Upgrading from ESXi 5.0 in simple, single host environment

[juliangall]

I have a very small server on which I am running ESXi 5.0. I don't have vCenter Server, I just connect to it from vSphere client.

This was ok when my VMs were older versions of Windows but I now find ESXi 5.0 is not compatible with Windows 10, for example.

I have searched for simple instructions to upgrade to a newer ESXi version, but everything I've found seems geared towards enterprise installations with lots of hosts, vCenter etc.

What is the easiest way to get from ESXi 5.0 to a version of ESXi that supports Windows 10? If this can be done remotely, that would be good, but not if I need to buy licences etc. for additional products.

Thanks for your help.

Julian

[GayathriS]

Hi

1>You can directly upgrade esxi 5.0 to 6.0 its supported .

2>Esxi 6.0 has support for windows 10

3>You can register here for free esxi product:

Download VMware vSphere Hypervisor for Free

4>This is for esxi 6.5 latest than 6.0 : (6.5 supports windows 10) but direct upgrade from 5.0 to 6.5 is not possible
https://www.virten.net/2016/11/free-esxi-6-5-how-to-download-and-get-license-keys/

Please mark this as correct if this answers and helps you .

regards

Gayathri

[juliangall]

Thanks Gayathri. That is helpful information.

How do I do the upgrade from 5.0 to 6.0? I am not looking for detailed instructions, just a few pointers. This article has a number of methods but I cannot tell which one I should use. vSphere Update Manager looks the easiest, but can I use this in such a simple environment, or does it only work with vCenter?

Thanks.

[GayathriS]

Please find links which helps you with steps :

Upgrading Hosts  : This links provides you types of upgrade and you can select which one you are going to us and that provides you steps.

https://wojcieh.net/upgrade-vmware-esxi-5-to-6-0-part-1-interactive-upgrade/

Here is a you tube video which shows you how the upgrade takes place:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdrhNyB-xmA

ESXi 5.0 to 6.0 upgrade - YouTube

Please mark this as correct if this answers and helps you .

regards

Gayathri

[Dave_the_Wave]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned that you don't need VCenter at all, for all versions of ESXi.

It is a seperate optional product, not a requirement.

One simply logs into each host one at time when they want to manage it.

5.5 can be upgraded with a 6.0U3 bootable iso. It won't erase any vmdk and should preserve all your VM ready to use.

[a_p_]

With ESXi 5.0 installed right now, I assume that you are running ESXi on very old hardware.

The first step in this case is to check whether your host is supported by newer versions.

André

[juliangall · Accepted solution]

Thanks Andre, Dave_the_Wave and Gayathri for your helpful suggestions. I thought I'd summarise everything I've now found out in a single post.

1. For a simple environment with one server, vCenter is not needed. You should upgrade using a bootable USB key with the required ISO downloaded from VMware. i.e. Boot the server from this USB key and follow on-screen instructions.
2. You can upgrade from 5.0 to 6.0 U2, but not to 6.0 U3. Check the matrix.
3. VMware refer to upgrading with a USB or CD-ROM boot as "Interactive Installation". See here.
4. Formatting a USB key for this is a pain. VMware's instructions assume you have Linux. It's different for Macs (or see here for another method). Even with the instructions, I needed to try a couple of USB keys before I found one that was recognised as bootable by my server. No idea why this was.
5. I read somewhere (cannot remember where) that ESXi usually runs on older hardware, it's just not supported by VMware.
6. You can download the latest V6 or V5 version of ESXi. However, if you find intermediate versions on the web site (e.g. here), you'll be told you are not entitled to download the product. I found my way to the download page for V6.0 U2, and clicked on the tab "Custom ISOs" which had an HPE version that was downloadable.
7. It seems you can get any past version of the vSphere client here. It's a shame they don't make it so easy for ESXi.

Julian