Cannot Upgrade vCenter Server Hardware...

[yougotiger0]

We recently completed our ESX 3.5 to vSphere upgrade. Everything went well with one exception. Rather than updating our old Virtual Center Server, we created a new VM with the new vSphere vCenter server on it and move our host from the old to the new. Host updates went well, and we got all our VM's updated (tools and hardware) EXCEPT the vCenter server's VM. Becuase we created it as a VM on a 3.5 host (before we upgraded the hosts). It had the old VM Tools and VM Hardware. Becuase the VM is running the vCenter Server, we can't remediate using the Update Manager. The VM Tools can be upgraded manually, but I don't know how to update the VM Hardware manually (i.e. withouth running the Update Manager - since Update Manager is running on our vCenter Server and to upgrade the hardware, it has to shut down....).

Is there some way to convert this box from the old hardware (v4) to the new hardware (v7) so that all our VM's are succefully upgraded without using the Update manager?

[vmroyale]

Hello.

Use the vSphere client to connect directly to the host that vCenter is on and perform the hw upgrade manually.

Good Luck!

[yougotiger0]

I'm not sure how to launch the hardware upgrade when logged directly into the host. The Tools can be upgraded that way, but I don't see anything that says upgrade the Hardware.

Am I missing it?

[vmroyale · Accepted solution]

If you right-click on a powered down virtual machine, you should see the option to "Upgrade Virtual Hardware." You can also verify the current HW version by choosing "Edit Settings" and looking in the upper right corner.

[yougotiger0]

Well, I'll be darned, when you shut it down, ther IS an entry for that. It doesn't show if the VM is running (not even grayed out).

Worked like a charm.

Thanks.