Upgrade ESX4.0 to ESXi4.1

[Frans_P]

Hi people,

We have a few ESX4.0 U3 server running and we want to upgrade to 4.1. I have a few questions:

- Do i need new licenses? (we have a supportcontract)

- Can our Windows 2003 32-bits VM's still run on ESXi 4.1?

Best Regards,

Joris

[vmroyale]

Hello.

- Do i need new licenses? (we have a supportcontract)

No, same as it ever was.

- Can our Windows 2003 32-bits VM's still run on ESXi 4.1?

Yes, same as it ever was.

Good Luck!

[Troy_Clavell]

- Do i need new licenses? (we have a supportcontract)

No, licenses for ESX/ESXi are interchangable

- Can our Windows 2003 32-bits VM's still run on ESXi 4.1?

Yes

However,  thre is no upgrade path from ESX to ESXi, you will have to rebuild.   Also, if using vCenter, you must upgrade vCenter first.

[jmerchan]

Hi Frans

- Do i need new licenses? (we have a supportcontract)

NO, you only need support contract on

- Can our Windows 2003 32-bits VM's still run on ESXi 4.1?

of course, there is no problem

Only one thing, VMware vCenter 4.1 only works on Windows 64 bits

[jamesbowling]

Also, be aware that there isn't a direct upgrade path from ESX to ESXi.  It would call for a reinstall on your hosts.

[Frans_P]

Great!

So i think the following should be a good practise:

1) Install new VCenter 4.1 server (old VCenter server is not 64bit)

2) Remove esx servers from inventory on old VCenter server

3) Add ESX servers to new 4.1 VCenter server

4) Upgrade ESX server 4.0 to 4.1 using the update manager

Is this correct?

Many thanks!

[Troy_Clavell]

looks good except for step 4.  You can't upgrade from ESX to ESXi, you'll need to rebuild

[nkrishnan]

Steps looks good to me, please follow below procedure to migration (not upgrade) the system from ESX to ESXihttp://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/esxi-and-esx/

Also it is recommended going to ESXi4.1U1 rather than ESXi4.1. Because ESX4.0U3 released after ESX4.1,also ESX4.1U1 will have more bug fixes than ESX4.1.

-Nithin