Hi
ive inherited a 5.5.0 esx server and want to preserve it and I cant upgrade to 6.5 then 7.0 as I cant download the 6.5 installer, can anyone help please
If your datastore is VMFS5 then this is compatible with 7. The hardware version of the VMs shouldn't be a problem as well. See https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2007240 The other way around is a bit harder (newer VM hardware on an older host). When you are done with the reinstall you can upgrade VMFS but that is not required. The same goes for the VM hardware version and VMware Tools.
1. Check that all the hardware (system, CPU, IO devices) is compatible: https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php
2. Downloads are available to those with a license entitlement.
Hello.
To download VMware software you need to have a user and password (free registration) and have a product you purchased registered.
You can obtain ISO image of VMware vSphere Hypervisor and Free license by clicking on the following links, if you do not have a user you can also obtain a free user. The free license has several limitations
https://my.vmware.com/en/web/vmware/evalcenter?p=free-esxi7
https://my.vmware.com/en/group/vmware/evalcenter?p=free-esxi6
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2107518
i'm aware of what you posted.
I have a v7.0 licence but need to get the machine there from 5.5.0 and need a 6.0 or 6.5 installer
no, the link you posted is 6.7 I need 6. or 6.5 but don't have media, I have a 7.0 licence but to get there from 5.5.0 I need a 6.0 or 6.50 installer to preserve the current install
Hello.
If you have the v7.0 license registered in My VMware, you can enter with the user and password that registered this license and get the versions you need to migrate. Remember to validate your hardware because if it is very old it may not be compatible with the new versions of VMware vSphere.
When you install VMware vSphere, you get a 60-day Full Demo license. After this time or before you must enter either a Free license or a paid license.
I have logged with the user that has 7.0 license but do not get an option to obtain v6.0 or v6.5 media
Hello.
choose download Product and then select the version you require
I get what you're saying but there is no where I can request a key for an older product this means that you cant download that product!!
What exactly are you trying to preserve? Why is it not possible to reinstall the host with ESXi 7?
If the VMs are on local storage you can shut down the VMs. Then boot the host with an ESXi 7 image and do a clean install. When the host is up and running again you should be able to see the datastore and start the VMs. The only thing you should keep in mind that you select the correct partition on which to install ESXi7. DO NOT OVERWRITE YOUR DATASTORE...
When your VMs are on shared storage it's even easier. Move them to another host and reinstall the host with ESXi 7. Or shut them down and do the reinstall.
Hi
to preserve the vmfs doesn't it need to go through the appropriate upgrade paths. I don't mind selecting new install and preserve vmfs but will that allow vms running at 5.5.0 kernel level to boot and upgrade. Will allow the VMFS to upgrade through the versions too?
If your datastore is VMFS5 then this is compatible with 7. The hardware version of the VMs shouldn't be a problem as well. See https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2007240 The other way around is a bit harder (newer VM hardware on an older host). When you are done with the reinstall you can upgrade VMFS but that is not required. The same goes for the VM hardware version and VMware Tools.
Have you downgraded the v7 license key to a v6 key?
jburen, thank you
so i'll run the v7.0 install against my 5.5.0 esx server and select new install, preserve vmfs
thanks for the help
Jburen
ok all done, the disk had a default datastore on it (datastore1) and the installer warned it would get wiped. I decides to use a different disk anyway for my new esx partition. The vm is up and running but I do have some compatibility issues and will need new hardware before going up any further versions. For right here and now though, its all ok, thanks for your expert help👍
Everytime i tried to get 6.0 or 6.5 it took me to 6.7
the best solution was provided by jburen
If the host had ESXi 5.5 it probably is a couple of years old 😉 So upgrading some parts (or the whole server) is not a bad idea. I'm glad you figured it out. Good luck!
Its not an actual server its s custom built pc.
its complaining about pci compatibility so likely it means a new motherboard