Can I Add Production ESXi 3 Hosts to Fresh VCenter 4.0 Install?

[fhrivers]

Current infrastructure has a VC 2.5 server managing ESXi 3.5 hosts in an HA cluster. I tried migrating the database from the VC 2.5 server to the new server, but SQL Express 2005 doesn't make that easy and there's no "Copy" function that I can find to copy the database. So I just created a fresh VCenter Server 4.0 install and I'm wondering if it's best practice to just add the 3.5 hosts to the new server while running the old 2.5 server.

Is there a good way of doing this?

[Troy_Clavell]

you can disconnect and remove the host from the old environment into the new. It will not affect your running guests.

[Troy_Clavell]

...one other thing... If you are going to manage your 3.5 Hosts with vCenter4 you need to keep your license server in tact.

[fhrivers]

So I have to keep the VI3 license server until I upgrade the hosts to 4.0?

[allb18c]

Correct - a license server will be needed to manage 3.X hosts until your entire ESX hosts are at 4.X.

[Troy_Clavell]

yes, but if the old license server is installed on your old vCenter instance and you want to destroy it, you can just save the .lic file and make a new stand alone license server.

http://downloads.vmware.com/d/details/esx_35_licenseserver_dt/dGViZGVoKmJqQA==

you will have to configure your vCenter4 server to point to the license source for your VI3 Hosts.

[Texiwill]

Hello,

Moved to vCenter forum.

Best regards,
Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009

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