Upgrading Vsphere ESXi 6.0 to 7

[sandroalvesbras]

Hi,

i need to update a scenario with vcenter 6.0 and vsphere 6.0 to the latest one which is 7. Can i apply the latest update directly?

In the case of vcenter (vcsa) I always install a new vcenter, but in this scenario I have a vsphere replication.

What better option?

There are two servers with vsphere esxi, a vcenter and a vsphere replication.

Thank you.

[nachogonzalez]

Hi, hope you are doing fine.

Regarding vSphere upgrade:

1. Please make sure if hardware is compatible with vSphere 7 in VMware HCL.
2. Are you using vCenter with an embedded PSC or External PSC?

Here  is what I Would do:

1. take a backup of the VCSA (snapshot, file and external tool)
2. upgrade VCSA to vSphere 7
3. empty your hosts and upgrade manually one by one.

Regarding vSphere replication:
Upgrading vSphere Replication

Warm regards

[Nawals]

Hi,

You need intermediate hops for upgrading vCenter, ESXi and vSphere Replication. You need to check the the compatibility matrix for upgrade. as you can see below. In environment using vSphere replication then follow this link to follow order for upgrade.Order of Upgrading vSphere and vSphere Replication Components

VMware Product Interoperability Matrices

[Lalegre]

Let me tell you that the approach you are following to "ugprade" re-installing the vCenter is never a good choice as it involver multiple operations and you will lose useful metrics that mosts of the external solutions uses.

However you need to plan the upgrade when having multiple solutions and that depends on which versions do you have. So please share here the next:

• ESXi Hardware model, vendor and CPU.
• ESXi version
• vSphere Replication version.
• vCenter Server version
• vCenter Server type (VCSA or Windows)
• Type of deployed topology: Embedded (PSC and vCenter in same VM) or External (PSC and vCenter in different VMs)

[sandroalvesbras]

Hi, Lalegre​

I describe the settings below.

I like to install everything new.

I see that the R520 can migrate up to 6.5 U3, while the R530 can reach up to 7.

I have two host with R520 with a vCenter (Site 1)

- Some servers on host 1 replicate to host 2

I have two host with R530 with a vCenter (Site 2)

- Some servers on host 1 replicate to host 2

ESXi Hardware model, vendor and CPU: Dell R520 / R530

ESXi version: ESXi 6.0 U2

vSphere Replication version: 6.1

vCenter Server version: 6.0

vCenter Server type (VCSA or Windows): VCSA

Type of deployed topology: Embedded

Thank you.

[sandroalvesbras]

nachogonzalez​

Direct upgrade to VCSA 6.5 or 7 will it work?

I use everything in the VCSA.

[IRIX201110141]

Yes, a direct upgrade of VCSA 6.5.0 to 7.0 is possible. Did not read the upgrade matrix?

Regards,
Joerg

[Lalegre · Accepted solution]

Hey sandroalvesbrasil​,

Before starting the upgrade you need to have a lot of considerations based on your current versions:

• The version of vSphere replication you have MAYBE will stop working when you upgrade vCenter Server and ESXi as it is not supported, this will also happen even if you first upgrade vSphere Replication as the new versions do not support 6.0 U2 and 6.0: VMware Product Interoperability Matrices
• Directly upgrade from ESXi 6.0 U2 to 7 is NOT supported as you can see here: VMware Product Interoperability Matrices. For the R520 even as it supports 6.5 U3 maximum you have to take into account the next considerations as you are upgrading from 6.0 U2: VMware Knowledge Base
• Directly upgrade from vCenter 6.0 to 7 is NOT supported you need to go to some intermediate versions: VMware Product Interoperability Matrices

Having said that I suggest you the following:

1. Upgrade vCenter Server from 6.0 to 6.7 U3 (If you have Enhanced Linked Mode then you should to both sites) - If you do not have ELM this is an intermediate step for Site 2.
2. Upgrade ESXi from 6.0 U2 to 6.5 U3 for both sites - This will be an intermediate step for Site 2 as you can support 7.0 U1.
3. Upgrade vSphere Replication from 6.1 to 6.1.2, then 6.1.2 to 8.1.2 and finally 8.1.2 to 8.3.1 - This version supports till version 6.5 U2 which you are fine with.
4. Supposing you have Enhanced Linked Mode, upgrade both vCenter from 6.7 U3 to 7.0 U1. If you do not have it, do it also as the HTML5 console is fully completed and in 6.7 U3 is not fully completed and the Flash Web Client will be unsupported from December 2020.
5. Upgrade your ESXi on Site 2 to version 7.0 U1.

That is the recommended matrix to follow by VMware and remember, there is no combination possble for having vSphere Replication fully functional at all time as the version you have is really old and at that time there was a one-to-one compatibility between vSphere and vSphere Replication. Of course you can do other intermediate upgrade for vSphere Replication if needed but this will only to accommodate different maintenance windows if needed.

Read it carefully and in case you do not understand something, let me know :smileygrin:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Did you find this helpful? Let us know by completing this survey (takes 1 minute!)"

[sandroalvesbras]

Understand, Lalegre​

Is using the update strategy safe?

Wouldn't installing a new vcenter in the latest supported version and then deploy vsphere replication also be more secure?

I say this because some say the upgrade is not very safe for vCenter when I read it at the time that I upgraded an environment with vCenter Windows.

I can make a first attempt and evaluate the result, as I will have to perform this procedure in five other regions.

The only action I really need to do is vSphere ESXi and I will inevitably have downtime.

Thank you.

[sandroalvesbras]

IRIX201110141 ​Sorry, I actually asked because I read that I couldn't do it straight from 6.0 to 7. I got it wrong.

[Lalegre]

Hey sandroalvesbrasil​,

Of course always there are some risks during the upgrade as you cannot prevent everything and some random issues could appear but what I described are the supported paths to do and yes, is complex and have a lot of jumps.

From my point of view, install a new vCenter just for update is not a choice as there are a lot of metrics lost in that process and you will need to reconfigure everything again. Of course that is what I think and of course one point is what it should be done and another point is how it applies to every business reality.

So if you ask me, yes, installing a new vCenter and vSphere Replication is much easier but as you said you will have downtime as you do not have the ability to vMotion VMs to a secondary host under the same vCenter (Assuming you have the license for that). The ESXi will need to be updated before adding to vCenter as it will be not compatible.

The good thing talking about the Replicas is that you can maintain the replicas and use the files as seeds to really decrease the time needed for the first replication: Replicating Virtual Machines Using Replication Seeds

[IRIX201110141]

sandroalvesbrasil​

No. Youre right and iam wrong. I missread that youre already on VCSA 6.5. This is the earlisten version which can be upgraded to 7.0 directly. But youre on VCSA 6.0 right? Than is the answer "no".

Btw.:

• Your old R520 are not certified for ESXi 7.0
• An VCSA 7.0 can manage ESXi 7.x, 6.5 and 6.0.

Regards,
Joerg

[sandroalvesbras]

Hi, Lalegre​

yes, of course everything depends on each scenario.

As this environment is small and does not have a complex configuration, that is, it is a simple vCenter with vSwitch Standard and nothing else.

VSphere Replication is also configured to replicate two machines only.

It is an environment with two hosts and four virtual machines on each host.

So I keep asking myself, is it worth upgrading everything?

Regarding updating the host first, yes I am aware. The last few times I deployed vCenter to the environment as it was (old versions) and after updating the host I inserted these into vCenter.

In the previous cases it was vCenter Windows yet this is the first scenario with VCSA that I work with.

Thank you.

[Lalegre]

Hey sandroalvesbrasil​,

Giving your scenario then not, is not worth it. Go ahead by installing a new vCenter Server and configure everything again it will be less complex and by upgrading it you won't get any different benefit than by installing manually.

All my considerations were described in the previous comments.