vCenter Server Migration

[ChevUribe]

Right now, one or our clients is using vCenter Server on a physical unit.

Since it is running in 5.5 version, we opened up if we could upgrade it to 6.5 and it VM format to leverage features as a VM.

Do VMware has any migration tools to support from physical to virtual?

Or can we just use the usual VMware converter tools?

[vijayrana968]

Instead of converting existing vCenter, I would choose to deploy new VM with vCenter 6.5 to keep it simple and easy. You can restore the existing database on new vCenter 6.5 so all your configuration and data will be preserved. Later you can migrate host and VMs to the new one and after monitoring for sometime you can decommission the physical vCenter.

If you have not big infrastructure, vCenter 6.5 appliance will be the best as you can save Windows license. Since architecture is changed starting from vSphere 6.0 so plan accordingly.

Example Upgrade Paths for vCenter Server version 5.5 to version 6.5

Upgrade or Migration Order and Mixed-Version Transitional Behavior for Multiple vCenter Server Insta...

[ChevUribe]

It could work but there are some existing applications on the vCenter like hp data protector agent and simplivity arbiter so reinstalling vCenter or appliance base type is not an.option.

[HarjitSB]

Hello Chev,

VMware Converter is the right tool to migrate from Physical to virtual and then The following upgrade paths will help you to migrate to latest release of vCenter Server.

Example Upgrade Paths for vCenter Server version 5.5 to version 6.5

Rgds

-Harjit Singh

vmwars.wordpress.com

Please mark it helpful if sounds ok for you