Upgrade from ESXi 5.0 to latest

[TechBash]

Hi,

I have a single hosted esxi server with 5 VMs running on version 5.0.0 build 469512. I have license of VMware essentials and would like to upgrade to latest possible version. As i realize the version i am running on is quite old and there should be concerns before moving ahead. I appreciate any expert advise on this.

- What is the best way to get it upgraded?

- can i jump directly to latest version?

- Is there a step-by-step procedure or path way to accomplish this?

Thanks for any helpful input and suggestions.

Best regards

[SupreetK]

A bit of homework to be done here Do go through the below links and let us know should you have any specific queries (Since you don't have a vCenter, you can ignore the vCenter related information) -

VMware Knowledge Base

Best Practices for ESXi Upgrades​

Upgrading / Migrating from vSphere 5.x to 6.x (6.5 , 6.7) best practices & Approach – Siva Sankar Bl...

Cheers,

Supreet

[EricChigoz]

Hello TechBash,

Please be sure your hardware is compliant and I hope the attached file would aid you.

Follow the highlight

[TechBash]

Apologies for the late reply. The document 'Best practice' was helpful and comprehensive.

In my case, it is single server and what i understood it is not possible in-place upgrade. He is my catch. What is the best way or practical way on how to upgrade a single server to a version higher? Do i have to install a second server, install ESXi version 6 on it, migrate (import)  the old VMs to new platform, then reformat the old esx (version 5) host, install new version then bring back the VMs from second machine?

Is it the accepted way or any other method?

Many thanks for the input.

[daphnissov]

My recommendation is, once you've determined your hardware is supported on newer versions, backup all your VMs from this host. Reinstall with the target version of ESXi overwriting everything, and then restore the VMs to the newly-created ESXi host.

[SupreetK]

From ESXi 5.0, you can directly only go till 6.0 U2. If you want to upgrade to the latest version, it has to be a 2-step upgrade process. If your hardware (and all the other components such as NIC adapters, Storage Controllers, etc.) is supported with the version of ESXi you are planning to upgrade to, use the hardware vendor custom ISO for ESXi and use Interactive Installer method if the VMs are residing in the local VMFS datastore which, is on the same disk as the ESXi installed. During the upgrade process, it will ask you to select the option 'Upgrade ESXi, Preserve VMFS Datastore'. Once you are on ESXi 6.0, upgrade the VMFS datastore version from VMFS-3 to VMFS-5 if it is currently VMFS-3. Once this is done, upgrade the ESXi to 6.5 or 6.7 as needed. However, backup all the VMs should something go wrong during the upgrade process. If you are not comfortable with the above upgrade process, backup all the VMs outside the vSphere environment and freshly install the required version of ESXi. Once it is installed and configured, restore all the VMs from backup.

How to Upgrade ESXi 6.0 to ESXi 6.5 using ISO image - Sample link on how to use the Interactive Installer for the upgrade

Cheers,

Supreet

[TechBash]

Hi

I would prefer the upgrade, rather than wiping out all and re-importing. Is there any tested independent VM backup tool to take the backup outside of the Server (USB or ExHDD)?

Do you think the RAID controller also to be upgraded before the VM upgrade? Or let it upgrade as is and later once all is set in the new version, do the RAID controller upgrade?

Currently the version is Vsphere ESXi Ver. 5.0 I plan to use the license of V.6U2 Essentials. I hope upgrading to this version is supported.

Thank you again.

[daphnissov]

Firs of all, before you even start planning your upgrade, is your hardware supported on 6.5? By hardware, I mean everything inside your ESXi server. If it isn't, and if this is for a business, do not upgrade but instead buy compatible hardware.

Is there any tested independent VM backup tool to take the backup outside of the Server (USB or ExHDD)?

There are many backup tools that can backup VMs and restore them, all of them removing data from the ESXi host.

Do you think the RAID controller also to be upgraded before the VM upgrade? Or let it upgrade as is and later once all is set in the new version, do the RAID controller upgrade?

This is going to depend on your vendor and the model. It's best to contact them to see what firmware has and has not been tested/certified for later releases. You can also find some of this on the HCL page.

Currently the version is Vsphere ESXi Ver. 5.0 I plan to use the license of V.6U2 Essentials. I hope upgrading to this version is supported.

As previously mentioned, not directly. You will have to take a multi-phased approach to get to 6.5 U2.

[TechBash]

Firs of all, before you even start planning your upgrade, is your hardware supported on 6.5? By hardware, I mean everything inside your ESXi server. If it isn't, and if this is for a business, do not upgrade but instead buy compatible hardware.

I am planning to go to Ver. 6 only. The hardware is supporting that end only.

There are many backup tools that can backup VMs and restore them, all of them removing data from the ESXi host.

Would you suggest a reliable one?

This is going to depend on your vendor and the model. It's best to contact them to see what firmware has and has not been tested/certified for later releases. You can also find some of this on the HCL page.

I will check that out, sure.

As previously mentioned, not directly. You will have to take a multi-phased approach to get to 6.5 U2.

I think i can get in to version 6.0 directly?

[daphnissov]

Upgrading from 5.0 to 6.0 is supported. As for backup, the community favorite (and my choice) is Veeam Backup & Replication.