Author: NetworkAdminKB.com
Created: 2010-11-04
Modified: 2011-11-30
The following are the various steps needed to upgrade vCenter Server from version 2.5 to version 4.1 in preparation to upgrade ESX or ESXi 4.1. Upgrading vCenter from 2.5 to 4.1 before upgrading ESX/ESXi is a requirement.
Requirements and assumptions
- Know the existing ODBC Database login names and passwords for the vCenter installation.
- Know local Administrator user name and password
- This procedure assumes you have a dedicated SQL 2005 or SQL 2008 server.
- You have a valid vCenter 4.1 license. Installing the evaluation version of vCenter does not allow you to perform an upgrade of an existing database.
- vCenter 2.5 is currently at update 6.
vCenter 4.1 requires a 64bit OS and 64bit SQL Native client, this makes it a little more difficult in upgrading your existing vCenter 2.5 installation. Also, v4.x of vCenter uses a different licensing server from v2.5 and it is not backward compatible with ESX 2 or 3 hosts. VMWare Update Manager requires the 32bit version of the SQL Native driver.
In general the upgrade process will be to build a new Windows 2008 server, configure the DSN to point to the existing Database, and copy over the existing SSL certificates, then perform a new installation. After the installation of vCenter you should install the v2.5 of the vCenter licensing server until you have migrated all of your hosts to v4.1.
Upgrade vCenter Server
1) Install Windows 2008 64bit or Windows 2008 R2 per your standards
2) Install 64bit version of the SQL Native Client
a. This is usually done by installing the perquisites from the SQL 2005/2008 Tools CD. You do not need to install the actual SQL Management tool.
b. Run the latest SQL Service pack after installation.
3) Backup current vCenter Database, backup current UpdateManager Database.
4) Configure 64bit vCenter DSN
a. Select the SQL Native Client
b. Point to existing database server and database
5) Configure 32bit UpdateManager DSN
a. Run C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe
b. Select SQL Native Client
c. Point to existing database server and database
6) Copy SSL folder from existing vCenter 2.5 server to new vCenter 4.1 server
a. vCenter 2.5 location:
i. %ALLUSERPROFILES%\VMWare\VMware VirtualCenter\SSL
b. vCenter 4.1 location
i. C:\ProgramData\VMWare\VMware VirtualCenter\SSL
7) Stop the existing vCenter services
a. Do not stop the License Server service.
8) Load the vCenter 4.1 media on the new vCenter 4.1 server.
a. Burn the ISO to a DVD, or unpack the ZIP file to the server.
9) Launch Autorun
10) Click vCenter Server
11) Choose Lanaguage
a. Click OK
12) VC ++ 2005 may be installed if needed.
13) Welcome Screen
a. Click Next
14) Patent Agreement
a. Click Next
15) License Agreement
a. Accept
b. Click Next
16) Customer Information
a. User Name
b. Organization:
c. License Key
i. You must enter a valid license key to perform an upgrade, otherwise the existing database will be over written.
d. Click Next
17) Database Options
a. Select us existing supported abase
b. DSN: Select DSN created earlier from drop down
c. Click Next
18) Database Options
a. Database Username: enter your ODBC DB user
b. Database Password: enter the password
c. Click Next
19) Upgrade of extensions, compatibility, and backups of existing database.
a. 
b. Click OK
20) Database Upgrade Warning
a. Select upgrade vCenter existing database
b. Check I have take a backup of the database and SSL folders
c. Click Next
21) vCenter Agent Upgrade
a. Select Manual
i. This is useful if you want to have the ability to revert back to the older version of vCenter.
ii. 
iii. Click Next
22) vCenter Service Account
a. use the System Account
b. Click Next
23) Destination Folder
a. Change the destination folder as needed
b. Click Next
24) Configure Ports
a. Click Next
25) vCenter JVM Memory
a. Select small (less than 100 hosts)
b. Click Next
26) Ready to install
a. Click Install
27) Wait as the installation completes
28) Database Upgrade Utility
a. Important this popup does not come to the front, you need to watch for this.
b. Click OK to run the DBU.
29) Completed
a. Click Finish
Install vSphere Client
1) Launch Autorun
2) vSphere Client
3) Choose Language
a. Click OK
4) Welcome
a. Click Next
5) Patent Agreement
a. Cilck Next
6) License Agreement
a. Accept
b. Click Next
7) Customer Info
a. Click Next
8) Desitnation
a. Change as needed
b. Click Next
9) Ready to install
a. Click Install
10) Wait as installation completes
11) Install complete
a. Click Finish
Launch vSphere Client and Attach ESX Hosts
1) Login
2) Check use Windows authentication
3) Click Hosts and Clusters
4) Expand all hosts and clusters to verify DB was upgrade correctly.
5) Click Administration…vCenter Server Settings menu
a. Select Licensing
b. Change the License Server settings as shown.
c. 
6) Right click each ESX Host
a. Select Connect
b. This will update the vCenter agent on each host.
c. Use good judgement, updating only 1-2 hosts at a time within the same cluster.
Install vCenter Converter
1) Launch Autorun
2) Select vCenter Converter
3) Choose Lanaguage
a. Click OK
4) Welcome Screen
a. Click Next
5) Patent Agreement
a. Click Next
6) License Agreement
a. Accept
b. Click Next
7) Destination Folder
a. Change as needed
b. Click Next
8) vCenter Server Information
a. Server: enter servername.domain.com
b. Port: 80
c. User: any local administrator account
i. Used once to register the plugin
d. Password:
e. Click Next
9) SSL Certification error
a. This is normal,
b. Click Yes
10) Port Settings
a. Accept defaults
b. Click Next
11) Convert Identification
a. Select the fully qualified domain name
b. Click Next
12) Ready to install
a. Click Install
13) Complete
a. Click Finish
Upgrade vCenter Update Manager
1) Launch Autorun
2) Choose Lanaguage
a. Click OK
3) Welcome Screen
a. Click Next
4) Patent Agreement
a. Click Next
5) License Agreement
a. Accept
b. Click Next
6) vCenter Server Information
a. IP Address: accept default / specify local vCenter server ip address.
b. HTTP Port: 80
c. User name: any local administrator account
i. Used only to register the plug in
d. Password:
e. Click Next
7) Database Options
a. Select Use an existing supported Database
i. Select the DSN name created earlier.
b. Click Next
8) Database Options
a. Database Username: enter your ODBC DB user
b. Database Password: enter the password
c. Click Next
9) Database Update Warning
a. 
b. Click OK
10) Database Upgrade
a.
b. 
c. Click Next
11) Port Settings
a. Accept default
b. 
c. Click Next
12) Destination Folder
a. Change as needed
b. Make sure to your patches location has enough space to hold all the updates being downloaded.
13) Ready to Install
a. Click Install
14) Completed
a. Click Finish
15) Configure default settings for Update Manager
a. Click Apply
Install vSphere Client Plug-ins
1) Launch vSphere Client
2) Select Plug-ins…Manage Plug ins
a. 
3) Click download and install
a. Converter
b. vcIntegrity
i. This is update manager
c. Run through any wizard that is required to install the plug-ins
4) Configure Update Manager Patch Repositories
a. 
b. Uncheck Patch Type as needed.
c. Click Test Connection button
i. This is below the Downlaod Now button.
d. Click Download Now
Migrate vCenter 2.5 License Server
1) Retreive current License files from old vCenter Server
a. Default location
b. C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware License Server\Licenses
c. Copy to new vCenter server
2) Download vCenter 2.5 U6 media to new vCenter Server
a. Run vpx\VMWare-licenseserver.exe
3) Welcome
a. Click Next
4) License Agreement
a. Accept
b. Click Next
5) Destination
a. Change as needed
b. Click Next
6) Licensing
a. Browse to License file
i. Must specify an individual file name, not a folder
ii. If using multiple license files, try them all.
b. Click Next
7) Ready to install
a. Click Install
8) Completed
a. Click Finish
9) Copy all license files to the following location
a. D:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware License Server\Licenses
10) Stop and reread license files
11) Update location of new license server
12) vSphere Client
a. Select Licensing
b. Verify new license server is displayed.
c. 
13) Disable old Licensing service
14) On the new Licensing Windows 2008 server
a. Disable the Windows Firewall, or create an outbound rule for TCP Port 27000 and 27010.
15) Check each individual ESX Host configuration in vSphere client
a. Select Licensed Features
b. Verify license server is updated.
c. 
d. If the license server is not updated, you can manually edit the setting as needed.
Summary:
Your upgrade of vCenter is now complete. You should verify any another other vCenter functionality you want. You can now start preparing for the upgrade of your ESX hosts from 3.x to ESX/ESXi 4.x.
Article ID: 487, Created On: 11/30/2011, Modified: 12/1/2011