Migrate ESX 3.5.0.20.70.95 to ESXi 5

[soportetic]

Hello Friends

I have 7 HP Blade servers with ESX 3.5.0, 207095; containing 35 virtual servers connected to a Storage Vmotion EVA 4400 with 3 Fibre Channel DataStores and 3 of FATA, and a standalone HP server with Windows 2003 and SQL 2005 Standard x86 for vCenter 2.5. He released two physical servers with VMotion.

I installed a new vCenter Server 5 with Windows 2008 and SQL 2008 Standard x64, and I can reformat and reinstall ESXi on servers released in May, I can also move data between the DataStore plugin "vip.svmotion-bin-1.0.0.0. msi "to release one DataStore to allow formatting and leave prepared to ESXi5 VMFS released.

The question is: how I can migrate directarmente the "virtual machine" to ESXI5 ESX ...? I can use vCenter Converter Standalone? or another method I suggest applying to run it directly? ...

regards

Charlie

[Gortee]

I'll be honest I am not clear on all the details of your request but here is my suggestion for your upgrade:

1. Move your current 3.5 esx into your new vcenter make sure it's update U1b

2. Put one of your esx 3.5 servers into maintenance mode

3. Upgrade the new node to ESXi 5

4. Release the node from maint.

5. Put another node into maint.

6. Upgrade the new node to ESXi 5

7. vMotion some of your vm's into ESXi 5

8. rinse and repeat until all nodes are ESXi 5

9. Take down each virtual machine during a downtime window take a snapshot and upgrade the virtual hardware

10. rinse and repeat until all vm's are on hardware version 8

11. If you have additional storage available to use as a temp move location create a new datastore as vmfs 5

12. Storage vMotion vm's to the new storage

13. After you fee a lun reformat vmfs 5

14. when all lun's are on vmfs 5 remove temp luns

15. Look into new features like storage vMotion, dVswitch etc... and put a plan to implement if they are avaialble to you.

If you have questions let me know...   steps 9 and 10 don't have to be done in that order but you really want to upgrade from version 4 (esx 3.5).    Also the move to 5 means you don't have a service console so you may have to re-engineer your ports / port groups and switchs it's a big jump.

Thanks,

[soportetic]

Thanks Gortee ... point 3 to 6 comets make the upgrade but the idea is to format and install clean ESXi5 ... On point 11, I do not have temporary storage, that is why I will release 1 Datastore (I have 6) as initial work and then format and amount as VMFS5 ... On point nine comets can upgrade the VM, the question is: how do I upgrade?, By vCenter Converter, Clone, other?, I think last activity performed as ...

The activities that maps are:

1. - Install vCenter 5 on new server and install your license (windows 2008 x64 + SQL 2008 Standard)

2. - Release 2 servers (I have 7) Cluster

3. - Release 1 to VMFS5 DataStore and format (I have 6) with heavy file support (block size cualsería necessary? 8MB?: please respond)

4. - Install ESXi 5 on 2 servers and configure swicthes released and network cards

5. - Form the cluster with 2 servers

6. - Migrate VM: How can I do?: Please respond (I have VM with Windows 2000 servers, is supported by ESXi 5?: Please respond)

Repeat the process ...

Please comment if I am right or I should modify, validate or consider ...

regards

Charlie

[soportetic]

I see in the vCenter also there is an option to upgrade to VM, is an alternative? ...

I have also considered upgrading the VMware Tool after work ...

regards

Charlie

[Gortee]

Sorry about the delayed response I spent the day on the plane returning from Vmworld.

The activities that maps are:

1. - Install vCenter 5 on new server and install your license (windows 2008 x64 + SQL 2008 Standard)

2. - Release 2 servers (I have 7) Cluster

3. - Release 1 to VMFS5 DataStore and format (I have 6) with heavy file support (block size cualsería necessary? 8MB?: please respond) (In ESXi 5 there is only one block size you will not have a choice it's 1MB now but allows a lun up to 2048MB)

4. - Install ESXi 5 on 2 servers and configure swicthes released and network cards

5. - Form the cluster with 2 servers

6. - Migrate VM: How can I do?: Please respond (I have VM with Windows 2000 servers, is supported by ESXi 5?: Please respond) (This will be hard in this configuration see below for my suggestions)

Repeat the process ...

Please comment if I am right or I should modify, validate or consider ...

regards

Charlie

Charlie... let me try and help with ESXi 5 you are looking at the following items that need to be upgraded

1. vCenter

2. ESX to ESXi

3. Virtual Machine hardware version (at 4 need to be on 😎

4. VMFS Lun version (on 3 need to be on 5)

So the process can be a bit of a pain.

My suggestion is to allow your new vcenter take over you 3.5 cluster.  Add all nodes from 3.5 to your new vcenter.  This will allow you to run some nodes as 5 and some 3.5 and then migrate between them without downtime.  This will also allow you to storage vmotion between datastores without interuption.   So once you have vCenter 5 controlling the whole cluster you can make every change in a rolling fashion without interruption except the Virtual machine hardware version (this requires a virtual machine reboot)

Please let me know if you have additions questions but the steps are:

1. Install Vcenter 5

2. Move all 3.5 nodes into Vcenter 5 and configure cluster

3. Move 1 or 2 nodes into maint. mode and reinstall ESXi 5 on them

4. Move virtual machines into ESXi 5 nodes using vmotion

5. Move virtual machines off storage until you have a free lun using storage vmotion

6. Delete the free lun (in vsphere) and recreate as vmfs 5 (important to recreate to get correct block size)

7. Use storage vmotion to move vm's to new vmfs 5 lun

8. Rise and repeat until all nodes are ESXi 5 and all storage is VMFS 5

9. Schedule downtimes for your virtual machines and upgrade the virtual hardware (use snapshot before you upgrade incase upgrade goes bad)

10. Look into new features on 5 you might want to use and put a plan around them.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Thanks

[soportetic]

Thank you for your response. Consider what it signals about managing ESX 3.5 and ESXi 5 with vCenter 5 for the migration process.

On point 9 you indicate activities, implements the snapshot, but as I can do the upgrade of the VM? running VCenter Converter, cloning it, restoring a snapshot, or apply the upgrade option through vCenter? Answering this query, and have clarified the migration process ...

Additional questions: how he would handle the licensing? there any tool considering my scenario. thanks

Thanks for your time and response. I appreciate it a lot.

regards

Charlie

[soportetic]

stay tuned to your answer ...

Regards

Charlie

[Gortee · Accepted solution]

Sorry about that the post did not take from the email

On point 9 you indicate activities, implements the snapshot, but as I  can do the upgrade of the VM? running VCenter Converter, cloning it,  restoring a snapshot, or apply the upgrade option through vCenter?  Answering this query, and have clarified the migration process ...

On point 9 you indicate activities, implements the snapshot, but as I  can do the upgrade of the VM? running VCenter Converter, cloning it,  restoring a snapshot, or apply the upgrade option through vCenter?  Answering this query, and have clarified the migration process ...

The easiest way to upgrade the virtual machine on point #9 are the  following steps:

1. Power off the virtual machine during a scheduled downtime

2. Make a snapshot of the powered off virtual machine

3. Right click on the machine in virtual center and select upgrade hardware

4.Power on machine and confirm it works as expected

5. Delete the snapshot

6. Rise and repeat

Thanks

[soportetic]

Thanks Gortee, I have more clear what I must do ...

regards

Charlie