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Balteck71
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Migrating from ESX 4.0 build 175626

Hello everyone, I inherited an ESX 4.0 server located in a server farm where are running 9 VMs .

Specifically are 4 Linux (Centos 5.9 and Ubuntu 6.06) and 4 Windows (3 2003 and 2008) plus an XP with vCenter Server.

The storage in an internal DAS in VMFS3.

I should migrate it to a more recent hardware with internal storage, but above all to a newest hypervisor that supports win2012 or new Linux distros

As these virtual machines are in production for hosting services, mail, dns, etc, I would like to ask some VMWare gurus which is the best way to achieve this, with the lowest hold time and data security.

On this server I have a gigabit network card for the management console, one for internet publishing and one unused.

I have read that Veeam Quick Migration could copy VMs from one host to another, or need I temporarily put a NAS to transfer VMs from old ESX4.0 and then show them to the new one?

Can vMotion works from esx 4.0 to esx 6.5 (or 6.x, or 5.x)?

Thank you so much for the help you could give me

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TheBobkin
Champion
Champion

Hello,

vCenter 5.5 is the highest version that can manage a 4.0 ESX host:

https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php#interop&1=&2=

Unfotunately though, I believe you need ESXi 5.1 or higher to vmotion without shared storage:

https://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-55/index.jsp#com.vmware.vsphere.vcenterhost.doc/GUID-561681D9-6511-4...

Windows Server 2012 R2 is supported on ESXi 5.5 hosts so you could even just have a host on 5.5 then upgrade it and vCenter later.

However it would probably be less hassle overall to get temporary storage as you suggested, migrate them to this and then to destination host (of whichever version you prefer).

Bob

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Balteck71
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

So, If I understood well:

1) buy a new HW and install ESXi 5.5.

2) install vCenter virtual appliance and attach the new ESXi 5.5 to it

3) detach esx 4.0 from old vcenter server (an VM XP)

4) attach the old ESX 4.0 to new vCenter virtual appliance running on ESXi 5.5

5) get a temporary NAS (iscsi or nfs?) and connect it on both host (with the unused Gigabit interface on old server)

6) vMotion both host and storage of all VMs to ESXi 5.5 and NAS

7) detach ESX 4.0 from the new vCenter virtual appliance.

😎 vMotion storage of all VMs to new ESXi 5.5 internal storage

9) install ESXi 5.5 on the old server

10) attach the old server running ESXi 5.5 to the vCenter virtual appliance

All ten tasks without power off or suspend any of VMs?

In this way I have two host running ESXi 5.5 managed with the new vCenter virtual appliance, where I can use both for production or for maintenance (ie. make a vMotion Host and Storage, from one host to other for applying patches without downtime). Right?

Or is it better at point 8 to install esxi 6.5 on old server, upgrade vcenter virtual appliance, vmotion host all VMs to ESXi 6.5 running on old server, upgrade the new ESXi 5.5 to ESXi 6.5 and then vMotion storage of all VMs in internal storage?

Do I need to connect both hosts with a 10Gbit for using vMotion without shared storage?

Using instead Quick Migration without shared storage from Veeam is a bad idea?

Raffaele

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