VM migration from Esxi 6.5 to ESXi 8.0, Need compatibility and methodology information

[TechConsultant0]

HI Experts

we have few VMs in ESXi 6.5 with vCenter 6.5 and we need to migrate them to a newly configured Hardware. The new hardware will be installed with ESxi 8.0 and vCenter 8.0 in the same shared network.
The Vms are having about 20TB of data managed with shared Storage, with network bandwidth of 10GBPs

- Can we migrate the VMs which belong to 6.5 to vcenter 8.0 using vMotion option (cross vcenter server export)
- If not what would the right approach to migrate the VMs from vcenter 6.5 to newly installed vcenter 8.0
- What are the compatibility issues or are there any VMware licenses required?

Should we first upgrade ESXi from 6.5 to 6.7U3  or 7.0 and then migrate the VM to 8.0 using vMotion option (cross vcenter server export)?

It would be great if someone can help with the flow.

[virtualinca]

Hi @TechConsultant0 ,

yes, you can migrate VMs from 6.5 to 8.0 with a Cross Center vMotion, however, you will need Enterprise Plus licenses on both clusters in order to hot migrate. For single VMs you can also use Center Converter Standalone.

After the migration don't forget to plan a virtual hardware upgrade and reboot (can be done through the Lifecycle manager).

Don't forget the kudos if this helps.

[Lalegre]

@TechConsultant0,

Let me answer each of the questions:

- Can we migrate the VMs which belong to 6.5 to vcenter 8.0 using vMotion option (cross vcenter server export)

Yes you can do it, from 6.5 onwards retro-compatibility is available for this feature. See here: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-vcenter-esxi-management/GUID-ED703E35-269C-48E...

- If not what would the right approach to migrate the VMs from vcenter 6.5 to newly installed vcenter 8.0

Answered on above question, however, if you decide to not use this feature, you could always do the following:

1. Upgrade your current vCenter to version 7
2. Upgrade your current ESXi to version 6.7 (To mantain compatibility)
3. Upgrade your vCenter to 8
4. Add your new ESXi with version 8
5. Do Storage vMotion between the old and new ESXi

- What are the compatibility issues or are there any VMware licenses required?

There is no compatibility issue as the versions you have on your plan are fully supported for this, however, also remember that ESXi 6.5 have reached End of Life. In terms of licensing, you will need Enterprise Plus in order to use Advanced Cross vMotion feature.

Hope this is clear!

[jc296]

How about keeping it simple:

1. If your new updated ESXi host and vCenter (v8) are attached to your shared storage, just de-register the VM in question and re-register the VM on the new host.