Upgrade vCenter Server 6.0 U3i from Windows 2008 R2 to Windows 2012 R2 Best Practice

[Douglasrodrigue]

Currently we have a Windows 2008 R2 virtual machine running as vCenter Server and are looking for ways to move to Windows 2012 R2. The vCenter Server is running version 6.0.0 U3i

[daphnissov]

You instead should be looking at upgrading vCenter to use the appliance (vCSA), for three very important reasons:

1. Your Windows OS is now unsupported.
2. Your version of vSphere (6.0) is now unsupported.
3. Windows-based vCenter is now gone. The vCSA is the only path forward.

Your next step should be doing an upgrade/migration from Windows 6.0 to vCSA on at least 6.5 if not later.

[Douglasrodrigue]

Thanks for your reply. We need to support a VDI Horizon View 6.X environment, we can't upgrade from a Windows-based vCenter & vSphere 6.0 at this time.

[scott28tt]

So you can add View 6.x to your list of unsupported software.

[daphnissov]

Here's your list of priorities:

1. Upgrade Horizon View 6.x => at least 7.1.
2. Upgrade/migrate vSphere 6.0 => at least 6.5 with the vCSA.
3. Throw your Windows-based vCenter box in the trash.