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Upgrading from VCenter 4.1 to VCenter 5.5
Hi,
Hoping I am in the correct location in the forum. I currently have Vcenter 4.1 and ESXi 4.1 hosts and
getting ready to upgrade to VCenter 5.5
My VCenter 4.1 is on Win2K8 R2 server but is standalone. I also have a working Active Directory
infrastructure and the question is:
a. Do I need to add this standalone Win2K8 R2 server to ActiveDirectory before running the
VCenter 5.5 upgrade?
b. Is being a member of the domain a requirement for VCenter 5.5?
Thanks in advance,
VM3434
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Hi,
its not mandatory for vCenter server to be joined in AD same applies for vCenter server 5.5.
You will just lose some functionality :
VMware KB: Installing vCenter Server 5.5 best practices
If the system that you use for your vCenter Server installation belongs to a workgroup rather than a domain, not all functionality is available to vCenter Server.
If assigned to a workgroup, the vCenter Server system is not able to discover all domains and systems available on the network when using some features.
Your machine must be connected to a domain if you want to add Active Directory identity sources after the installation. To determine whether the system
belongs to a workgroup or a domain, right-click My Computer. Click Properties and click the Computer Name tab. The Computer Name tab displays either
a Workgroup label or a Domain label.
Also have a look at this KB:
VMware KB: Installing vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 on a Microsoft Windows platform
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Thanks! Do you know of any KB articles for proper procedure or best practices for adding
a VCenter that was standalone to an Active Directory infrastructure? After adding the
standalone server to AD, can I still login to VCenter as the local admin or will it be
the domain admin?
Hope there is a KB on how to do this properly because I've read of some posts where
the VCenter was added to the domain and then the admin is not able to login to it
afterwards.
Thanks!
VM3434
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With v center 5.5 and after upgrade you will be able to use local accounts almost in the same way as before. There is only one exception with SSO multisite installation i.e. when you using linked mode you cannot use local accounts anymore.
Regarding these changes see section "How v center SSO affects v center upgrades" in KB below:
VMware KB: Upgrading to vCenter Server 5.5 best practices
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Thanks. So for full access to features:
1. Add standalone Win2K8 R2 server (with VCenter 4.1) to Active Directory Domain
2. Test that you can still access VCenter after adding to domain
3. Upgrade VCenter 4.1 to VCenter 5.5
Thanks,
VM
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Hi VM,
without AD integration you will just lose some authentication flexibility and management in regards to permission and roles delegation through vCenter/SSO server.
No true vSphere features are bonded or relay on MS AD.
If you have already AD implemented there is no reason not use it...
Yes you can join your current VC to AD once is complete create account or group and assign it admin role on vCenter instance. After that its upon you if you will keep your local account ...best practice and also for security reasons is maintaining user accounts solely in AD.
For the upgrade itself I would recommend you to go for custom install option (simple method work best when you start green-field) avoid simple install method.
For more details refer to this KB at the and of the article there are many useful sources:
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Hi P.
Thanks again for answering my questions and providing the KB references. I think
I have a handle on the theoretical aspects of the upgrade. I just need to test it before
doing it in production ![]()
Regards,
VM