VC2.5u3 Is OUT, Feedback thread?

[CWedge]

Just called Support trying to troubleshoot the garbage VC2.5u2 install process and they tell us u3 is out!

Who wants to be the guinea pig?

Let us know

On a side note, VMware should be ashamed that we have to speak of thier updates like this. This is just unacceptable for an "Enterprise Application"

[RParker]

Who wants to be the guinea pig?

I think we already know who the guinnea pig is.. Details to follow soon.

And we haven't had any problems with VC 2.5 U2. The only thing that isn't working is update manager... so VC isn't really garbage, at least not for us. It works fine.

[CWedge]

My problems so far.

1st DBUpgrade failed in the middle, Granted it was Symantec's Endpoint fault, but it couldn't recover from a bad install and borked the upgrade. Restore both VC server and SQL Server

2nd Install fails after DB Upgrade - During installation, the install changed the Server RUNAS Acct information from our domain accts to LocalSystem

3rd attempt at install, everything completes and every ESX host can't connect due to license - Check license server not started, try restart..fails..Look into it further. The path to the license file is Gone!

4th attempt - All hosts are working except one "General Error Occurred" great info! Had to call support, Pegasus was going crazy and wouldn't allow it to do anything, Restarted and working now.

These are simple, yet vital things that should not happen on a upgrade to a mature product.

We are doing this upgrade because we are having problems with NFS locking issues, the fix requires Update 2.

Are you affected by the Maintenance mode Bug, where you have to manually move all the VM's off? We have hundreds of VM's that's crap! Sorry, for venting, I'm in 6Hrs into my VC,Esx Update 2 Upgrade and not to happy.

Also if u2 wasn't so bad, why is u3 out so fast?

[RParker]

Done! No problems! Everything went smooth

[CWedge]

How many hosts, clusters, Resource Pools?

Also pic didn't post right.

Thanks for testing!

[RParker]

16 hosts

2 Clusters. 5 of the servers are just under folders.

9 Resource Pools

.!VI_119598.jpg!

Windows 2003 R2/SP2 2x quad 2.0 GHz 8 Gig 32-bit VC host

Windows 2003 R2/SP2 2x quad 2.0 Ghz 8 Gig 64-bit SQL host

SQL Server 2005 SP2

[RParker]

I always run a regclean (PC Tools reg clean) before every major install to check integrity of the server

I always reboot before any major update to ensure no dll or leftover memory problems.

I have a Disk Keeper disk check to ensure disk integrity and fast as possible.

VC is the only program on the VC host (other than VI client related programs). It's dedicated to just VC.

SQL server is dedicated (Physical) SQL machine.

Other than that, I have done every new install of VC 2.5.

2.5 -> U1 , 2.5 U1 -> U2, 2.5 U2 -> U3

Each went flawless, no problems. I did have a problem going from 2.0 to 2.5, so I reinstalled everything including a NEW VI Database.

[CWedge]

We did and do all the above that you do and still had problems...

Ever since that VC 2.0 Update that wiped the VC DB's, and blew up on agent installs, i've been very cautious about upgrades. Still doing esxupdate 2

[sbartle]

Don't do it. In my opinion the upgrade software from vmware is the worst I have ever come across. Thank god for snapshot. These are the issues I ran into with VC update 3

Virtual Center issues

Passwords with spaces = fail (fixed be setting the password to something simple)

Virtual Update Manager

Passwords with spaces = fail (fixed be setting the password to something simple)

Requests to fill in required fields when all the fields have the correct data = fail

Requests for a Disk 1? This is when I did a manual command line install.

This was all done in a virtual machine.

Looks as if we will be staying at Update 2 until I find time to do a clean Virtual Center build on a new VM.

Added screener of required fields.

[Vesku80]

Hi,

Virtual Center 2.5 U3 broke my HA. I have tried just about everything I found:

- Checked DNS names

- Tried restarting management agents on ESX hosts

- Tried renaming cluster

- Tried moving hosts in and out of cluster

- Tried recreating cluster

- I even reinstalled one ESX host

My configuration is VC on physical Windows 2003 server and databases on another physical SQL server. I have 3 ESX 3i hosts with installed versions and latest firmware.

I upgraded from VC 2.5 U2. During upgrade update manager and converter didn't install correctly on the first try. I installed them again without problems.

Otherwise everything seems OK, but HA is broken. Anybody else have similar problems or suggestions what to try? Before U3 I had some problems with HA, but I usually fixed them by restarting management agents on ESX hosts.

[Dandan712]

If one want to avoid issue with updates and upgrades in general, please do the following:

NEVER BE THE FIRST TO INSTALL AN UPDATE OR UPGRADE OR SERVICE PACK OR WHATEVER.

It's sad to say, be let others test for you if it's safe or not . You never know what can be the side effect of an upgrade. So you need to let a quite good amount of time after the release of the upgrade, to be sure it won't impact your production nev. in any aspect.

Personnally, I'm still ESX 3.5 update 1 !!!!!! Ok, i'm runninc VC 2.5 U2 without any issue.

But regarding ESX 3.5 Update 2, I've so much been afraid with all issues I've heard, that I prefer to wait until a further release, and enven so, I'll wait for a while befor to install it.

[CWedge]

If one want to avoid issue with updates and upgrades in general, please do the following:

NEVER BE THE FIRST TO INSTALL AN UPDATE OR UPGRADE OR SERVICE PACK OR WHATEVER.

It's sad to say, be let others test for you if it's safe or not . You never know what can be the side effect of an upgrade. So you need to let a quite good amount of time after the release of the upgrade, to be sure it won't impact your production nev. in any aspect.

Personnally, I'm still ESX 3.5 update 1 !!!!!! Ok, i'm runninc VC 2.5 U2 without any issue.

But regarding ESX 3.5 Update 2, I've so much been afraid with all issues I've heard, that I prefer to wait until a further release, and enven so, I'll wait for a while befor to install it.

Thats would be a great thought, but someone has to be the 1st? Also what if the new release has something important to you..

For us, it was the NFS locking issue that was said to be "fixed" in u2.

I agree this is horrible to have to be like this.

Thats would be a great thought, but someone has to be the 1st? Also what if the new release has something important to you..

For us, it was the NFS locking issue that was said to be "fixed" in u2.

I agree this is horrible to have to be like this.

[Dandan712]

It's right. If you need an important improvement that comes with an upgrade, you do not have choice.... But at least , wait a few days or weeks before installing it. A good thing also should be to have a 'poor ' esx server, with exactly same configuration as your prodcution server, but just to test upgrades effect on it etc...

[ncarde]

I usually take the same stance (wait for others to fully bake in new updates -- especially after what happened with ESX 3.5 Update 2); however, Update 3 for VC 2.5 appears to address two particularly thorny high risk security issues:

TITLE:
VMware VirtualCenter Multiple Vulnerabilities
SECUNIA ADVISORY ID:
SA32179
VERIFY ADVISORY:
http://secunia.com/advisories/32179/
CRITICAL:
Highly critical
IMPACT:
Security Bypass, Exposure of system information, Exposure of sensitive information, DoS, System access
WHERE:
From remote
SOFTWARE:
VMware VirtualCenter 2.x
http://secunia.com/advisories/product/10762/
DESCRIPTION:
VMware has acknowledged a weakness and some vulnerabilities in VMware VirtualCenter, which can be exploited by malicious, local users to disclose sensitive information, and by malicious people to bypass certain security restrictions, disclose system information or potentially sensitive information, cause a DoS (Denial of Service), or compromise a vulnerable system.
1) The problem is that the Virtual Infrastructure Client displays the VirtualCenter Server password in cleartext when logging in, if the password contains certain unspecified special characters.
NOTE: The weakness affects only VirtualCenter 2.5.
2) Several vulnerabilities in Sun Java JDK / JRE can be exploited to bypass certain security restrictions, disclose system information or potentially sensitive information, cause a DoS (Denial of Service), or compromise a vulnerable system.

What isn't clear to me in readig the miles of VMware upgrade documentation is if Update 3 updates (SQL) Database info or if it is just touching binaries on the VC Server, etc.

[khughes]

I think we already know who the guinnea pig is.. Details to follow soon.

Should've known. Living and dying by the cutting edge eh?

• Kyle

[RParker]

> Should've known. Living and dying by the cutting edge eh?

You konw it! My only gripe is CWedge beat me to the upgrade first!

[RParker]

> NEVER BE THE FIRST TO INSTALL AN UPDATE OR UPGRADE OR SERVICE PACK OR WHATEVER.

uh.. someone has to be first..

[RParker]

I don't know why so many people have problems, all I can say is this is FASTEST VC yet! The Client and Server are definately faster. I can't give figures to back it up, but it just feels faster.

So HA and DRS should crash much quicker now!

J/K. We haven't had any problems, migrations, svmotion, VCB (We don't use HA) but everything seems to be fine. I tested everything thoroughly, and it's much smoother, and VIC reacts unlike before.. I get less frequent time outs... So on the order of good job, I'd say this gets my 2 thumbs up!

[CWedge]

Should've known. Living and dying by the cutting edge eh?

You konw it! My only gripe is CWedge beat me to the upgrade first!

Don't feel bad, I have almost a year on VMTN over you 😛

But you definaltey have post count over me..

[heybuzzz]

Holding off for now....