Move vCentre Server VM from HA Cluster

[J1mbo]

Hello

I currently have an Essentials Plus installation with the vCentre Server in a Win2k8 VM in the HA Cluster.

However owing to host updates being a right PITA in this configuration, I'd like to move the VM onto an ESXi stand-alone box.

Hence wondering the best way to achive this. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[Troy_Clavell]

Use VMware Converter. Just power off the VM, use converter to move it over, power it back on. When done doing what you need to do destroy it and power back on the original.

[J1mbo]

Hi, many thanks for the reply.

I'm thinking of moving it permanently to the stand-alone ESXi box, but leaving it on the shared storage. Do I still need converter do you think?

[Troy_Clavell]

unless the host in which the vCenter VM is on can see the destination storage, you will have to do it with converter. Since sVMotion and cloning are features of vCenter, when it's down, those features go away.

[J1mbo]

OK, thanks. As the storage won't change in my case, perhaps the answer is to just shutdown the VM in the HA cluster, manually add it to the inventory from the ESXi box and run it from that to do the updates, then shut it down on there and restart on the HA cluster once the patches are done?

[Troy_Clavell · Accepted solution]

I'm a little lost with your question now. What are you trying to do? Patch using VUM and vCenter is on a Host that needs to be patched? If so, you have some options. You can shutdown the vCenter VM and patch the ESX Host using the CLI. Your ESXi Host that you want to move this vCenter VM too can see the same storage as your ESX Hosts? If not, I don't see how you can "manually add it to the inventory from the ESXi box and run it from that to do the updates, then shut it down on there and restart on the HA cluster once the patches are done"

If there is no shared storage between your stand alone ESXi box and the other hosts, then I see no other way then to shutdown vCenter patch using CLI, or use Converter to Move the VM to the stand alone host, then use VUM to patch.

..and if patching why would you want to disable HA. Sorry, I'm just totally confused now.

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_esxupdate.pdf

[J1mbo]

Sorry, my fault I'm sure

All hosts can see the shared-storage, but the ESXi host is free-licensed and not managed by vCentre (which is what I meant by standalone).

However the command line option is the obvious solution, thanks very much for this.

Cheers!

[Troy_Clavell]

I think the best bet is to simply shutdown the vCenter VM, patch the final ESX Host using the CLI. When complete, power back on the vCenter VM. But, as you originally stated you could always move that vCenter VM to your Standalone ESXi host. This way you won't be in the same situation next time you need to do updates to your cluster.

Since it's all shared storage, you could probably just shutdown the vCenter VM, remove it from inventory and add to inventory on the ESXi box, as you stated.

Finally don't disable HA, as it not dependent on vCenter, and it something was to happen to your hardware atleast you would have failover.

I'm a little slow sometimes, thanks for the clarification on the question.

[J1mbo]

Not at all - thanks very much for taking the time to reply back. CLI patching is fine I think.

[Troy_Clavell]

No problem. I corrected a statement I made in the previous post. HA is not dependant of vCenter, so there is no reason to disable HA.

I'll leave you with this. A fine example of patching an ESX Host, by

http://communities.vmware.com/blogs/vmroyale/2009/10/12/single-use-esxupdate-how-to-for-esx-4