vCenter 4.0 Upgrade

[JustyC]

We currently run vCenter version 4.0 (258672) and were building 2 new physical servers (1 vcenter\upgrade Mgr - 1 DB) to move to version 5.0.  We know 5.1 is out, but hear there are issues, many of which may be fixed in release 0a.  We need to make a decision whether to implement 5.0 now, upgrade to 5.1 at a later date or go to 5.1 0a right off.  It seems 5.1 may require all related components to be virtual.  If we go to 5.0 on physical boxes can we upgrade to 5.1 on virtual ?  We are not cloud yet - do we need 5.1 at all ?  Any advice would be apprecaiated.  Thanks.

[vmroyale]

We know 5.1 is out, but hear there are issues, many of which may be  fixed in release 0a. 

5.1.0a is out - http://www.vmware.com/support/vsphere5/doc/vsphere-vcenter-server-510a-release-notes.html

We need to make a decision whether to implement  5.0 now, upgrade to 5.1 at a later date or go to 5.1 0a right off. 

Where are you with the vSphere 4 environment - ESX or ESXi? What about your backup software - is it supported with 5.1?

If we go to  5.0 on physical boxes can we upgrade to 5.1 on virtual ? 

Yes, but it would probably be easier just to deploy 5.1 from the start.

We are not  cloud yet - do we need 5.1 at all ?

The vSphere 5 product brings some great new features that could be leveraged by either. My experience with these upgrades is that they take time and planning. To me it almost always makes more sense to go for the latest release, but there are a lot of variables that should be considered for each specific environment. As mentioned earlier, make sure everything you have is 5.0/5.1 ready and/or supported. This includes hardware, databases, backup software and more.

http://www.vmware.com/support/vsphere5/doc/vsphere-vcenter-server-510a-release-notes.html

[JustyC]

We are at ESX 4.0 U2.  Our vCenter is version 4.0 (32-bit).  We need to build x64 server(s) for vcenter 5.0 and do the data migration before we can go to 5.1.  Do the 5.1 components need to be virtual ?  We can always P2V the vCenter and DB servers for 5.0 after we install single sign-on.

[vmroyale]

No, the 5.1 components do not have to be virtual. You have lots of options with this upgrade path.