUs are still supported in this release, simply they may not exist in the future:
  • Intel Xeon E3-1200 (SNB-DT)
  • Intel Xeon E7-2800/4800/8800 (WSM-EX)
  • Virtual machines compatible with ESX 3.x and college (starting with the hardware version 4) are supported with ESXi six.7.
  • Hardware version three is not supported.
  • VM hardware version is now called VM Compatibility. Remember, you must first thing upgrade it to the latest version before using it with vSphere 6.7u2.

Your hardware and software must run across certain requirements before you move on with the upgrade.

Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements:
Platform Services Controller vCenter Server with an Embedded or External Platform Services Controller for a Tiny Environment (up to 10 Hosts, 100 Virtual Machines) vCenter Server with an Embedded or External Platform Services Controller for a Small Environs (upwardly to 100 Hosts, m Virtual Machines) vCenter Server with an Embedded or External Platform Services Controller for a Medium Environment (upwards to 400 Hosts, 4,000 Virtual Machines) vCenter Server with an Embedded or External Platform Services Controller for a Large Environment (upwardly to 1,000 Hosts, 10,000 Virtual Machines) vCenter Server with an Embedded or External Platform Services Controller for 10-Large Environment (up to two,000 Hosts, 35,000 Virtual Machines)
Number of CPUs 2 two iv 8 xvi 24
Memory four GB RAM ten GB RAM 16 GB RAM 24 GB RAM 32 GB RAM 48 GB RAM

The vSphere 6.7u2 upgrade contains:

  • ESXi installer
  • ESXi CLI
  • The vSphere Update Director (VUM) solution
  • Auto Deploy

I will utilize the vSphere Update Manager (VUM) for the upgrade

The upgrade itself consists of two simple stages that mirror the migration process of vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Apparatus.

  • Phase ivolition deploy an entirely new apparatus, thereby protecting your VCSA from any potential upgrading problems, wrong configuration, or other errors.
  • Stage 2 will consign all data and configuration to a new VM. If anything goes wrong, you'll be alright considering all you have to exercise is delete this new VM and start your other VM with enabled VCSA.

5 Steps to Complete your Upgrade Successfully.

  1. Read this release.
  2. Read virtually the upgrade considerations.
  3. Back up all your data before the upgrade.
  4. Install the upgrade.
  5. Problem solving.

Stage ane – Upgrade

Download the necessary version from here.

Download the necessary version

I am starting my upgrade from the VM with OS Windows Server 2019, so I demand to connect the downloaded ISO, and move to

<CD\DVD-room>:\vcsa-ui-installer\win32\<CD\DVD-room>

Now, let's start the Installer. (installer.exe)

installer.exe

  • After starting vCenter Server Appliance Installer, click on Upgrade.

Starting vCenter Server Appliance Installer

  • Move to Introduction and click onSide by side.

Introduction

  • Accept the terms of the license agreement and click on Next.

Accept the terms

Upgrading VMware vCenter Server to 6.7u2

  • Connect to the VCSA via FQDN or IP address.

Connect to the VCSA via FQDN

  • Enter SSO credentials and the credentials of vCenter Server that manages the source vCenter Server.

Click on Next.

Enter SSO credentials

  • Accept the certificate and continue. Click on Yep.

Accept the certificate

  • Enter IP accost of ESXi host and the user credentials. Click on Adjacent.

Enter IP address of ESXi host

  • Take the certificate and continue. Click on Yes.

Accept the certificate

  • In Fix upwardly target appliance VM, enter the VM name and user password «root», and so click on Next.

Warning,new vCenter Server will go on the same host name and IP accost as the original one. To keep the original VM name, you'll demand to change both the current VM proper name and VM storage datastore. If I were y'all, I would do it subsequently the upgrade, but it must be done nevertheless:

ane) rename the one-time VM and storage datastore, then

2) rename the new VM and its storage datastore, motion it to another cluster node.

Set up target appliance VM

  • In Select deployment size, select the size that fits your needs and resources best.

Select deployment size

  • In Select datastore, select the necessary datastore to store the VM. Click on Next.

Select datastore

  • In Configure network settings, enter the necessary information. Click on Side by side.

Warning

It's non that important since while moving the vCenter settings in the next stage, all data will exist overwritten anyway.

Configure network settings

  • In Set up to complete stage 1,check the deployment, datastore, and network details. Click onFinish.

Ready to complete stage 1

  • Now, well, relax, and watch your new VM getting fabricated.

new VM

  • Stage ane is finished. When everything is fix, click onContinue to offset migrating the configuration correct away. I hope you accept noticed how yous won't lose any setting because you chose to create a new VM for the future VSCA 6.7u2.

Stage 1

Phase 2 – Data Migration and Network Configuration

Permit's start the second stage. Click on Next.

Introduction

  • vCenter Server Installer volition at present connect to source vCenter Server and do some checking before the upgrade.

vCenter Server Installer

  • In Select upgrade data,select the data that you want to save.

Make certain that the new deejay has enough infinite.

Select the data that you want to save

  • In Configure CEIP, select "Join…". Click onSide by side.

Configure CEIP

  • In Ready to consummate, review the settings, make sure you have a fill-in re-create of the source vCenter Server and click on End. Delight, exist very circumspect with Ready to complete!

Ready to complete

  • The source vCSA 6.5 will be close downwards once you lot click OK.

The source vCSA 6.5 will be shut down

  • Copied data and network configuration will exist imported from to the VM vCSA half-dozen.7u2.

Imported data

  • When the process is finished, you lot'll receive a notification that you need to update the DHCP settings, and that vSphere half dozen.7u2 disables TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1. Click on Shut.

DHCP settings

  • Write downwards the IP address and vSCA location.Click on Close.

C:\Users\Vitaliy.Stepanets\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Word\Скриншот 02-12-2019 094319.png

  • Click on (https://<vCenter-Server-Appliance-FQDN>:5480<vCenter-Server-Appliance-FQDN>). Log in to the new VCSA

Log in to the new VCSA

Log in to the new VCSA

  • In Summary, check that VCSA version is now 6.7.0.13007421.

Check that VCSA version

  • Problem solving.

While upgrading vCenter Server Appliance vi.5 to 6.7u2, you may receive a notification nearly a trouble occurring while getting data from the source vCenter Server to the target vCenter Server fifty-fifty after you entered all information well-nigh the source appliance:

Problem occurring

You may check all the information again simply to find out everything is correct as information technology should be. Of course, you are probably wondering how that happened and why!

Let's check the log:

Everything seems to exist alright. The password is not expired even so.

Allow'south check the VCSA Administration.

https://vcenter.domain.local:5480 –> Administration

VCSA Administration

At that place, you'll meet that thecountersign has expired, fifty-fifty though the log doesn't represent this information correctly.

You tin alter the password. Just connect vCenter via SSH session.

Change the password

Now, permit's attempt again:

Appliance deployment target

This time it will piece of work.

Upgrade commentaries:

  • As a result of upgrading vCenter Server, data from the source vCenter Server will be imported to the newly created VM. At the stage of upgrading you lot will demand the information of the source vCenter Server (Name, IP address, guest host address, account credentials), and target vCenter Server (Name, temporary IP address, invitee host accost, account credentials). Y'all'd probably want to write it all down and then that you won't lose fourth dimension later. Old VM volition remain as it was, just turned off, you can still use it if you need it, before you upgrade ESXi hosts. Don't plow in both source and target with the same IP address. As well, articulate upwards space for the datastores where new data volition be stored.
  • While upgrading ESXi hosts, to avoid losing both data and host settings, yous must fill-in and select an option that allows upgrading with saving data in datastores.
  • After you are finished, it would exist better in install the latest version of VMvare Tools for all VMs. Information technology'll help y'all managing them, the details are hither.

Conclusion

It is safe to say that preparation is half of success, in the case with upgrades. VMware has tons of necessary information freely available. Information technology'll help you to understand the process without compromising the safety of your infrastructure. Just remember that being in a hurry never results in anything good. Take your time and get more details. Equally I have finished this material, I can say that I managed to upgrade my infrastructure without whatever surprises, and I wish you the aforementioned!