VMware vCenter Server - 6.7 User Manual
vCenter Server Upgrade
17 APR 2018
VMware vSphere 6.7
vCenter Server 6.7
vCenter Server Upgrade
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https://docs.vmware.com/
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Copyright © 2018 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information.
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Contents
About vCenter Server Upgrade 5
1
Overview of the vSphere Upgrade Process 6
vSphere 6.7 Component Behavior Changes that Affect Upgrade 11
Deployment Topologies with External Platform Services Controller Instances and High Availability 21
Moving from a Deprecated to a Supported vCenter Server Deployment Topology Before Upgrade
or Migration 23
Example Upgrade Paths from vCenter Server version 6.x to version 6.7 25
Example Migration Paths from vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 26
Upgrading vCenter Server for Windows 29
2
About the vCenter Server for Windows Upgrade Process 29
vCenter Server for Windows Requirements 30
Before Upgrading vCenter Server 41
Required Information for Upgrading vCenter Server on Windows 57
Upgrading vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 on Windows 58
Upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller
3
Appliance 67
About the Upgrade Process of the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller
Appliance 69
System Requirements for the New vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller
Appliance 71
Preparing to Upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance 80
Prerequisites for Upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance or Platform Services Controller
Appliance 90
GUI Upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance 91
CLI Upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance 118
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Migrating vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Appliance 137
4
Overview of Migration from vCenter Server on Windows to an Appliance 137
System Requirements for Migrating vCenter Server Deployments to vCenter Server Appliance
Deployments 141
Pre-migration Checks 142
Known Limitations 143
Preparing for Migration 143
Prerequisites for Migrating vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller 155
Required Information for Migrating vCenter Server from Windows to an Appliance 157
3
vCenter Server Upgrade
GUI Migration of vCenter Server with an Embedded vCenter Single Sign-On or
Platform Services Controller to an Appliance 161
GUI Migration of vCenter Server with an External vCenter Single Sign-On or
Platform Services Controller to an Appliance 168
CLI Migration of a vCenter Server Installation from Windows to an Appliance 179
After Upgrading or Migrating vCenter Server 197
5
Verify Your vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade or Migration Is Successful 198
Log in to vCenter Server by Using the vSphere Client 198
Install the VMware Enhanced Authentication Plug-in 199
Uninstall the TLS Configuration Utility on Windows 200
Collect vCenter Server Log Files 201
Identity Sources for vCenter Server with vCenter Single Sign-On 201
Reregister Solution in vCenter Server after Upgrade or Migration 202
Roll Back a vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade or vCenter Server on Windows Migration 203
Monitor and Manage Historical Data Migration 203
Changing a vCenter Server Deployment Type After Upgrade or Migration 205
6
Repoint vCenter Server to Another External Platform Services Controller in the Same Domain 205
Patching and Updating vCenter Server 6.7 Deployments 207
7
Patching the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance 207
Update the Java Components and vCenter Server tc Server with VIMPatch 220
Troubleshooting a vSphere Upgrade 222
8
Collecting Logs for Troubleshooting a vCenter Server Installation or Upgrade 222
Errors and Warnings Returned by the Installation and Upgrade Precheck Script 225
Upgrade Issues with vCenter Server Containing Host Profiles 227
Roll Back a vCenter Server Instance on Windows When vCenter Server Upgrade Fails 228
Microsoft SQL Database Set to Unsupported Compatibility Mode Causes vCenter Server
Installation or Upgrade to Fail 229
Collect Logs to Troubleshoot ESXi Hosts 229
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About vCenter Server Upgrade 1
vCenter Server 6.7 provides many options for upgrading your vCenter Server deployment. For a
successful vCenter Server upgrade, you must understand the upgrade options, the configuration details
that impact the upgrade process, and the sequence of tasks.
The two core components of vSphere are VMware ESXi™ and VMware vCenter Server™. ESXi is the
virtualization platform on which you can create and run virtual machines and virtual appliances.
vCenter Server is a service that acts as a central administrator for ESXi hosts connected in a network.
You use the vCenter Server system to pool and manage the resources of multiple hosts.
vCenter Server Appliance is a preconfigured Linux OS-based virtual machine optimized for running the
vCenter Server system and the vCenter Server components.
Starting with vSphere 6.0, important required services for running vCenter Server and the vCenter Server
components are included in the Platform Services Controller.
Based on your existing vCenter Server configuration details, you can upgrade to one of the following
deployment types:
n
vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller.
n
vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller.
Important You cannot change your vCenter Server deployment type during upgrade.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
Overview of the vSphere Upgrade Process
n
vSphere 6.7 Component Behavior Changes that Affect Upgrade
n
Deployment Topologies with External Platform Services Controller Instances and High Availability
n
Moving from a Deprecated to a Supported vCenter Server Deployment Topology Before Upgrade or
Migration
n
Example Upgrade Paths from vCenter Server version 6.x to version 6.7
n
Example Migration Paths from vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Appliance 6.7
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Start vSphere upgrade
Upgrade to vSphere 6.7 complete
Back up your configuration
Upgrade vCenter Server
Upgrade ESXi hosts
Upgrade virtual machines
and virtual appliances
vCenter Server Upgrade
Overview of the vSphere Upgrade Process
vSphere is a sophisticated product with multiple components to upgrade. Understanding the required
sequence of tasks is vital for a successful vSphere upgrade.
Figure 1‑1. Overview of High-Level vSphere Upgrade Tasks
Upgrading vSphere includes the following tasks:
1 Read the vSphere release notes.
2 Verify that you have backed up your configuration.
3 If your vSphere system includes VMware solutions or plug-ins, verify that they are compatible with the
vCenter Server or vCenter Server Appliance version to which you are upgrading. See VMware
Product Interoperability Matrix at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.
4 If your vSphere system includes Platform Services Controller, upgrade Platform Services Controller
appliance 6.0 to version 6.7.
5 Upgrade vCenter Server.
See Overview of the vCenter Server Upgrade Process.
6 If you are using vSphere Update Manager, upgrade it. Refer to the
VMware vSphere Update Manager documentation.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
7 To ensure sufficient disk storage for log files, consider setting up a syslog server for remote logging.
Setting up logging on a remote host is especially important for hosts with limited local storage.
For detailed instructions, see ESXi Upgrade.
8 Upgrade your VMs and virtual appliances, manually or by using vSphere Update Manager, to perform
an orchestrated upgrade.
For detailed instructions, see ESXi Upgrade.
When you upgrade vSphere, you must perform all procedures in sequence to avoid possible data loss
and to minimize downtime. You can perform the upgrade process for each component in only one
direction. For example, after you upgrade to vCenter Server 6.7, you cannot revert to vCenter Server
version 6.0 or version 6.5. With backups and some planning, however, you can restore your original
software records.
Overview of the vCenter Server Upgrade Process
VMware provides many options to upgrade to vCenter Server 6.7.
You can upgrade or migrate your vCenter Server version 6.0 or version 6.5 installation to version 6.7
using the method that best addresses your deployment goals and requirements.
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Choose
your
upgrade
method
Start vCenter Server upgrade
Verify you meet the
upgrade requirements
Prepare the
upgrade environment
Upgrade vCenter
Server on Windows
Migrate vCenter Server
on Windows to vCenter
Server Appliance
Upgrade vCenter
Server Appliance
Complete post-upgrade
tasks
Upgrade to vCenter
Server 6.7 is complete
vCenter Server Upgrade
Figure 1‑2. vCenter Server High-level Upgrade Tasks
High-level steps for upgrading or migrating vCenter Server:
1 Select your upgrade goal.
n
Chapter 3 Upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance
n
Chapter 2 Upgrading vCenter Server for Windows
n
Chapter 4 Migrating vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Appliance
2 Verify that your system meets the hardware and software requirements.
3 Prepare your environment for the upgrade or migration.
4 Upgrade or migrate your vCenter Server for Windows or vCenter Server Appliance deployment.
5 Complete any required post-upgrade or post-migration tasks.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
You can connect vCenter Server instances with external Platform Services Controller instances in an
Enhanced Linked Mode configuration.
Important Although you can choose to join a vCenter Single Sign-On domain, you should consider
vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller as a standalone installation and do not
use it for replication of infrastructure data.
Concurrent upgrades are not supported and upgrade order matters. For information on upgrade order for
transitional environments, see Upgrade or Migration Order and Mixed-Version Transitional Behavior for
Multiple vCenter Server Instance Deployments.
vCenter Server Supported Upgrade Methods
Graphical User
Interface (GUI) Installer
Command Line
Interface (CLI) Installer
Migration Assistant
Interface for Migrating
vCenter Server on
Windows to
vCenter Server
Appliance
Deprecated vCenter
Server Deployment
Models
The GUI installer provides a two-step upgrade method using an OVA file
that you deploy, and the vCenter Server Appliance Management GUI. The
first step deploys an unconfigured Platform Services Controller appliance or
vCenter Server Appliance as an OVA file. The second step uses the
vCenter Server Appliance Management GUI to configure the new appliance
using the source deployment data.
The CLI installer provides advanced users with a CLI method for upgrading
the vCenter Server Appliance or migrating vCenter Server on Windows to
an appliance. You can upgrade or migrate to vCenter Server Appliance
configurations using customized CLI templates.
When you migrate a legacy vCenter Single Sign-On,
Platform Services Controller, or vCenter Server on Windows to an
appliance using the Migration Assistant interface. You can use either the
GUI method or the CLI method to migrate the legacy Windows installation
data to a target appliance. See Overview of Migration from vCenter Server
on Windows to an Appliance.
When upgrading or migrating from deprecated deployment models, you
must first migrate your deployment to a currently supported deployment
model before attempting to upgrade or migrate it to a vCenter Server 6.7
deployment. For more information, see Moving from a Deprecated to a
Supported vCenter Server Deployment Topology Before Upgrade or
Migration
Patching and Updating
vCenter Server
A patch or update brings the vCenter Server 6.7 software up to the current
minor version on the existing physical or virtual machine. You can use the
patching process to make minor upgrades to your 6.7 deployment. See
Differences Between vSphere Upgrades, Patches, Updates, and Migrations
and Chapter 7 Patching and Updating vCenter Server 6.7 Deployments.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
vCenter Server Upgrade Compatibility
The upgrade to vCenter Server 6.7 affects other software components of the data center.
Table 1‑1 summarizes how upgrading vCenter Server can affect your data center components.
vCenter Server 6.7 can manage ESXi version 6.0 or 6.5 hosts in the same cluster with ESXi 6.7 hosts
vCenter Server 6.7 cannot manage ESXi 5.5 or earlier hosts.
vSphere supports upgrades from vCenter Server 6.0 and later to vCenter Server 6.7. To upgrade from
vCenter Server 5.0, 5.1 or 5.5, you must first upgrade the vCenter Server instance to version 6.0 or later
releases, and then upgrade to vCenter Server 6.7. For information about upgrading vCenter Server 5.0,
5.1, or 5.5 to version 6.0 or 6.5, see the VMware vSphere 6.0 Documentation or VMware vSphere 6.5
Documentation
Table 1‑1. Upgrading vCenter Server and Related VMware Products and Components
Product or Component Compatibility
vCenter Server Verify support for the upgrade path from your current version of vCenter Server to your planned
upgrade version. See the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.
vCenter Server database Verify that your database is supported for the vCenter Server version that you are upgrading to.
Upgrade the database if necessary. See the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.
Note vCenter Server Appliance for version 6.7 uses PostgreSQL for the embedded database.
vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 does not support external databases.
vSphere Web Client Verify that your vSphere Web Client works with the vCenter Server version that you are
upgrading to. For best performance and compatibility, upgrade your vSphere Web Client to the
same version as your vCenter Server. See the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.
ESX and ESXi hosts Verify that your ESX or ESXi host works with the vCenter Server version that you are upgrading
to. vCenter Server 6.7 requires ESXi host version 6.0 or later. Upgrade if necessary. See the
VMware Product Interoperability Matrix at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.
VMware Host Profiles Host Profiles is a vCenter Server tool for designing and deploying ESX and ESXi hosts. Ensure
that you are using Host Profiles version 6.0 or later. See Knowledge Base article KB 52932.
For more information on upgrade issues related to Host Profiles, see Upgrade Issues with
vCenter Server Containing Host Profiles and the sections on recommended Host Profiles
upgrade workflows in the vSphere Host Profiles documentation.
VMFS-3 volumes ESXi and vCenter Server supports VMFS3, VMFS5, and VMFS6 datastores. You can continue to
use existing VMFS-3 datastores, but you cannot create new VMFS-3 datastores. If you have
VMFS-3 datastores, upgrade them to VMFS-6. For more information on VMFS datastores, see
the vSphere Storage documentation.
Virtual machines Upgrade options depend on your current version. See the information about upgrading virtual
machines in the ESXi Upgrade documentation.
VMware Tools Upgrade options depend on your current version. See the information about upgrading VMware
Tools in the ESXi Upgrade documentation.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
Table 1‑1. Upgrading vCenter Server and Related VMware Products and Components
(Continued)
Product or Component Compatibility
Auto Deploy To ensure compatibility and best performance, when you upgrade to vCenter Server 6.7, use
Auto Deploy to upgrade ESXi hosts to the same version.
vSphere Distributed Virtual
Switch (DVS)
vSphere Network I/O Control DVS version 6.0 or later supports only Network I/O Control version 3. If you are using an earlier
vSAN Synchronize versions of vCenter Server and ESXi to avoid potential faults because of differences
vSAN disk version vSAN has several different on-disk format versions available depending on the version and
Legacy Fault Tolerance If the vCenter Server inventory contains a VM on which legacy VMware Fault Tolerance (FT) is in
You must upgrade to DVS version 6.0 or later prior to upgrading to vCenter Server 6.7. See
Knowledge Base article KB 52826.
version of Network I/O Control you must upgrade to Network I/O Control version 3. For more
information, see the vSphere Networking documentation.
in the vSAN support in vCenter Server and ESXi. For the best integration between vSAN
components on vCenter Server and ESXi, deploy the latest version of these two vSphere
components. For more information, see the ESXi Installation and Setup, vCenter Server
Installation and Setup, ESXi Upgrade, and vCenter Server Upgrade documentation.
upgrade history of the cluster. Some on-disk format versions are transient while others are
intended for long-term production. As certain vSAN features are tied to the on-disk format
version, the format version must be accounted for when determining interoperability. See
Knowledge Base article KB 2145267.
use, upgrade or migration will be blocked until you turn off this feature. For information about
legacy FT, see Knowledge Base article KB 2143127. For information on disabling or turning off
FT, see Knowledge Base article KB 1008026.
vSphere 6.7 Component Behavior Changes that Aect
Upgrade
When upgrading to vSphere 6.7, it is important to understand changes in component behavior for version
6.7 that can affect the upgrade process.
Understanding changes from previous versions of vSphere can assist in your upgrade planning. For a
complete list of new features in vSphere 6.7, see the Release Notes for version 6.7 releases.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
vCenter Server Upgrade Methods
vSphere supports multiple methods for upgrading vCenter Server to version 6.7.
Supported Migration
Path from
vCenter Server for
Windows to
vCenter Server
Appliance
Support for Command
Line Interface (CLI)
Deployments of
vCenter Server
Appliance
Auto Deploy Changes You can use a graphical user interface (GUI) for upgrading vCenter Server
VMware Update
Manager Changes
Upgrade Order and
Mixed Version
Environment Behavior
You can migrate from an existing vCenter Server for Windows configuration
to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 deployment using a graphical user
interface-based installer or a command line interface-based installer. See
Differences between Upgrading and Migrating vCenter Server on Windows.
You can upgrade an existing vCenter Server Appliance deployment to
version 6.7 using a CLI. See CLI Upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance
and Platform Services Controller Appliance.
deployments that were initially set up with Auto Deploy.
You can use a graphical user interface (GUI) when upgrading
vCenter Server deployments using VMware Update Manager.
You cannot upgrade multiple vCenter Server instances or
Platform Services Controller instances concurrently, and upgrade order
matters. See Upgrade or Migration Order and Mixed-Version Transitional
Behavior for Multiple vCenter Server Instance Deployments.
Changes in Supported Deployment Types
Changes from previous versions of vSphere can affect your deployment type.
Topology Changes
After Upgrade or
Migration
You can change your deployment topology after upgrade or migration to
vCenter Server 6.7. You cannot change your deployment type during
upgrade or migration. For information on supported topology changes, see
Chapter 6 Changing a vCenter Server Deployment Type After Upgrade or
Migration.
Mixed IPv4 and IPv6 Upgrade and Migration
n
Upgrade and migration from vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 to 6.7 is supported for pure IPv4 or pure IPv6
management networks only.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
n
Upgrade and migration from a mixed mode IPv4 and IPv6 environment transfers configurations
depending on the source deployment configuration.
Table 1‑2. Transfer of networking configuration settings for mixed mode IPv4 and IPv6
deployments
Settings transferred during upgrade
Source configuration
DHCPv6 and AUTOv6 DHCPv6 AUTOv6
DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 DHCPv4 DHCPv6
DHCPv4 and AUTOv6 DHCPv4 AUTOv6
DHCPv4 and Static IPv6 Static IPv6 DHCPv4
Static IPv4 and AUTOv6 Static IPv4 AUTOv6
Static IPv4 and DHCPv6 Static IPv4 DHCPv6
Static IPv4 and Static IPv6 Static IPv4 and Static IPv6 -
or migration
Changes Aecting VMware Services
Changes affecting VMware services may affect your upgrade planning.
Embedded PostgreSQL
Database Replaces
Embedded Microsoft
SQL Server Express
Database for
vCenter Server 6.0
The vCenter Server 6.0 embedded Microsoft SQL Server Express
database is replaced with an embedded PostgreSQL database during the
upgrade to vCenter Server 6.7. The maximum inventory size that applied
for Microsoft SQL Server Express still applies for PostgreSQL.
Settings not transferred during
upgrade or migration
vCenter Inventory
Services Removed for
vCenter Server 6.7
Using Oracle for
vCenter Server External
Database
VMware vSphere
Syslog Collector
vCenter Inventory Services are no longer needed for vCenter Server 6.7.
The upgrade process migrates the data and removes the vCenter Inventory
Services.
For information about supported database server versions, see the VMware
Product Interoperability Matrix at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.
Starting with vCenter Server 6.0 for Windows, vSphere Syslog Collector is
included in the vCenter Server group of services. vSphere Syslog Collector
continues to function exactly as for vCenter Server 5.5. However, it is no
longer used for vCenter Server Appliance.
VMware Syslog Service Starting with vCenter Server Appliance 6.0, vSphere Syslog Service is a
support tool for logging that is included in the vCenter Server group of
services.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
Upgrade or Migration Order and Mixed-Version Transitional Behavior for Multiple vCenter Server Instance Deployments
When you upgrade or migrate a deployment with multiple vCenter Server instances, the upgrade or
migration order matters.
You upgrade or migrate externally deployedPlatform Services Controller 6.0 and 6.5 instances first. You
temporarily leave the vCenter Server instances at version 6.0 or version 6.5 while you complete the
upgrade or migration process for thePlatform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5 instances.
n
You must upgrade or migrate your Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5 instances sequentially.
n
For a mixed-platform installation with Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5 instances on Windows
and vCenter Server Appliance instances, upgrade or migrate all the Platform Services Controller 6.0
or 6.5 instances on Windows before upgrading any vCenter Server Appliance instances.
n
For a mixed-platform installation with Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5 appliances and
vCenter Server instances on Windows, upgrade all Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5 appliances
before upgrading or migrating any vCenter Server instances on Windows.
n
After upgrading or migrating your Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5 instances, you can upgrade
vCenter Server instances. vCenter Server instances that point to the same
Platform Services Controller can be upgraded or migrated concurrently.
When you upgrade an externally deployed Platform Services Controller 6.0 instance to an externally
deployed Platform Services Controller 6.7 instance, the legacy vCenter Server instances that were using
the component are not affected. The legacy vCenter Server instances continue to operate with the
upgraded Platform Services Controller just as they operated before the upgrade without any problems or
required reconfiguration. Legacy vCenter Server instances continue to be visible to the legacy
vSphere Web Client, though vCenter Server 6.7 instances are not visible to the legacy
vSphere Web Clients.
Transitional behavior during a migration from a vCenter Server deployment on Windows to an appliance
deployment is the same as for a vCenter Server upgrade on Windows.
Mixed-version transitional behavior is the same for vCenter Single Sign-On instances deployed in
vCenter Server vCenter Server Appliance environments.
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Platform Services Controller 6.7
Virtual Machine or Physical Server
vCenter Server 6.0
Virtual Machine or Physical Server
vCenter Server 6.5
Virtual Machine or Physical Server
Transitional Upgrade Environment: Start
Operating System Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5
vCenter Server Upgrade
Figure 1‑3. Mixed-Version 6.0 and 6.7 Transitional Environment
Important Mixed-version environments are not supported for production. Use these environments only
during the period when an environment is in transition between vCenter Server versions.
The transitional order and behavior are the same for vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 environments when
upgrading or migrating to vCenter Server 6.7 environments. The vCenter Server 6.0 instances continue
operating with the Platform Services Controller 6.7 instance as they did before the upgrade or migration,
without any problems or required action.
The only action required for a mixed-version environment after transition is a restart of any legacy
vSphere Web Client instances if they will be used to view vCenter Server instances that are not yet
upgraded or migrated.
Figure 1‑4. Example vSphere 6.0 or 6.5 Deployment Before Transition Begins
For example, a deployment with three vCenter Server instances and two external vCenter Single Sign-On
instances must be upgraded or migrated one instance at a time to version 6.7.
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Transitional Upgrade Environment: Step 1
Operating System
Operating System Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Platform Services Controller 6.7 Platform Services Controller 6.0 or 6.5
Transitional Upgrade Environment: Step 2
Operating System
Operating System Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Platform Services Controller 6.7 Platform Services Controller 6.7
vCenter Server Upgrade
Figure 1‑5. Example vSphere 6.0 or 6.5 Deployment in Transition at Step 1
Upgrading or migrating the first external vCenter Single Sign-On instance or Platform Services Controller
instance to an external Platform Services Controller of the current version has no impact on the legacy
vCenter Server instances.
Figure 1‑6. Example vSphere 6.0 or 6.5 Deployment in Transition at Step 2
Upgrading or migrating the second external Platform Services Controller instance to the current version
has no impact on the behavior of the legacy vCenter Server instances.
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Transitional Upgrade Environment: Step 3
Operating System
Operating System Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.7
Platform Services Controller 6.7 Platform Services Controller 6.7
vCenter Server Upgrade
Figure 1‑7. Example vSphere 6.0 or 6.5 Deployment in Transition at Step 3
After upgrading the first vCenter Server instance to 6.7, changes occur in the connectivity between the
vCenter Server instances.
n
The two remaining legacy vSphere Web Client instances can no longer view the newly upgraded
vCenter Server 6.7 instance after it joins the Platform Services Controller instance.
n
The legacy vSphere Web Client instances can still view the legacy vCenter Server instances after
they are restarted.
n
The vSphere Web Client 6.7 instance that is part of the newly upgraded vCenter Server 6.7 instance
can view the legacy vCenter Server instances and 6.7 instances.
After upgrading the second vCenter Server instance to 6.7, further changes occur in the connectivity
between the vCenter Server instances:
n
Linked Mode functionality is replaced by Enhanced Linked Mode functionality between the newly
upgraded vCenter Server 6.7 instances after they are joined to the Platform Services Controller.
n
The remaining legacy vSphere Web Client instance can no longer view the vCenter Server 6.7
instances.
n
The legacy vSphere Web Client instance can still view the legacy vCenter Server instances after they
are restarted.
n
The vSphere Web Client 6.7 instances that are part of the newly upgraded vCenter Server 6.7
instances can view the legacy vCenter Server instances and 6.7 instances.
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Transitional Upgrade Environment: Step 5
Operating System
Operating System Operating System
vCenter Server 6.7
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.7
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.7
Platform Services Controller 6.7 Platform Services Controller 6.7
vCenter Server Upgrade
Figure 1‑8. Example vSphere 6.0 Deployment After Step 5 with Upgrade Complete
After upgrading the third and final vCenter Server instance to 6.7, all the vCenter Server instances are
connected with full vCenter Server 6.7 functionality.
n
Enhanced Linked Mode functionality replaces Linked Mode functionality between all the legacy
vCenter Server instances after they are joined to the Platform Services Controller 6.7 instances.
n
The vSphere Web Client 6.7 instances can view all the vCenter Server 6.7 instances.
Dierences between Upgrading and Migrating vCenter Server on
Windows
You have two choices for moving your vCenter Server deployment on Windows to version 6.7: you can
use the upgrade on Windows process or you can use the migration process to convert your deployment
to an appliance at the same time that you upgrade the deployment to version 6.7.
It is important to understand the differences and similarities between upgrading and migrating
vCenter Server instances on Windows.
n
Choose the upgrade on Windows process to upgrade a vCenter Server version 6.0 or version 6.5
deployment on Windows to a vCenter Server 6.7 deployment on Windows. For details, see Chapter 2
Upgrading vCenter Server for Windows.
n
Choose the migration to an appliance process to convert a vCenter Server version 6.0 or version 6.5
deployment on Windows to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 deployment. For details, see Chapter 4
Migrating vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Appliance.
You can migrate the following vCenter Server deployment types from Windows to appliances while
upgrading to version 6.7:
n
vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller (version 6.0 or 6.5)
n
vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller (version 6.0 or 6.5)
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vCenter Server Upgrade
You can migrate with an embedded or external vCenter database. In either case, the database is
converted to an embedded PostgreSQL database on the new appliance. For more about the database
migration, see Preparing vCenter Server Databases for Migration.
You can migrate a vCenter Server installation to an appliance using either the GUI method or CLI method.
n
When migrating vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller (version 6.0 or 6.5),
the migration is a single workflow.
n
When migrating vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller (version 6.0 or 6.5),
migration order matters. You migrate Platform Services Controller instances before migrating
vCenter Server instances. For details, see Chapter 4 Migrating vCenter Server for Windows to
vCenter Server Appliance.
Preparation includes using VMware Migration Assistant to gather the required information on the source
vCenter Server instance or Platform Services Controller instance. For details, see Download and Run
VMware Migration Assistant on the Source Windows Machine.
Upgrading or Migrating to vSphere License Service
The License Service is in the Platform Services Controller. The License Service provides common license
inventory and management capabilities to the vCenter Server systems that are registered to a
Platform Services Controller or multiple Platform Services Controllers that are joined in one
vCenter Single Sign-On domain.
During the upgrade of the vCenter Server systems that are connected to a Platform Services Controller,
their licensing data is transferred to the License Service. The licensing data includes the available
licenses and license assignments for hosts, vCenter Server systems, vSAN clusters, and other products
that you use with vSphere.
After the upgrade or migration of the vCenter Server systems completes, the License Services stores the
available licenses and manages the license assignments for the entire vSphere environment. If your
vSphere environment consists of multiple Platform Services Controllers joined in one vCenter Single
Sign-On domain, the License Service in every Platform Services Controller contains a replica of the
licensing data for the entire environment.
For more information about the License Service and managing licenses in vSphere, see vCenter Server
and Host Management.
Dierences Between vSphere Upgrades, Patches, Updates, and
Migrations
vSphere products distinguish between upgrades, which make major changes to the software, patches
and updates, which make smaller changes to the software, and migrations, which make changes to the
software platform.
VMware product versions are numbered with two digits, for example, vSphere 6.7. A release that
changes either digit, for example, from 6.0 to 6.5, or from 6.5 to 6.7, involves major changes in the
software, and requires an upgrade from the previous version. A release that makes a smaller change,
requiring only a patch or update, is indicated by an update number, for example, vSphere 6.0 Update 1.
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vCenter Server Upgrade
For information about upgrading vCenter Server installations, see Chapter 3 Upgrading the vCenter
Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller Appliance or Chapter 2 Upgrading vCenter Server for
Windows.
For information about patching or updating vCenter Server, see Chapter 7 Patching and Updating
vCenter Server 6.7 Deployments
When you upgrade an ESXi host, some host configuration information is preserved in the upgraded
version, and the upgraded host, after rebooting, can join a vCenter Server instance that has been
upgraded to the same level. Because updates and patches do not involve major changes to the software,
host configuration is not affected. For more information, see the ESXi Upgrade documentation.
When you upgrade a vCenter Server for Windows instance and at the same time convert it to a
vCenter Server Appliance instance, it is a migration.
For information about migrating a vCenter Server installation to an appliance, see Chapter 4 Migrating
vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Appliance.
Support for Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2
vCenter Server 6.7 supports Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2.
FIPS 140-2 is a U.S. and Canadian government standard that specifies security requirements for
cryptographic modules. By default, FIPS 140-2 is always enabled after installation or upgrade of
vCenter Server 6.7.
To learn more about support for FIPS 140-2 in VMware products, see
https://www.vmware.com/security/certifications/fips.html.
To learn how to enable or disable FIPS 140-2 support, see the vSphere Security documentation.
Support for Transport Security Layer 1.2
By default, vSphere 6.7 supports the Transport Security Layer (TLS) 1.2 encryption protocol. The upgrade
or migration to vCenter Server 6.7 disables the TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 encryption protocols, and you may
need to reconfigure other VMware products and third-party products to use TLS 1.2.
During both upgrade and migration from vCenter Server 6.0 and 6.5 to vCenter Server 6.7, a notification
message informs you that only the TLS 1.2 protocol is enabled. If you need to use the TLS 1.0 and TLS
1.1 protocols to support products or services that do not support TLS 1.2, you can use the TLS
Configurator Utility to enable or disable the different TLS protocol versions. You can disable TLS 1.0, or
you can disable both TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1.
When upgrading a Platform Services Controller instance that manages one or more vCenter Server 6.0 or
6.0U1 instances which rely on the older protocols, TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 remain enabled to avoid a loss of
connectivity. After the upgrade or migration to vCenter Server 6.7 is complete, run the TLS Configurator
Utility on each Platform Services Controller node to disable the less secure TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1
protocols, and use the TLS 1.2 protocol.
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Load Balancer
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server Upgrade
For a list of VMware products that support disabling TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1, see VMware Knowledge Base
article 2145796. To learn how to manage TLS protocol configuration, and use the TLS Configurator Utility,
see the VMware Security documentation.
Deployment Topologies with External Platform Services Controller Instances and High Availability
To ensure Platform Services Controller high availability in external deployments, you must install or
deploy at least two joined Platform Services Controller instances in your vCenter Single Sign-On domain.
When you use a third-party load balancer, you can ensure an automatic failover without downtime.
Platform Services Controller with a Load Balancer
Figure 1‑9. Example of a Load Balanced Pair of Platform Services Controller Instances
You can use a third-party load balancer per site to configure Platform Services Controller high availability
with automatic failover for this site. For information about the maximum number of
Platform Services Controller instances behind a load balancer, see the Configuration Maximums
documentation.
Important To configure Platform Services Controller high availability behind a load balancer, the
Platform Services Controller instances must be of the same operating system type. Mixed operating
systems Platform Services Controller instances behind a load balancer are unsupported.
The vCenter Server instances are connected to the load balancer. When a Platform Services Controller
instance stops responding, the load balancer automatically distributes the load among the other functional
Platform Services Controller instances without downtime.
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Load Balancer
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Site 1
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Load Balancer
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Site 2
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server vCenter Server vCenter Server vCenter Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server Upgrade
Platform Services Controller with Load Balancers Across vCenter
Single Sign-On Sites
Figure 1‑10. Example of Two Load Balanced Pairs of Platform Services Controller Instances
Across Two Sites
Your vCenter Single Sign-On domain might span multiple sites. To ensure Platform Services Controller
high availability with automatic failover throughout the domain, you must configure a separate load
balancer in each site.
Platform Services Controller with No Load Balancer
Figure 1‑11. Example of Two Joined Platform Services Controller Instances with No a Load
Balancer
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vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
vCenter Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Site 1 Site 2
vCenter Server Upgrade
When you join two or more Platform Services Controller instances in the same site with no load balancer,
you configure Platform Services Controller high availability with a manual failover for this site.
Note If your vCenter Single Sign-On domain includes three or more Platform Services Controller
instances, you can manually create a ring topology. A ring topology ensures Platform Services Controller
reliability when one of the instances fails. To create a ring topology, run the /usr/lib/vmware-
vmdir/bin/vdcrepadmin -f createagreement command against the first and last
Platform Services Controller instance that you have deployed.
Platform Services Controller with No Load Balancer Across
vCenter Single Sign-On Sites
Figure 1‑12. Example of Two Joined Pairs of Platform Services Controller Instances Across
Two Sites with No Load Balancer
Moving from a Deprecated to a Supported vCenter Server Deployment Topology Before Upgrade or Migration
Before you upgrade or migrate your environment to vSphere 6.7, you must move any deprecated
deployment topology to a supported deployment topology.
When you first install vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5, your deployment includes either an embedded
Platform Services Controller or vCenter Single Single-On, or an external Platform Services Controller or
vCenter Single Single-On.
If you upgrade or migrate your deployment later you have two options:
n
Join a vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller to a Platform Services Controller.
n
Join an external Platform Services Controller to a Platform Services Controller.
The installer does not validate whether the Platform Services Controller is external or embedded with
vCenter Server. Although many types of join operations are possible, not all resulting topologies are
supported. Before you upgrade or migrate your environment to vSphere 6.7, you must move any
deprecated deployment topology to a supported deployment topology.
VMware, Inc. 23
Virtual Machine
or Physical Server
Platform Services
Controller
vCenter Server
Virtual Machine
or Physical Server
Platform Services
Controller
vCenter Server
Virtual Machine
or Physical Server
Platform Services
Controller
vCenter Server
Virtual Machine
or Physical Server
vCenter Server
vCenter Server Upgrade
Moving to a Supported Topology from vCenter Server instances
with Embedded Platform Services Controller or vCenter Single
Single-On in Replication
Figure 1‑13. Deprecated Topology of vCenter Server instances with Embedded
Platform Services Controller or vCenter Single Single-On in Replication
To move a vSphere 6.0 deployment to a supported topology, see the instructions on repointing the
connections between vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller in the vSphere Upgrade 6.0
documentation.
Moving to a Supported Topology from a vCenter Server Pointing
to an Embedded Platform Services Controller
Figure 1‑14. Deprecated topology of a vCenter Server Pointing to an Embedded
Platform Services Controller
To move a vSphere 6.0 deployment to a supported topology, see the instructions on repointing the
connections between vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller in the vSphere Upgrade 6.0
documentation.
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Virtual Machine or
Physical Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine
or Physical Server
Platform Services
Controller
Virtual Machine
or Physical Server
Virtual Machine
or Physical Server
vCenter Server
vCenter Server vCenter Server
vCenter Server Upgrade
Moving to a Supported Topology from an Embedded
Platform Services Controller and an External
Platform Services Controller in Replication
Figure 1‑15. Deprecated Topology of an Embedded Platform Services Controller and an
External Platform Services Controller in Replication
To move a vSphere 6.0 deployment to a supported topology, see the instructions on repointing the
connections between vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller in the vSphere Upgrade 6.0
documentation.
Example Upgrade Paths from vCenter Server version 6.x to version 6.7
Your vCenter Server 6.0.x and 6.5.x deployment type does not change during the upgrade to version 6.7.
The vCenter Server example upgrade paths demonstrate vCenter Server 6.0 upgrade outcomes.
The installer upgrades vCenter Server 6.0 and 6.5 with an embedded Platform Services Controller
instance to vCenter Server 6.7 with an embedded Platform Services Controller instance. The software
upgrades vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller instance in the correct order to the same
version.
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vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Operating System
Platform Services
Controller
Platform Services
Controller
vCenter Server
vCenter Server Appliance 6.7
vCenter Server
Operating System
vCenter Server
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 vCenter Server 6.7
Platform Services
Controller
Operating System
vCenter Server
Operating System
Platform Services
Controller
Operating System
vCenter Server Upgrade
Figure 1‑16. vCenter Server 6.0.x with Embedded Platform Services Controller Before and
After Upgrade
The installer upgrades an external vCenter Server 6.0 and 6.5 instance to an external vCenter Server 6.7
instance and an external Platform Services Controller 6.0 and 6.5 instance to an external
Platform Services Controller 6.7 instance.
Figure 1‑17. vCenter Server 6.0.x with External Platform Services Controller Before and After
Upgrade
If you have multiple systems configured for high availability, vCenter Server enables you to incorporate
your common services into an external Platform Services Controller configuration as part of your upgrade
process.
If you have a multi-site setup configured with replication, you can use vCenter Server to incorporate your
common services into an external Platform Services Controller configuration as part of your upgrade
process.
For more information on mixed version transitional environments, see Upgrade or Migration Order and
Mixed-Version Transitional Behavior for Multiple vCenter Server Instance Deployments.
Example Migration Paths from vCenter Server for Windows to vCenter Server Appliance 6.7
You can migrate a vCenter Server for Windows instance to a vCenter Server Appliance instance.
VMware, Inc. 26
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5
Windows OS
Platform Services
Controller
Platform Services
Controller
vCenter Server
vCenter Server Appliance 6.7
vCenter Server
Appliance
Windows OS
Platform Services Controller
Appliance
vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 vCenter Server Appliance 6.7
Platform Services Controller
Appliance
vCenter Server
Windows OS
vCenter Server
vCenter Server Upgrade
You can migrate a vCenter Server version 6.0 or 6.5 instance on Windows to a vCenter Server Appliance
6.7 deployment on a Linux-based OS.
The vCenter Server example migration paths demonstrate supported migration outcomes.
You can migrate a vCenter Server instance with an embedded Platform Services Controller (version 6.0)
to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 instance with an embedded Platform Services Controller appliance. In
this case the software migrates the vCenter Server instance and the embedded
Platform Services Controller instance at the same time.
Figure 1‑18. vCenter Server 6.x with Embedded Platform Services Controller Installation
Before and After Migration
You can migrate a vCenter Server instance with an external Platform Services Controller (version 6.0) to
a vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 instance with an external Platform Services Controller appliance. In this
case you must first migrate the external Platform Services Controller instance and then the
vCenter Server instance.
Figure 1‑19. vCenter Server 6.x with External Platform Services Controller Installation Before
and After Migration
If you have multiple systems configured for high availability, vCenter Server enables you to incorporate
your common services into an external Platform Services Controller configuration as part of your upgrade
process.
VMware, Inc. 27
vCenter Server Upgrade
If you have a multi-site setup configured with replication, you can use vCenter Server to incorporate your
common services into an external Platform Services Controller configuration as part of your upgrade
process.
For more information on mixed version transitional environments, see Upgrade or Migration Order and
Mixed-Version Transitional Behavior for Multiple vCenter Server Instance Deployments.
VMware, Inc. 28
Upgrading vCenter Server for
Windows 2
You can upgrade vCenter Server version 6.0 and version 6.5 deployments for Windows to vCenter Server
version 6.7 deployments for Windows.
The vCenter Server upgrade includes a database schema upgrade, upgrade of
Platform Services Controller, and upgrade of the vCenter Server software.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
About the vCenter Server for Windows Upgrade Process
n
vCenter Server for Windows Requirements
n
Before Upgrading vCenter Server
n
Required Information for Upgrading vCenter Server on Windows
n
Upgrading vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 on Windows
About the vCenter Server for Windows Upgrade Process
Upgrade options for vCenter Server on Windows depend on your existing deployment type and version.
You can upgrade the following deployment types and versions.
Table 2‑1. Supported vSphere Upgrade Paths
Before Upgrade After Upgrade
vCenter Server 6.0 with an embedded
Platform Services Controller on Windows
vCenter Server 6.5 with an embedded
Platform Services Controller instance on Windows
Platform Services Controller 6.0 on Windows Platform Services Controller 6.7 on Windows
Platform Services Controller 6.5 on Windows
vCenter Server 6.0 on Windows vCenter Server 6.7 on Windows
vCenter Server 6.5 on Windows
vCenter Server 6.7 with an embedded
Platform Services Controller on Windows
For upgrade steps for a vCenter Server 6.0 deployment, see Upgrading vCenter Server 6.0 or 6.5 on
Windows.
Important You cannot change your deployment type during upgrade.
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29
vCenter Server Upgrade
You cannot uninstall or reinstall individual services during the upgrade process.
Note Starting with vSphere 6.5, the vCenter Server services are not standalone services under Windows
SCM, instead they run as child processes of the VMware Service Lifecycle Manager service.
vCenter Server for Windows Requirements
To upgrade vCenter Server on a Windows virtual machine or physical server, your system must meet
specific hardware and software requirements.
n
Synchronize the clocks on all machines running the vCenter Server services. See Synchronizing
Clocks on the vSphere Network.
n
Verify that the system network name of the machines running vCenter Server services are valid, and
are reachable from other machines in the network.
n
Verify that the host name of the virtual machine or physical server on which you are upgrading
vCenter Server complies with RFC 1123 guidelines.
n
If your vCenter Server service is running in a user account other than the Local System account,
verify that the user account in which the vCenter Server service is running has the following
permissions:
n
Member of the Administrators group
n
Log on as a service
n
Act as part of the operating system (if the user is a domain user)
Note Starting with vSphere 6.5, the vCenter Server services run as child processes of the VMware
Service Lifecycle Manager service.
n
Verify that the local policy of the virtual machine or physical server on which you are upgrading
vCenter Server allows assigning Log on as a batch job rights to new local users.
Note Starting with vSphere 6.5, some vCenter Server processes use separate local users that are
automatically created and added to the local security policy Log on as a batch job. Such new local
users are cm, content-library, eam, imagebuilder, mbcs, netdumper, perfcharts, rbd, vapiEndpoint,
vmware-vpostgres, vsan-health, vsm, vsphere-client, and vsphere-ui.
n
Verify that the LOCAL SERVICE account has read permission on the folder in which vCenter Server
is installed and on the HKLM registry.
n
Verify that the connection between the virtual machine or physical server and the domain controller is
working.
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