Vsphere migration and upgrade

[michelecreston]

Hi All,

I hope someone can help me.

Current situation:
3 vsphere 6.5 nodes + 1 vCenter 6.5 correctly licensed and in production

we have purchased 3 new nodes that will replace the 3 old nodes, we will also replace the vCenter. at the same time we will install version 7 of vsphere and vcenter.

My questions/clarifications are these:

1. 
   when i go to do UPGRADE LICENSE from vmware web panel (to upgrade from 6.5 to 7) do i have any side effect on nodes in production with 6.5? since it is in fact an upgrade from 6.5 to 7?
2. 
   if there are no problems with question 1, can i install the vsphere 7 license (upgraded from 6.5) on the 3 new nodes + new vcenter? so that the new infrastructure is operational and the migration of the virtual machines can begin?
3. 
   Basically I'd like to keep both the old 6.5 and the new 7.0 infrastructure up and running with the same license, just for the time needed for the migration. once the migration is over I'd go and uninstall the old nodes and the old vcenter.
4. 
   is this feasible? are there any limits/problems i could encounter?

Thank you very much for your availability and I apologise for the questions but before creating a mess in a production environment I wanted some confirmation from someone who knows more about licensing than I do.

[scott28tt]

And now I see you found the vSphere area and created a duplicate post anyway.

[michelecreston]

Yes sorry but at I can't found the vsphere section. now is ok. sorry for mistake

[a_p_]

VMware's EULA allows you to only use the licensed capacity once. There may not be a technical issue with upgrading the licenses while the old systems are still in use, but this will violate the EULA.

For upgrades or a refresh as in your case, the proper way to do this, is to install the new environment and leave it running in evaluation mode (which is 60 days), which should give you plenty of time to do the migration. Once the old vCenter Server and hosts are gone, upgrade the license keys, and assign them to the new systems.

André

[michelecreston]

Tks Andrè for your reply, I've thought the same way, but I need more then 60 days for complete migration.

I must migrate vm in a lot of steps unfortunately.

anyway Tks for your answer

[ESXiClash]

1. when i go to do UPGRADE LICENSE from vmware web panel (to upgrade from 6.5 to 7) do i have any side effect on nodes in production with 6.5? since it is in fact an upgrade from 6.5 to 7? - There is no Impact on License Once you Upgrade you need to install the latest key. if you're Planning in House upgrade look at the Back time Upgrade limitation. Always consider that https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/67077
2. if there are no problems with question 1, can i install the sphere 7 license (upgraded from 6.5) on the 3 new nodes + new vcenter? so that the new infrastructure is operational and the migration of the virtual machines can begin? one thing if you are looking for new Infra Stability. you can upgrade to 7.0 First your License support you won't have any issues. Run the new Infra on EVAL license your Perform Bench Mark testing to see if you find a performance challenge. you need to plan on migration like maintenance window to new Infra Servers. Once you Upgrade the license key in Customer portal. Old Key will still exist but there is a limitation of Day usage. reach out to VMware nontechnical Support they will provide you more info w.r.t License
3. Basically I'd like to keep both the old 6.5 and the new 7.0 infrastructure up and running with the same license, just for the time needed for the migration. once the migration is over I'd go and uninstall the old nodes and the old vcenter. - this isn't a possible option you are licensed if you are licensed for 6 CPU, 1 vCenter Instance, and try to run with 12 CPU and 2 vCenter Instance. Either you need to choose which hardware will run on Eval License with Limited Capabilities or Purchase New License it would cost you like 20,000$ roughly