vCenter Server crapped out. Replace with the appliance or reload it?

[RobAtHomeNet]

I have an old HP Proliant DL385 G5, running Server 2012.  I've had vCenter loaded on it for a while.  It's been upgraded a few times with the later builds.  Well, today, I want to do an upgrade (VMware-VIMSetup-all-6.0.0-3040890.iso) and it crapped out on me!  Now, I have a 4-node cluster that I cannot manage.  I'm not sure what to do now.  The HP is obviously getting long in the tooth and has been sluggish for quite some time.  Do I attempt to fix it or just move to one of those appliances (VCSA)?  I've tried to rerun the installation and it fails. 

Excuse my ignorance; I've never been through something like this...  If I should move to an appliance, how can I "import" all my VMs into it?  I tried hitting one of my hosts via vSphere and I didn't see all of my networks on there so that got me worried rather quickly and I jumped out for fear of breaking something.  I'm worried that I won't be able to get them all back, with any sort of ease, and will need to rebuild the cluster from some old notes I hope I still have.

[rick-vanover]

I recommend the VCSA, especially if your environment isn't large. For the next one you make however, maybe back it up also.

In regards to the import process, you'll be fine. Go thru these steps:

• Deploy new VCSA
• Build a customer and data center (if applicable)
• Add the host(s) to the cluster(s)
  • You'll get a message saying host xyz is managed by vCenter (Dead one), continue? (Or something like that -> Say yes)
  • You'll need the root or equivalent permission to add it. If you don't have root, you have a different problem.
• The data of the vSphere cluster will be rebuilt and you'll be fine onwards.

[RobAtHomeNet]

I think I may have a backup.  I have a task that runs a python script and dumps files that end in .BAK.  The script reads something like:

"%VMWARE_CIS_HOME%\Python\python.exe" "%VMWARE_CIS_HOME%\Python\backup_win.py" -p "SomeRandomStuffHere" -f "C:\_Backup\VCDB.bak"

Would that help me at all?  I see files from this week in the folder.  They are +/- 35MB.

[cyberfed2727]

If you are using the appliance you will not be able to use your existing SQL database. The VCSA 6 only supports either the local embedded PostgreSQL (recommended) or an external Oracle database. If you decide to install vCenter on top of a Windows OS then you still have the ability to use your existing SQL DB.

If I was in your situation I would use this opportunity as a clean break to build out a fresh VCSA 6. Deploy a new instance and add your ESXi hosts as someone else mentioned. Also I'm pretty sure that hardware is no longer on VMware's HCL. Save yourself the headache of running any VMware products on unsupported hardware. Best of luck.

[RobAtHomeNet]

Oh no - these servers have left the HCL long ago!  Unfortunately, I'm stuck with working on things he;d together with bubblegum, popsicle sticks and duct tape. :smileylaugh:

I think my old setup used a PostgreSQL database.  I recall seeing it as the default.  I never had the db on an external server like MS SQL so I think it's indeed PostgreSQL.  At any rate, if I deploy a new appliance, as a replacement, when I go to join one of my 5 hosts to it, will it pull in all my distributed switches and other settings?  I ask because I think I understood that to be true based on Rick's answer.  However, when I jumped into one of the hosts, I saw none of my networks.  So, that has me worried...

[rick-vanover]

Maybe open a support case at this point, with the networks gone?

[RobAtHomeNet]

Well, the default "VMware Network" is still there so maybe I can get through it.  Worst case, I guess I could get into one of the hosts and convert one of its NICs back to a normal NIC.

[rick-vanover]

Are VMs connected to it? (Default VM network)?

I guess it is working, at some level, if you can see the host.

[RobAtHomeNet]

Well, I jumped into another host and it showed a mess of guests and their respective networks so, as you said, something is still working to some extent.  I guess the host I jumped on yesterday just happened to be one that had nothing on it - which isn't uncommon for our setup.  I'll attempt your recommendation and see how it pans out.  Stand by to stand by...

[RobAtHomeNet]

Well, my attempts at setting up VCSA were futile.  However, in a parallel process, I was finally able to get my old vCenter server running.  However, in my troubleshooting steps, I wiped one of my hosts (the one with nothing running on it) and am curious if I should import it first or if I should import one of the other hosts in order to get back my all of my distributed vSwitches and whatnot.  As of right now, my fresh install of vCenter Server has nothing configured...no networks, no storage, no nothing...

[RobAtHomeNet]

Curious if the aforementioned backups, created via the python scripts, would be used for this.

[RobAtHomeNet]

Well, I got curious and, after getting some pressure from management, I restored the DB via some help from VMware KB 209710.  Now, from the thick client, I can see both of my clusters, their hosts and their guests.  I can't even get to the Web UI...  However, all of them are greyed out and italicized - showing "(disconnected)" to the right of them.  When I try to reconnect a host, I see some stuff fly by at the bottom - saying "Complete" - and then I see one task show up that fails:

Configuring vSphere HA

h1p-esxi1.mydomain.local

99%

Waiting for cluster election to complete

System

H1P-VCENTER1.MYDOMAIN.LOCAL

2016-01-06 11:55:42

2016-01-06 11:55:42

Then, it changes to this...

Reconfigure vSphere HA host

h1p-esxi1.mydomain.local

Operation

timed out.

VSPHERE.LOCAL\Administrator

H1P-VCENTER1.MYDOMAIN.LOCAL

2016-01-06 12:01:24

2016-01-06 12:01:24

2016-01-06 12:03:31

I feel like I'm so close but I'm running out of ideas and every page I Google is starting to look the same.