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JohnnyBravo
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Upgrade Method Preferences

I am looking for peoples opinions on their preffered ESX3.5 to vSphere 4 update 1 upgrade methods - whether it be VUM, Host upgrade, clean install and the reasons why and issues they have encountered with each, gotchas etc etc. Particuarly interested in any upgrades involving SRM or\and View.

Thanks for your time

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Rob_Bohmann1
Expert
Expert

Whenever capacity allows, I would prefer to do a clean install over an in place upgrade when moving between major releases (3x > 4x) This gives you a chance to revisit your service console paritioning (if using ESX) and make adjustments, update the bios and firmware, adjust the hardware layout or add devices, I always "felt" better knowing that the hosts have a clean install ( I like to wipe and recreate the array as well).

Although there are methods available to strip the san drivers from the install process, when using FC shared storage, I also prefer to physically disconnect the cables to avoid oops. This is of course dependent on if you have easy access to the data center and are not doing a remote upgrade.

So there are always the "depends", and many people do things differently and with great success. Always test your methods a few times to make your mistakes with non-prod equipment and create the procedures and checklists that work for you in your environment. Then you will go into the actual upgrade with confidence.

Also I would go slow at first (1 host at a time) so you can stop and back out changes or run without a host while you determine what went wrong.

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JohnnyBravo
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Regarding the revisting of original configurations, these where my thoughts exactly. Using the upgrade as an excuse to apply things that maybe should have been done first time round.

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