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
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.
Julian
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Julian