ESX3.5 upgrade path to ESX4.1

[Sam9846]

We have our VC sitting on a physical 2003 32bit server with SQL 2000 installed locally. Our ESXs are running 3.5 U3. We are planning to upgrade our environment to all 64bits. What is the best way to proceed? This is what we have drafted:

1) P2V the VC ServerA. Snap then perform the SQL2005 Upgrade

2) Create a Windows 2008 64bit ServerB, Install SQL2005 64bit, migrate the SQL db from previous. Install VC 4.1

3) Rename server serverB to ServerA, test it.. make sure it's communicating with ESX farm

4)upgrade the ESX 3.5 with ISO... boot from esx-DVD-4.1.0-260247.iso

Will that be the online of the upgrade path? Or we should upgrade ESX3.5 to ESX4 first, then upgrading to ESX4.1?

[AndreTheGiant]

How many hosts do you have?

How is complex your vCenter Server configuration?

Because you can also consider to reimplement your infrastructure if is small.

For the point 4 you cannot upgrade the host with the CD.

You can use VUM or Host Update Utility.

Andre

[Sam9846]

Hi Andre,

Thanks for the reply. Our VM environment is fairly decent... We have multi-site.. but the site that we are piloting the upgrade has 27 ESX3.5 U3/5 Hosts. Approx. 1300VMs. I wonder if we can just upgrade to 4.1 from our current version 3.5 update 3/4 using the host update utility? I know VC 4.1 does not come with Host update utility anymore. Should we upgrade the VC to 4.0, then upgrade the host to 4.0. Then upgrade the VC to 4.1, and then upgrade the ESX host to 4.1 using the Update manager?

[AndreTheGiant]

The host upgrade utility can be used only to 3.5 -> 4.0 upgrade.

Then you can use esxupdate or VUM.

Two use the two step procedure see also:

http://www.vmguru.nl/wordpress/2010/07/how-to-upgrade-to-vsphere-4-1/

Andre

[turkina]

Don't screw around with upgrading to 4.0 then to 4.1. Just do a fresh install of each host to ESXi 4.1. ESX will be gone with the next release so go to ESXi 4.1 since you're upgrading anyway.

VI3/4 VCP

[Sam9846]

Hi turkina,

thanks for the reply.... I don't think the ESXi will do for our enterprise environment....

[krik0011]

Why won't ESXi do for your environment? VMware has already made it clear no more ESX. I would really stress to move towards i.

Read through this: answers almost all your questions.

[turkina]

Exactly. Once the next version is released there will be no ESX and you will have no choice but to move to ESXi. ESXi is simply ESX without the Service Console, which means one less point of vulnerability.

I wouldn't upgrade your hosts from 3.5 to 4.0 then to 4.1 A clean install to 4.1 would be the best bet. If you're going to do a clean install, might as well move to ESXi while you're at it.

VI3/4 VCP

[admin]

With VC/update manager 4.1, you will be able to upgrade hosts from 3.5 to 4.1 directly. There is no need for 2 step upgrade process.