This section contains the upgrade sequence and information for single instance topologies.

Supported Topologies

Supported Architecture Models

Single Instance - Single Availability Zone

  • Standard

  • Consolidated

Single Instance - Multiple Availability Zones

  • Standard

  • Consolidated

Upgrade Plan for VMware Cloud Foundation Single Instance Topologies

This section describes the tasks required to perform a VMware Cloud Foundation upgrade with a single instance topology. Depending on your source VMware Cloud Foundation version, you may need to perform certain tasks multiple times before proceeding to the next task.

VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Preparation

Table 1. Prepare for Upgrade

Task

Additional Information

Allocate a temporary IP address for each vCenter Server upgrade

[Conditional] When upgrading from VMware Cloud Foundation 4.x.

Required for each vCenter Server upgrade. Must be allocated from the management subnet. The same IP can be reused.

Obtain updated licenses

[Conditional] When upgrading from VMware Cloud Foundation 4.x.

New licenses required for:

  • vSAN 8.x

  • vSphere 8

Verify there are no expired or expiring passwords

Review the password management dashboard in SDDC Manager.

Verify there are no expired or expiring certificates

Review the certificates tab for each workload domain.

Verify ESXi host TPM module status

[Conditional] If ESXi hosts have TPM modules in use, verify they are running the latest 2.0 firmware. If not in use they must be disabled in the BIOS.

Download Bundles Using SDDC Manager

[Conditional] Online depot connectivity required

Configure a Proxy Server for Downloading Bundles

[Conditional] If a proxy server is required for online depot connectivity

Download Bundles with the Bundle Transfer Utility

[Conditional] For offline bundle download

Download Specific Bundles with the Bundle Transfer Utility

[Conditional] For offline bundle download of a specific bundle

Management Domain Upgrade

Table 2. SDDC Manager Upgrade

Task

Applies When

Additional Information

VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Prerequisites

Apply the VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundle

  • The initial VMware Cloud Foundation version is

    • 4.4.x, 4.5.x, or 5.x

If the current version of VMware Cloud Foundation is 4.4.x, 4.5.x, or 5.x Upgrade SDDC Manager to 5.1.1.

Apply the VMware Cloud Foundation Configuration Updates

  • Once the SDDC Manager has been upgraded to 5.1.1 the Configuration updates can be applied collectively.

Update Compatibility Data with the Bundle Transfer Utility

[Conditional] Required when using offline bundle download
Table 3. Upgrade VMware Aria Suite

Task

Additional Information

Upgrade VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle for VMware Cloud Foundation

[Conditional] If VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle is present

Upgrade VMware Aria Suite products for VMware Cloud Foundation

[Conditional] If VMware Aria Suite products are present
Table 4. Upgrade NSX Without Federation

Task

Applies When

Additional Information

Upgrade NSX from 3.1.3

  • Initial/interim NSX version is

    • 3.1.3

  • Initial VMware Cloud Foundation version is

    • 4.4.x

  • Upgrade NSX to 3.2.1.2.0 using SDDC Manager.

  • [Conditonal] for VI Workload Domain upgrades, If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade NSX across all VI workload domains now.

Upgrade NSX from 3.2.x, 4.1.0.2, or 4.1.2.1

  • Initial/interim NSX version is

    • 3.2.x

    • 4.1.0.2

    • 4.1.2.1

    Initial VMware Cloud Foundation version is either

    • 4.4.x

    • 4.5.x

    • 5.0.x

    • 5.1

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager.

  • [Conditonal] for VI Workload Domain upgrades, If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade NSX across all VI workload domains now.
Table 5. Upgrade vCenter Server

Task

Additional Information

Upgrade vCenter Server for VMware Cloud Foundation

  • [Conditional] When upgrading from VMware Cloud Foundation 4.x.

    Requires a temporary IP address in the management subnet

  • [Conditonal] for VI Workload Domain upgrades, If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade vCenter Servers that share a SSO Domain across all VI workload domains now in a serial order. Isolated Workload Domains can be upgraded in parallel
Table 6. Upgrade VxRail Manager and Management Domain vSphere clusters

Task

Additional Information

Upgrade vSAN Witness Host for VMware Cloud Foundation

[Conditional] If the vSphere cluster is a stretched vSAN cluster
Upgrade VxRail Manager and ESXi Hosts

  • Choose an approach based on your requirements.

  • [Optional] If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade vSphere clusters across all VI workload domains now.
Table 7. Post Upgrade Tasks

Task

Additional Information

Update Licenses for a Workload Domain

[Conditional] If upgrading from a VMware Cloud Foundation version prior to 5.0

Update licenses for:

  • vSAN 8.x

  • vSphere 8

Apply Configuration Updates

[Conditional] If there are configuration updates required

Upgrade vSphere Distributed Switch versions

  • [Optional] The upgrade lets the distributed switch take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

Upgrade vSAN on-disk format versions

  • The upgrade lets the vSAN Cluster take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

  • The upgrade may cause temporary resynchronization traffic and use additional space by moving data or rebuilding object components to a new data structure.

  • These updates can be performed at a time that is most convenient for your organization..

VI Workload Domain Upgrade

Table 8. Upgrade Precheck

Task

Additional Information

Perform an upgrade precheck
Table 9. Upgrade NSX Without Federation

Task

Applies When

Additional Information

Upgrade NSX from 3.1.3

  • Initial/interim NSX version is

    • 3.1.3

  • Initial VMware Cloud Foundation version is

    • 4.4.x

  • Upgrade NSX to 3.2.1.2.0 using SDDC Manager.

  • [Conditonal] for VI Workload Domain upgrades, If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade NSX across all VI workload domains now.

Upgrade NSX from 3.2.x, 4.1.0.2, or 4.1.2.1

  • Initial/interim NSX version is

    • 3.2.x

    • 4.1.0.2

    • 4.1.2.1

    Initial VMware Cloud Foundation version is either

    • 4.4.x

    • 4.5.x

    • 5.0.x

    • 5.1

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager.

  • [Conditonal] for VI Workload Domain upgrades, If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade NSX across all VI workload domains now.
Table 10. Upgrade vCenter Server

Task

Additional Information

Upgrade vCenter Server for VMware Cloud Foundation

  • [Conditional] When upgrading from VMware Cloud Foundation 4.x.

    Requires a temporary IP address in the management subnet

  • [Conditonal] for VI Workload Domain upgrades, If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade vCenter Servers that share a SSO Domain across all VI workload domains now in a serial order. Isolated Workload Domains can be upgraded in parallel
Table 11. Upgrade VxRail Manager and VI Workload Domain vSphere clusters

Task

Additional Information

Upgrade vSAN Witness Host for VMware Cloud Foundation

[Conditional] If the vSphere cluster is a stretched vSAN cluster
Upgrade VxRail Manager and ESXi Hosts

  • Choose an approach based on your requirements.

  • [Optional] If you are upgrading by component rather than by workload domain, upgrade vSphere clusters across all VI workload domains now.
Table 12. Post Upgrade Tasks

Task

Additional Information

Update Licenses for a Workload Domain

[Conditional] If upgrading from a VMware Cloud Foundation version prior to 5.0

Update licenses for:

  • vSAN 8.x

  • vSphere 8

Apply Configuration Updates

[Conditional] If there are configuration updates required

Upgrade vSphere Distributed Switch versions

  • [Optional] The upgrade lets the distributed switch take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

Upgrade vSAN on-disk format versions

  • The upgrade lets the vSAN Cluster take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

  • The upgrade may cause temporary resynchronization traffic and use additional space by moving data or rebuilding object components to a new data structure.

  • These updates can be performed at a time that is most convenient for your organization..

VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Prerequisites

Before you upgrade VMware Cloud Foundation, make sure that the following prerequisites are met.

Table 13. Upgrade Prerequisites

Prerequisite

Additional Information

Allocate a temporary IP address for each vCenter Server upgrade

[Conditional][Conditional]​ When upgrading from VMware Cloud Foundation 4.x.

Required for each vCenter Server upgrade. Must be allocated from the management subnet. The same IP can be reused.

Obtain updated licenses

New licenses required for:

vSAN 8.x

vSphere 8

Verify there are no expired or expiring passwords

Review the password management dashboard in SDDC Manager

Verify there are no expired or expiring certificates

Review the certificates tab for each workload domain

Verify ESXi host TPM module status

[Conditional] If ESXi hosts have TPM modules in use, verify they are running the latest 2.0 firmware. If not in use they must be disabled in the BIOS

Verify ESXi hardware is compatible with target version

See ESXi Requirements and VMware Compatibility Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.

Manually update the vSAN HCL database to ensure that it is up-to-date.

See KB 2145116

Backup SDDC Manager, all vCenter Servers, and NSX Managers.

Take File based backups or image-level backups of SDDC Manager, all vCenter Servers, and NSX Managers. Take a Cold Snapshot of SDDC Manager.

Make sure that there are no failed workflows in your system and none of the VMware Cloud Foundation resources are in activating or error state.
Caution:

If any of these conditions are true, contact VMware Support before starting the upgrade.

Review the Release Notes for known issues related to upgrades.

Deactivate all 4.x async patches and run an inventory sync before upgrading to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.0

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.0 and later no longer require using the Async Patch Tool to enable upgrades from an async-patched VMware Cloud Foundation instance. See VCF Async Patch Tool Options for more information

Run the NSX Upgrade Evaluation Tool before starting the upgrade process.

The tool is designed to ensure success by checking the health and readiness of your NSX Manager prior to upgrading.

Review Operational Impacts of NSX Upgrade in NSX Upgrade Guide to understand the impact that each component upgrade might have on your environment.

Ensure there are no active alarms on hosts or vSphere clusters using the vSphere Client.

Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundles

Before you can upgrade VMware Cloud Foundation, you must download the upgrade bundles for each VMware Cloud Foundation component that requires an upgrade.

Online and Offline Downloads

If the SDDC Manager appliance can connect to the internet, you can download upgrade bundles from the VMware Depot and the Dell Depot.

If the SDDC Manager appliance cannot connect to the internet, you can use the Bundle Transfer Utility to download the bundles to a computer that has internet access and then copy the bundles to the SDDC Manager appliance.

Other Bundle Types

In addition to upgrade bundles, VMware Cloud Foundation includes the following bundle types:
  • Install Bundles

    An install bundle includes software binaries to install VI workload domains (vCenter Server and NSX) and VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. You download install bundles using the same process that you use for upgrade bundles.

  • Async Patch Bundles

    An async patch bundle allows you to apply critical patches to certain VMware Cloud Foundation components (NSX Manager, and vCenter Server) when an update or upgrade bundle is not available. To download an async patch bundle, you must use the Async Patch Tool. See Async Patch Tool.

Download Bundles Using SDDC Manager

To download upgrade bundles, connect SDDC Manager to the VMware Depot and Dell Depot and then select the bundles to download.

If SDDC Manager does not have direct internet access, configure a proxy server or use the Bundle Transfer Utility for offline bundle downloads.

If SDDC Manager is already connected to the VMware Depot and Dell Depot, you can skip the first step below.

When you download bundles, SDDC Manager verifies that the file size and checksum of the downloaded bundles match the expected values.

Procedure

  1. Configure credentials for SDDC Manager to connect to the VMware Depot and the Dell Depot.
    1. In the navigation pane, click Administration > Repository Settings.
    2. Click Authenticate.
    3. Type your VMware Customer Connect user name and password.
    4. Type your Dell Depot user name and password.
    5. Click Authorize.
  2. In the navigation pane, click Lifecycle Management > Bundle Management.
  3. Click the Bundles tab to view available bundles.
    Note:

    If you just connected SDDC Manager to the VMware Depot, it can take some time for bundles to appear.

    All available bundles are displayed. Install bundles display an Install Only Bundle label. If the bundle can be applied right away, the Bundle Details column displays the workload domains to which the bundle needs to be applied to, and the Availability column says Available. If another bundle must be applied before a particular bundle, the Availability field displays Future.

    To view more information about the bundle, click View Details. The Bundle Details section displays the bundle version, release date, and additional details about the bundle.

  4. For the bundle you want to download, do one of the following:

    • Click Download Now for an immediate download.

      The bundle download begins right away.

    • Click Schedule Download to schedule a download.

      Select the date and time for the bundle download and click Schedule.

  5. Click the Download History tab to see the downloaded bundles.

Configure a Proxy Server for Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation Bundles

If SDDC Manager does not have direct internet access, you can configure a proxy server to download bundles. VMware Cloud Foundation only supports proxy servers that do not require authentication.

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Administration > Proxy Settings.
  2. Click Edit.
  3. Toggle the Enable Proxy setting to the on position.
  4. Enter the proxy server IP address and port number and click SAVE.
    Configure the proxy IP address and proxy port to download the bundles.
What to do next
You can now download bundles as described in Download Bundles Using SDDC Manager.

Offline Bundle Download for VMware Cloud Foundation

If the SDDC Manager appliance does not have access to the VMware Depot and the Dell Depot, you can use the Bundle Transfer Utility to download the bundles to a different computer and then upload them to the SDDC Manager appliance.
When you download bundles, the Bundle Transfer Utility verifies that the file size and checksum of the downloaded bundles match the expected values. Additionally, in VMware Cloud Foundation 5.0 and higher, upgrades are made available based on the compatibility data, which tracks the compatible intra-product upgrades and inter-product compatibility across versions. This data is updated before any upgrade operation is planned.

Prerequisites

  • A Windows or Linux computer with internet connectivity for downloading the bundles.
  • You need a system with internet access to download the manifest file and VMware Compatibility Data.
  • The computer must have Java 8 or later.
  • A Windows or Linux computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance for uploading the bundles.
  • To upload the manifest file from a Windows computer, you must have OpenSSL installed and configured.
  • Configure TCP keepalive in your SSH client to prevent socket connection timeouts when using the Bundle Transfer Utility for long-running operations.
Note: The Bundle Transfer Utility is the only supported method for downloading bundles. Do not use third-party tools or other methods to download bundles.

Procedure

  1. Download the most recent version of the Bundle Transfer Utility on a computer with internet access.
    1. Log in to VMware Customer Connect and browse to the Download VMware Cloud Foundation page.
    2. In the Select Version field, select the version to which you are upgrading.
    3. Click Drivers & Tools.
    4. Expand VMware Cloud Foundation Supplemental Tools.
    5. Click DOWNLOAD NOW for the Bundle Transfer Utility.
  2. Extract lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz.
  3. Navigate to the lcm-tools-prod/bin/ and confirm that you have execute permission on all folders.
  4. Copy the bundle transfer utility to a computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance and then copy the bundle transfer utility to the SDDC Manager appliance.
    1. SSH in to the SDDC Manager appliance using the vcf user account.
    2. Enter su to switch to the root user.
    3. Create the lcm-tools directory. 
      mkdir /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools
      Note: If the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools directory already exists with an older version of the Bundle Transfer Utility, you need to delete contents of the existing directory before proceeding.
    4. Copy the Bundle Transfer Utility file (lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz) that you downloaded in step 1 to the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools directory.
    5. Extract the contents of lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz. 
      tar -xvf lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz
    6. Set the permissions for the lcm-tools directory. 
      cd /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/
      chown vcf_lcm:vcf -R lcm-tools
      chmod 750 -R lcm-tools
  5. On the computer with internet access, download the manifest file. This is a structured metadata file that contains information about the VMware product versions included in the release Bill of Materials. 
    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --download --manifestDownload --depotUser Username
  6. Copy the manifest file and lcm-tools-prod directory to a computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance.
  7. From the computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance, upload the manifest file to the SDDC Manager appliance. 
    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --update --sourceManifestDirectory Manifest-Downloaded-Directory --sddcMgrFqdn FQDN --sddcMgrUser Username
    Use your vSphere SSO credentials for the --sddcMgrUser parameter.
  8. On the computer with internet access, download the compatibility data. 
    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --download --compatibilityMatrix --depotUser Username --pdu dell_depot_email
    To specify a download location, use --outputDirectory followed by the path to the directory.
  9. Copy the compatibility data files (VmwareCompatibilityData.json and VxrailCompatibilityData.json) to the computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance.
  10. From the computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance, upload the compatibility files to the SDDC Manager appliance. 
    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --update --compatibilityMatrix --inputDirectory compatibility-file-directory --sddcMgrFqdn FQDN --sddcMgrUser Username
  11. If your current version of VMware Cloud Foundation is 4.x, set the permissions for the CompatibilityDataDrift directory on the SDDC Manager appliance.
    1. SSH in to the SDDC Manager appliance using the vcf user account.
    2. Enter su to switch to the root user.
    3. Set the permissions for the CompatibilityDataDrift directory. 
      chown -R vcf_lcm:vcf /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/CompatibilityDataDrift/

      chmod -R 755 /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/CompatibilityDataDrift/
  12. On the computer with internet access, run the following command. 
    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --download "downloadPartnerBundle" --download "withCompatibilitySets" --outputDirectory absolute-path-output-dir --depotUser customer_connect_email --sv current-vcf-version --p target-vcf-version --pdu dell_depot_email
    where
    absolute-path-output-dir Path to the directory where the bundle files should be downloaded. This directory folder must have 777 permissions.

    If you do not specify the download directory, bundles are downloaded to the default directory with 777 permissions.

    depotUser User name for the VMware Depot (VMware Customer Connect). You will be prompted to enter the depot user password. If there are any special characters in the password, specify the password within single quotes.
    current-vcf-version Current version of VMware Cloud Foundation. For example, 4.3.1.1.
    target-vcf-version Target version of VMware Cloud Foundation. For example, 4.4.0.0.
    dell_depot_email Dell depot email address.
    After you enter you VMware Customer Connect and Dell Depot passwords, the utility asks Do you want to download vRealize bundles?. Enter Y or N.
    The utility displays a list of the available bundles based on the current and target versions of VMware Cloud Foundation.
  13. Specify the bundles to download.
    Enter one of the following options:
    • all
    • install
    • patch
    You can also enter a comma-separated list of bundle names to download specific bundles. For example: bundle-38371, bundle-38378.
    Download progress for each bundle is displayed. Wait until all bundles are downloaded successfully.
  14. If you downloaded VxRail bundles:
    1. Copy the partner bundle to the /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/bundle/depot/local/bundles directory on the SDDC Manager appliance.
    2. Copy partnerBundleMetadata.json to the /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/bundle/depot/local directory on the SDDC Manager appliance.
    3. Copy softwareCompatibilitySets.json to the /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/bundle/depot/local directory on the SDDC Manager appliance.
    4. Run following commands on the SDDC Manager appliance: 
      chown -R vcf_lcm:vcf /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/bundle/depot/local
      chmod -R 755 /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/bundle/depot/local
  15. Copy the entire output directory to a computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance, and then copy it to the SDDC Manager appliance.
    Note: Make sure to copy the entire output directory, including any VxRail bundles and JSON files.
    You can select any location on the SDDC Manager appliance that has enough free space available. For example, /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/.
    Example command to copy the output directory to the SDDC Manager appliance: 
    scp -pr /root/upgrade-bundles vcf@SDDC_MANAGER_IP:/nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/
    The scp command in the example above copies the output directory ( upgrade-bundles) to the /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/ directory on the SDDC Manager appliance.
  16. Upload the directory to the SDDC Manager appliance internal LCM repository.
    1. SSH in to the SDDC Manager appliance using the vcf user account.
    2. Navigate to /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools/bin.
    3. Run the following command: 
      ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --upload "uploadPartnerBundle" --bundleDirectory absolute-path-bundle-dir
      • Replace absolute-path-bundle-dir with the path to the location where you copied the output directory. For example: /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/upgrade-bundles.
    The utility uploads the bundles and displays upload status for each bundle. Wait for all bundles to be uploaded before proceeding with an upgrade.

HCL Offline Download for VMware Cloud Foundation

If the SDDC Manager appliance does not have access to the VMware Depot, you can use the Bundle Transfer Utility to manually download the HCL file from the depot on your local computer and then upload them to the SDDC Manager appliance.

Prerequisites

  • A Windows or Linux computer with internet connectivity for downloading the HCL.
  • You need a system with internet access to download the HCL file.
  • The computer must have Java 8 or later.
  • A Windows or Linux computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance for uploading the HCL file.
  • To upload the HCL file from a Windows computer, you must have OpenSSL installed and configured.
  • Configure TCP keepalive in your SSH client to prevent socket connection timeouts when using the Bundle Transfer Utility for long-running operations.
Note: The Bundle Transfer Utility is the only supported method for downloading HCL. Do not use third-party tools or other methods to download HCL.

Procedure

  1. Download the most recent version of the Bundle Transfer Utility on a computer with internet access.
    1. Log in to VMware Customer Connect and browse to the Download VMware Cloud Foundation page.
    2. In the Select Version field, select the version to which you are upgrading.
    3. Click Drivers & Tools.
    4. Expand VMware Cloud Foundation Supplemental Tools.
    5. Click DOWNLOAD NOW for the Bundle Transfer Utility.
  2. Extract lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz.
  3. Navigate to the lcm-tools-prod/bin/ and confirm that you have execute permission on all folders.
  4. Copy the bundle transfer utility to a computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance and then copy the bundle transfer utility to the SDDC Manager appliance.
    1. SSH in to the SDDC Manager appliance using the vcf user account.
    2. Enter su to switch to the root user.
    3. Create the lcm-tools directory. 
      mkdir /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools
      Note: If the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools directory already exists with an older version of the Bundle Transfer Utility, you need to delete contents of the existing directory before proceeding.
    4. Copy the Bundle Transfer Utility file (lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz) that you downloaded in step 1 to the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools directory.
    5. Extract the contents of lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz. 
      tar -xvf lcm-tools-prod.tar.gz
    6. Set the permissions for the lcm-tools directory. 
      cd /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/
      chown vcf_lcm:vcf -R lcm-tools
      chmod 750 -R lcm-tools
  5. On the computer with internet access, download the HCL file. 
    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --vsanHclDownload --outputDirectory output-directory

    It can also be downloaded to the default path:

    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --vsanHclDownload
  6. Copy the HCL file to a computer with access to the SDDC Manager appliance.
  7. Upload the HCL file to the SDDC Manager appliance. 
    ./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --vsanHclUpload --inputDirectory hcl-file-path --sddcMgrFqdn sddc-manager-fqdn --sddcMgrUser user
    output-directory Path to the directory where the HCL file should be downloaded. If not mentioned the HCL file will be downloaded to default directory (/root/PROD2/vsan/hcl/all.json)
    hcl-file-path Path from where HCL file should be picked up to upload. e.g /root/testdownload/vsan/hcl/all.json. If not given default will be taken. (/root/PROD2/vsan/hcl/all.json)
    sddc-manager-fqdn SDDC Manager FQDN. If not given default will be taken.
    user SDDC Manager user. After this, the tool will prompt for the user password.

Upgrade the Management Domain to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.1

You must upgrade the management domain before upgrading VI workload domains in your environment. To upgrade to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.1, the management domain must be at VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4.x or higher. If your environment is at a version lower than 4.4.x, you must upgrade the management domain to 4.4.x or later and then upgrade to 5.1.1.

Upgrade the components in the management domain in the following order:

  1. SDDC Manager and VMware Cloud Foundation services.

  2. VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, VMware Aria Suite products, and Workspace ONE Access.

  3. NSX.

  4. vCenter Server.

  5. VxRail Manager and ESXi.

After all upgrades have completed successfully:

  1. Remove the VM snapshots you took before starting the update.

  2. Take a backup of the newly installed components.

Perform Update Precheck - Versions Prior to SDDC Manager 5.0

If you have not yet upgraded to SDDC Manager 5.0, these are the steps to run a Precheck. You must perform a precheck before applying an update or upgrade bundle to ensure that your environment is ready for the update.

If you silence a vSAN Skyline Health alert in the vSphere Client, SDDC Manager skips the related precheck and indicates which precheck it skipped. Click Restore Precheck to include the silenced precheck. For example:
An example of an alert that was silenced in vSAN Skyline Health.
You can also silence failed vSAN prechecks in the SDDC Manager UI by clicking Silence Precheck. Silenced prechecks do not trigger warnings or block upgrades.
Important: You should only silence alerts if you know that they are incorrect. Do not silence alerts for real issues that require remediation.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the workload domain where you want to run the precheck.
  3. On the domain summary page, click the Updates/Patches tab. The image below is a sample screenshot and may not reflect the correct product versions.
    This screenshot is of domian summary page, click the Updates/Patches tab.
  4. Click Precheck to validate that the environment is ready to be upgraded.

    Once the precheck begins, a message appears indicating the time at which the precheck was started.Once the precheck begins, a message appears indicating the time at which the precheck was started on the Precheck page.

  5. Click View Status to see detailed tasks and their status. The image below is a sample screenshot and may not reflect the correct versions.
    This screenshot is of Upgrade Precheck page. Click View Status to see the detailed tasks and their status.
  6. To see details for a task, click the Expand arrow.
    If a precheck task failed, fix the issue, and click Retry Precheck to run the task again. You can also click Precheck Failed Resources to retry all failed tasks.
  7. If the workload domain contains a host that includes pinned VMs, the precheck fails at the Enter Maintenance Mode step. If the host can enter maintenance mode through vCenter Server UI, you can suppress this check for NSX and ESXi in VMware Cloud Foundation by following the steps below.
    1. Log in to SDDC Manager by using a Secure Shell (SSH) client with the user name vcf and password you specified in the deployment parameter workbook.
    2. Open the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties file.
    3. Add the following line to the end of the file:

      lcm.nsxt.suppress.dry.run.emm.check=true

      lcm.esx.suppress.dry.run.emm.check.failures=true

    4. Restart Lifecycle Management by typing the following command in the console window.

      systemctl restart lcm

    5. After Lifecycle Management is restarted, run the precheck again.

Results

The precheck result is displayed at the top of the Upgrade Precheck Details window. If you click Exit Details, the precheck result is displayed at the top of the Precheck section in the Updates/Patches tab.

Ensure that the precheck results are green before proceeding. A failed precheck may cause the update to fail.

Apply the VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundle

The VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade bundle upgrades the SDDC Manager appliance and VMware Cloud Foundation services. This task is required if the source VMware Cloud Foundation version before starting the upgrade is 4.4.x, 4.5.x, or 5.x.

Prerequisites

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the management domain and then click the Updates tab.
  3. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  4. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade bundle.
  5. If you selected Schedule Update, select the date and time for the bundle to be applied and click Schedule.

    An image showing the UI for scheduling an update.
    If you clicked Update Now, the VMware Cloud Foundation Update Status window displays the components that will be upgraded and the upgrade status. Click View Update Activity to view the detailed tasks. After the upgrade is completed, a green bar with a check mark is displayed.
  6. Click Finish.

Perform Update Precheck in SDDC Manager

You must perform a precheck in SDDC Manager before applying an update bundle to ensure that your environment is ready for the update.

Bundle-level pre-checks for vCenter are available in VMware Cloud Foundation.

If you silence a vSAN Skyline Health alert in the vSphere Client, SDDC Manager skips the related precheck and indicates which precheck it skipped. Click RESTORE PRECHECK to include the silenced precheck. For example:An example of an alert that was silenced in vSAN Skyline Health.

You can also silence failed vSAN prechecks in the SDDC Manager UI by clicking Silence Precheck. Silenced prechecks do not trigger warnings or block upgrades.

Important:

Only silence alerts if you know that they are incorrect. Do not silence alerts for real issues that require remediation.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the workload domain where you want to run the precheck.
  3. On the domain summary page, click the Updates tab.
    (The following image is a sample screenshot and may not reflect current product versions.)
    This screenshot is the management domain summary page. The Updates tab is selected, and the most recent precheck information is shown
    Note:

    It is recommended that you Precheck your workload domain prior to performing an upgrade.

  4. Click RUN PRECHECK to select the components in the workload domain you want to precheck.
    1. You can select to run a Precheck only on vCenter or the vSphere cluster. All components in the workload domain are selected by default. To perform a precheck on certain components, choose Custom selection.
      All components are selected to precheck.
      Note: For VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC VxRail, you can run prechecks on VxRail Manager.
    2. If there are pending upgrade bundles available, then the "Target Version" dropdown contains "General Upgrade Readiness" and the available VMware Cloud Foundation versions to upgrade to. If there is an available VMware Cloud Foundation upgrade version, there will be extra checks - bundle-level prechecks for hosts, vCenter Server, and so forth. The version specific prechecks will only run prechecks on components that have available upgrade bundles downloaded."Target Version" dropdown
  5. When the precheck begins, a progress message appears indicating the precheck progress and the time when the precheck began.
    Precheck shows In Progress and is 72% completed, along with the date and time when Precheck was started.
    Note: Parallel precheck workflows are supported. If you want to precheck multiple domains, you can repeat steps 1-5 for each of them without waiting for step 5 to finish.
  6. Once the Precheck is complete, the report appears. Click through ALL, ERRORS, WARNINGS, and SILENCED to filter and browse through the results.

    Precheck report shows the number of resources that passed, errors, warnings, and silenced.
  7. To see details for a task, click the expander arrow.

    If a precheck task failed, fix the issue, and click Retry Precheck to run the task again. You can also click RETRY ALL FAILED RESOURCES to retry all failed tasks.

  8. If the workload domain contains a host that includes pinned VMs, the precheck fails at the Enter Maintenance Mode step. If the host can enter maintenance mode through vCenter Server UI, you can suppress this check for NSX and ESXi in VMware Cloud Foundation by following the steps below.

    1. Log in to SDDC Manager by using a Secure Shell (SSH) client with the user name vcf and password.

    2. Open the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties file.

    3. Add the following line to the end of the file:

      lcm.nsxt.suppress.dry.run.emm.check=true

      lcm.esx.suppress.dry.run.emm.check.failures=true

    4. Restart Lifecycle Management by typing the following command in the console window.

      systemctl restart lcm

    5. After Lifecycle Management is restarted, run the precheck again.

Results

The precheck result is displayed at the top of the Upgrade Precheck Details window. If you click Exit Details, the precheck result is displayed at the top of the Precheck section in the Updates tab.

Ensure that the precheck results are green before proceeding. Although a failed precheck will not prevent the upgrade from proceeding, it may cause the update to fail.

Apply VMware Cloud Foundation Configuration Updates

VMware Cloud Foundation Configuration Updates identifies and resolves any discrepancies between the intended/prescribed configuration and the actual configuration, ensuring that the deployment aligns with the recommended configuration for the VCF 5.0 release and above. This process includes reconciling the configuration for 2nd party software components listed in the VMware Cloud Foundation Bill of Materials (BOM).

Configuration Updates must be performed during a maintenance window.

As the upgrades for 2nd party components complete for the domain, additional Configuration Updates may become available. You have the option to apply the relevant drifts as they become available or apply them collectively at the end of the upgrade process for all 2nd party software components.

Configuration Updates can be applied to multiple domains in parallel. However, if a Configuration Update is in progress, another configuration update on the same domain should not be attempted.

Note: Configuration Updates in VCF detects and reconciles configuration to a prescribed configuration for the release. Once reconciled, it does not identify subsequent non-compliance arising from out of band changes.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the workload domain name and then click the Updates tab.
  3. Click RUN PRECHECK to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

  4. Expand Available Configuration Updates, click APPLY ALL.
    • FEATURE: Configuration change required for a new feature.
    • FIX: Configuration change associated with a fix for a defect.
    Available Configuration Updates are shown in the table and the option to "APPLY ALL."

    Configuration updates may be required after you apply software updates. Once a configuration update becomes available, you can apply it immediately or wait until after you have applied all software updates.

    APPLY ALL applies all applicable drifts available at that time. However, more drifts may become applicable later, and a red dot notification is displayed on the Updates tab to indicate availability of new configuration updates.

    The table shows there are now multiple onfiuration updates available to be applied.
  5. Check the progress of the configuration update by clicking the task in the Tasks panel.SDDC Manager Tasks table showing that Config Reconcilation is Running.
  6. After the configuration updates are successfully applied, it will no longer appear in the table.There are noi available Configuration Updates.

    Pending Configuration Updates will not block future BOM upgrades.

Upgrade VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle for VMware Cloud Foundation

The process for upgrading VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle depends on your current version of VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle.

Starting with VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4 and VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.6.2, upgrade and deployment of the VMware Aria Suite products is managed by VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. You can upgrade VMware Aria Suite products as new versions become available in your VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle will only allow upgrades to compatible and supported versions of VMware Aria Suite products.
If you already have VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.6.2, you can upgrade VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle to a supported version using the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle UI.
Note: See the VMware Interoperability Matrix for information about which versions are supported with your version of VMware Cloud Foundation and KB 88829 for more information about supported upgrade paths using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle.

If you have an earlier version of VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, use the process below to upgrade to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.6.2 and then use the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle UI to upgrade to later supported versions.

Important: The VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1 BOM requires VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.14 or higher.

Prerequisites

Note: VMware has recently renamed vRealize Suite of products to VMware Aria Suite. See the Aria Naming Updates blog post for more details.
  • Ensure that you have a recent successful backup of the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance.
  • Download the VMware Software Update bundle(s) for VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. See Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundles.
    Note: You may have to download and apply multiple bundles, depending on the current product versions in your environment. If your environment is using VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4 or later and VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.6.2 and later, you do not need to download any bundles, since all upgrades are performed from the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle UI.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domain page, click the management domain.
  3. On the Domain Summary page, click the Updates/Patches tab.
  4. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.
    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.
  5. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  6. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle upgrade bundle.
  7. If you selected Schedule Update, click the date and time for the bundle to be applied.
  8. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If the upgrade fails, you can revert to the snapshot created by the upgrade workflow. After you resolve the issue, you can retry the upgrade.

    When VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle is upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.
  9. Click Exit Status.

Upgrade VMware Aria Suite Products for VMware Cloud Foundation

If you had VMware Aria Operations for Logs, VMware Aria Automation, VMware Aria Operations, or Workspace ONE Access in your pre-upgrade environment, you must upgrade them from VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle.

Note: VMware recently renamed the vRealize Suite of products to VMware Aria Suite. See the Aria Naming Updates blog post for more details.
Use VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle to:
  • Download upgrade binaries
  • Create snapshots of the virtual appliances
  • Run pre-upgrade checks
  • Upgrade VMware Aria Suite products

Prerequisites

Upgrade to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.6.2 or later.

Procedure

  1. Log in to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle at https://<vrealize_suite_lifecycle_manager_fqdn> as the administrator.
  2. Upgrade VMware Aria Suite products.
    See “Upgrading VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle and VMware Aria Suite Products” in the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle Installation, Upgrade, and Management Guide for your current version of VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle.

Upgrade NSX from 3.1.3

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 3.1.3

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 3.1.3

  • Upgrade NSX to 3.2.1.2 using SDDC Manager

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade NSX from 3.2.1.2

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 3.2.1.2

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 3.2.1.2

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager

  • [Conditional] If NSX Federation is present, upgrade the NSX Local Manager in both VMware Cloud Foundation instances before proceeding

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade NSX from 3.2.2.x / 3.2.3.x

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 3.2.2.x / 3.2.3.x

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 3.2.2.x or 3.2.3.x

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager

  • [Conditional] If NSX Federation is present, upgrade the NSX Local Manager in both VMware Cloud Foundation instances before proceeding

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade NSX from 4.1.x

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 4.1.x

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 4.1.0.2 or 4.1.2.1

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager

  • [Conditional] If NSX Federation is present, upgrade the NSX Local Manager in both VMware Cloud Foundation instances before proceeding

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade vCenter Server for VMware Cloud Foundation

The upgrade bundle for VMware vCenter Server is used to upgrade the vCenter Servers managed by SDDC Manager. Upgrade vCenter Server in the management domain before upgrading vCenter Server in VI workload domains.

Prerequisites

  • Download the VMware vCenter Server upgrade bundle. See Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundles.

  • Take a file-based backup of the vCenter Server appliance before starting the upgrade. See Manually Back Up vCenter Server.

    Note:

    After taking a backup, do not make any changes to the vCenter Server inventory or settings until the upgrade completes successfully.

  • If your workload domain contains Workload Management (vSphere with Tanzu) enabled clusters, the supported target release depends on the version of Kubernetes (K8s) currently running in the cluster. Older versions of K8s may require a specific upgrade sequence. See KB 88962 for more information.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates tab.
  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the vCenter upgrade bundle.
  6. If you selected Schedule Update, click the date and time for the bundle to be applied and click Schedule.
  7. Enter the details for the temporary IP address to be used only during the upgrade.
  8. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If the upgrade fails, resolve the issue and retry the failed task. If you cannot resolve the issue, restore vCenter Server using the file-based backup. See Restore vCenter Server.

What to do next

Once the upgrade successfully completes, use the vSphere Client to change the vSphere DRS Automation Level setting back to the original value (before you took a file-based backup) for each vSphere cluster that is managed by the vCenter Server. See KB 87631 for information about using VMware PowerCLI to change the vSphere DRS Automation Level.

Upgrade VxRail Manager and ESXi Hosts for VMware Cloud Foundation

Use the VxRail upgrade bundle to upgrade VxRail Manager and the ESXi hosts in the workload domain. Upgrade the management domain first and then VI workload domains.

By default, the upgrade process upgrades the ESXi hosts in all clusters in a workload domain in parallel. If you have multiple clusters in the management domain or in a VI workload domain, you can select the clusters to upgrade. You can also choose to upgrade the clusters in parallel or sequentially.

If you are using external (non-vSAN) storage, the following procedure updates the ESXi hosts attached to the external storage. However, updating and patching the storage software and drivers is a manual task and falls outside of SDDC Manager lifecycle management. To ensure supportability after an ESXi upgrade, consult the vSphere HCL and your storage vendor.

Prerequisites

  • Validate that the ESXi passwords are valid.
  • Download the VxRail upgrade bundle. See Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundles.
  • Ensure that the domain for which you want to perform cluster-level upgrade does not have any hosts or clusters in an error state. Resolve the error state or remove the hosts and clusters with errors before proceeding.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the Updates/Patches tab of the workload domain.
  2. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.
    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.
  3. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  4. Click Upgrade Now or Schedule Update.
    If you selected Schedule Update, specify the date and time for the bundle to be applied.
  5. Select the clusters to upgrade and click Next.
    The default setting is to upgrade all clusters. To upgrade specific clusters, click Enable cluster-level selection and select the clusters to upgrade.
  6. Click Next.
  7. Select the upgrade options and click Finish.
    By default, the selected clusters are upgraded in parallel. If you selected more than five clusters to be upgraded, the first five are upgraded in parallel and the remaining clusters are upgraded sequentially. To upgrade all selected clusters sequentially, select Enable sequential cluster upgrade.
    Click Enable Quick Boot if desired. Quick Boot for ESXi hosts is an option that allows Update Manager to reduce the upgrade time by skipping the physical reboot of the host.
  8. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

What to do next

Upgrade the vSAN Disk Format for vSAN clusters. The disk format upgrade is optional. Your vSAN cluster continues to run smoothly if you use a previous disk format version. For best results, upgrade the objects to use the latest on-disk format. The latest on-disk format provides the complete feature set of vSAN. See Upgrade vSAN on-disk format versions.

Upgrade vSAN Witness Host for VMware Cloud Foundation

If your VMware Cloud Foundation environment contains stretched clusters, update and remediate the vSAN witness host.

Prerequisites

Download the ESXi ISO that matches the version listed in the the Bill of Materials (BOM) section of the VMware Cloud Foundation Release Notes.

Procedure

  1. In a web browser, log in to vCenter Server at https://vcenter_server_fqdn/ui.
  2. Upload the ESXi ISO image file to vSphere Lifecycle Manager.
    1. Click Menu > Lifecycle Manager.
    2. Click the Imported ISOs tab.
    3. Click Import ISO and then click Browse.
    4. Navigate to the ESXi ISO file you downloaded and click Open.
    5. After the file is imported, click Close.
  3. Create a baseline for the ESXi image.
    1. On the Imported ISOs tab, select the ISO file that you imported, and click New baseline.
    2. Enter a name for the baseline and specify the Content Type as Upgrade.
    3. Click Next.
    4. Select the ISO file you had imported and click Next.
    5. Review the details and click Finish.
  4. Attach the baseline to the vSAN witness host.
    1. Click Menu > Hosts and Clusters.
    2. In the Inventory panel, click vCenter > Datacenter.
    3. Select the vSAN witness host and click the Updates tab.
    4. Under Attached Baselines, click Attach > Attach Baseline or Baseline Group.
    5. Select the baseline that you had created in step 3 and click Attach.
    6. Click Check Compliance.
      After the compliance check is completed, the Status column for the baseline is displayed as Non-Compliant.
  5. Remediate the vSAN witness host and update the ESXi hosts that it contains.
    1. Right-click the vSAN witness and click Maintenance Mode > Enter Maintenance Mode.
    2. Click OK.
    3. Click the Updates tab.
    4. Select the baseline that you had created in step 3 and click Remediate.
    5. In the End user license agreement dialog box, select the check box and click OK.
    6. In the Remediate dialog box, select the vSAN witness host, and click Remediate.
      The remediation process might take several minutes. After the remediation is completed, the Status column for the baseline is displayed as Compliant.
    7. Right-click the vSAN witness host and click Maintenance Mode > Exit Maintenance Mode.
    8. Click OK.

Upgrade vSphere Distributed Switch versions

[Optional] Upgrade the distributed switch to take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

Prerequisites

ESXi and vCenter Upgrades are completed.

Procedure

  1. On the vSphere Client Home page, click Networking and navigate to the distributed switch.
  2. Right-click the distributed switch and select Upgrade > Upgrade Distributed Switch
  3. Select the vSphere Distributed Switch version that you want to upgrade the switch to and click Next

Results

The vSphere Distributed Switch is successfully upgraded.

Upgrade vSAN on-disk format versions

[Optional] Upgrade the vSAN on-disk format version to take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

  • The upgrade may cause temporary resynchronization traffic and use additional space by moving data or rebuilding object components to a new data structure.

Prerequisites

  • ESXi and vCenter Upgrades are completed

  • Verify that the disks are in a healthy state. Navigate to the Disk Management page to verify the object status.

  • Verify that your hosts are not in maintenance mode. When upgrading the disk format, do not place the hosts in maintenance mode.

  • Verify that there are no component rebuilding tasks currently in progress in the vSAN cluster. For information about vSAN resynchronization, see vSphere Monitoring and Performance

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the vSAN cluster.
  2. Click the Configure tab.
  3. Under vSAN, select Disk Management.
  4. Click Pre-check Upgrade. The upgrade pre-check analyzes the cluster to uncover any issues that might prevent a successful upgrade. Some of the items checked are host status, disk status, network status, and object status. Upgrade issues are displayed in the Disk pre-check status text box.
  5. Click Upgrade.
  6. Click Yes on the Upgrade dialog box to perform the upgrade of the on-disk format.

Results

vSAN successfully upgrades the on-disk format. The On-disk Format Version column displays the disk format version of storage devices in the cluster

Update License Keys for a Workload Domain

If upgrading from a VMware Cloud Foundation version prior to 5.0, you need to update your license keys to support vSAN 8.x and vSphere 8.x.

You first add the new component license key to SDDC Manager. This must be done once per license instance. You then apply the license key to the component on a per workload domain basis.

Prerequisites

You need a new license key for vSAN 8.x and vSphere 8.x. Prior to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.1, you must add and update the component license key for each upgraded component in the SDDC Manager UI as described below.

With VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.1 and later, you can add a component license key as described below, or add a solution license key in the vSphere Client. See Managing vSphere Licenses for information about using a solution license key for VMware ESXi and vCenter Server. If you are using a solution license key, you must also add a VMware vSAN license key for vSAN clusters. See Configure License Settings for a vSAN Cluster.

Procedure

  1. Add a new component license key to the SDDC Manager inventory.
    1. In the navigation pane, click Administration > Licensing.
    2. On the Licensing page, click + License Key.
    3. Select a product from the drop-down menu.
    4. Enter the license key.
    5. Enter a description for the license key.
    6. Click Add.
    7. Repeat for each license key to be added.
  2. Update a license key for a workload domain component.
    1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
    2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading.
    3. On the Summary tab, expand the red error banner, and click Update Licenses.
    4. On the Update Licenses page, click Next.
    5. Select the products to update and click Next.
    6. For each product, select a new license key from the list, and select the entity to which the licensekey should be applied and click Next.
    7. On the Review pane, review each license key and click Submit.

      The new license keys will be applied to the workload domain. Monitor the task in the Tasks pane in SDDC Manager.

Upgrade VI Workload Domains to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.1

The management domain in your environment must be upgraded before you upgrade VI workload domains. To upgrade to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.1, all VI workload domains in your environment must be at VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4.x or higher. If your environment is at a version lower than 4.4, you must upgrade the workload domains to 4.4.x and then upgrade to 5.1.1.

Within a VI workload domain, components must be upgraded in the following order.
  1. NSX.
  2. vCenter Server.
  3. ESXi.
  4. Workload Management on clusters that have vSphere with Tanzu. Workload Management can be upgraded through vCenter Server. See Updating the vSphere with Tanzu Environment.
  5. If you suppressed the Enter Maintenance Mode prechecks for ESXi or NSX, delete the following lines from the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties file and restart the LCM service:

    lcm.nsxt.suppress.dry.run.emm.check=true

    lcm.esx.suppress.dry.run.emm.check.failures=true

  6. If you have stretched clusters in your environment, upgrade the vSAN witness host. See Upgrade vSAN Witness Host for VMware Cloud Foundation.
After all upgrades have completed successfully:
  1. Remove the VM snapshots you took before starting the update.
  2. Take a backup of the newly installed components.

Plan VI Workload Domain Upgrade

Before proceeding with a VI workload domain upgrade you must first plan the upgrade to your target version.

Prerequisites

Management Domain has been upgraded.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the workload domain you want to upgrade and click the Updates tab.
  3. Under Available Updates, click PLAN UPGRADE.
    Select Plan Upgrade
  4. On the Plan Upgrade for VMware Cloud Foundation screen, select the target version from the drop-down, and click CONFIRM.
    Caution:

    You must upgrade all VI workload domains to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.x. Upgrading to a higher 4.x release once the management domain has been upgraded to 5.x is unsupported.

    Note: If the taget version of VMware Cloud Foundation supports multipl versions of VxRail Manager, the drop-down menu includes separate entires for each combination.

Results

Bundles applicable to the chosen release will be made available to the VI workload domain.

Target version set and SDDC Manager is refreshing bundles

Perform Update Precheck in SDDC Manager

You must perform a precheck in SDDC Manager before applying an update bundle to ensure that your environment is ready for the update.

Bundle-level pre-checks for vCenter are available in VMware Cloud Foundation.

If you silence a vSAN Skyline Health alert in the vSphere Client, SDDC Manager skips the related precheck and indicates which precheck it skipped. Click RESTORE PRECHECK to include the silenced precheck. For example:An example of an alert that was silenced in vSAN Skyline Health.

You can also silence failed vSAN prechecks in the SDDC Manager UI by clicking Silence Precheck. Silenced prechecks do not trigger warnings or block upgrades.

Important:

Only silence alerts if you know that they are incorrect. Do not silence alerts for real issues that require remediation.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the workload domain where you want to run the precheck.
  3. On the domain summary page, click the Updates tab.
    (The following image is a sample screenshot and may not reflect current product versions.)
    This screenshot is the management domain summary page. The Updates tab is selected, and the most recent precheck information is shown
    Note:

    It is recommended that you Precheck your workload domain prior to performing an upgrade.

  4. Click RUN PRECHECK to select the components in the workload domain you want to precheck.
    1. You can select to run a Precheck only on vCenter or the vSphere cluster. All components in the workload domain are selected by default. To perform a precheck on certain components, choose Custom selection.
      All components are selected to precheck.
      Note: For VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC VxRail, you can run prechecks on VxRail Manager.
    2. If there are pending upgrade bundles available, then the "Target Version" dropdown contains "General Upgrade Readiness" and the available VMware Cloud Foundation versions to upgrade to. If there is an available VMware Cloud Foundation upgrade version, there will be extra checks - bundle-level prechecks for hosts, vCenter Server, and so forth. The version specific prechecks will only run prechecks on components that have available upgrade bundles downloaded."Target Version" dropdown
  5. When the precheck begins, a progress message appears indicating the precheck progress and the time when the precheck began.
    Precheck shows In Progress and is 72% completed, along with the date and time when Precheck was started.
    Note: Parallel precheck workflows are supported. If you want to precheck multiple domains, you can repeat steps 1-5 for each of them without waiting for step 5 to finish.
  6. Once the Precheck is complete, the report appears. Click through ALL, ERRORS, WARNINGS, and SILENCED to filter and browse through the results.

    Precheck report shows the number of resources that passed, errors, warnings, and silenced.
  7. To see details for a task, click the expander arrow.

    If a precheck task failed, fix the issue, and click Retry Precheck to run the task again. You can also click RETRY ALL FAILED RESOURCES to retry all failed tasks.

  8. If the workload domain contains a host that includes pinned VMs, the precheck fails at the Enter Maintenance Mode step. If the host can enter maintenance mode through vCenter Server UI, you can suppress this check for NSX and ESXi in VMware Cloud Foundation by following the steps below.

    1. Log in to SDDC Manager by using a Secure Shell (SSH) client with the user name vcf and password.

    2. Open the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties file.

    3. Add the following line to the end of the file:

      lcm.nsxt.suppress.dry.run.emm.check=true

      lcm.esx.suppress.dry.run.emm.check.failures=true

    4. Restart Lifecycle Management by typing the following command in the console window.

      systemctl restart lcm

    5. After Lifecycle Management is restarted, run the precheck again.

Results

The precheck result is displayed at the top of the Upgrade Precheck Details window. If you click Exit Details, the precheck result is displayed at the top of the Precheck section in the Updates tab.

Ensure that the precheck results are green before proceeding. Although a failed precheck will not prevent the upgrade from proceeding, it may cause the update to fail.

Upgrade NSX from 3.1.3

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 3.1.3

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 3.1.3

  • Upgrade NSX to 3.2.1.2 using SDDC Manager

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade NSX from 3.2.1.2

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 3.2.1.2

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 3.2.1.2

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager

  • [Conditional] If NSX Federation is present, upgrade the NSX Local Manager in both VMware Cloud Foundation instances before proceeding

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade NSX from 3.2.2.x / 3.2.3.x

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 3.2.2.x / 3.2.3.x

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 3.2.2.x or 3.2.3.x

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager

  • [Conditional] If NSX Federation is present, upgrade the NSX Local Manager in both VMware Cloud Foundation instances before proceeding

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade NSX from 4.1.x

Additional Information for Upgrading NSX from 4.1.x

The following additional information is applicable to the following upgrade.

  • [Conditional] If source NSX version is 4.1.0.2 or 4.1.2.1

  • Upgrade NSX to 4.1.2.3 using SDDC Manager

  • [Conditional] If NSX Federation is present, upgrade the NSX Local Manager in both VMware Cloud Foundation instances before proceeding

Upgrade NSX for VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrade NSX in the management domain before you upgrade VI workload domains.

Upgrading NSX involves the following components:

  • Upgrade Coordinator

  • NSX Edges/Clusters (if deployed)

  • Host clusters

  • NSX Manager cluster

Procedure
  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates/Patches tab.

    When you upgrade NSX components for a selected VI workload domain, those components are upgraded for all VI workload domains that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

    Note:

    The NSX precheck runs on all VI workload domains in your environment that share the NSX Manager cluster.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software NSX bundle.
  6. On the NSX Edge Cluster page, select the NSX Edge clusters you want to upgrade and click Next.

    By default, all NSX Edge clusters are upgraded. To select specific NSX Edge clusters, select the Upgrade NSX edge clusters only check box and select the Enable edge selection option. Then select the NSX Edges you want to upgrade.

  7. Click Next.
  8. By default, all vSphere clusters across all workload domains are upgraded. If you want to select specific vSphere clusters to be upgraded, turn off the Upgrade all host clusters setting. Host clusters are upgraded after all Edge clusters have been upgraded.
    Note:

    The NSX Manager cluster is upgraded only if the Upgrade all host clusters setting is enabled.

    • If you have a single cluster in your environment, enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting.

    • If you have multiple host clusters and choose to upgrade only some of them, you must go through the NSX upgrade wizard again until all host clusters have been upgraded. When selecting the final set of clusters to be upgraded, you must enable the Upgrade all host clusters setting so that NSX Manager is upgraded.

    • If you have upgraded all of the host clusters without enabling the Upgrade all host clusters setting, run through the NSX upgrade wizard again and schedule the upgrade to upgrade NSX Manager.

  9. Click Next.
  10. On the Upgrade Options dialog box, select the upgrade optimizations and click Next.

    By default, Edge clusters and host clusters are upgraded in parallel. You can enable sequential upgrade by selecting the relevant check box.

  11. If you selected the Schedule Upgrade option, specify the date and time for the NSX bundle to be applied.
  12. Click Next.
  13. On the Review page, review your settings and click Finish.

    The NSX upgrade begins and the upgrade components are displayed. The upgrade view displayed here pertains to the workload domain where you applied the bundle. Click the link to the associated workload domains to see the components pertaining to those workload domains.

  14. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If a component upgrade fails, the failure is displayed across all associated workload domains. Resolve the issue and retry the failed task.

Results

When all NSX workload components are upgraded successfully, a message with a green background and check mark is displayed.

Upgrade vCenter Server for VMware Cloud Foundation

The upgrade bundle for VMware vCenter Server is used to upgrade the vCenter Servers managed by SDDC Manager. Upgrade vCenter Server in the management domain before upgrading vCenter Server in VI workload domains.

Prerequisites

  • Download the VMware vCenter Server upgrade bundle. See Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundles.

  • Take a file-based backup of the vCenter Server appliance before starting the upgrade. See Manually Back Up vCenter Server.

    Note:

    After taking a backup, do not make any changes to the vCenter Server inventory or settings until the upgrade completes successfully.

  • If your workload domain contains Workload Management (vSphere with Tanzu) enabled clusters, the supported target release depends on the version of Kubernetes (K8s) currently running in the cluster. Older versions of K8s may require a specific upgrade sequence. See KB 88962 for more information.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click Inventory > Workload Domains.
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the Updates tab.
  3. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.

    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.

  4. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  5. Click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the vCenter upgrade bundle.
  6. If you selected Schedule Update, click the date and time for the bundle to be applied and click Schedule.
  7. Enter the details for the temporary IP address to be used only during the upgrade.
  8. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

    If the upgrade fails, resolve the issue and retry the failed task. If you cannot resolve the issue, restore vCenter Server using the file-based backup. See Restore vCenter Server.

  9. Take a file-based backup of the vCenter Server appliance once the upgarde has completed succesfully. See Manually Back Up vCenter Server.

What to do next

Once the upgrade successfully completes, use the vSphere Client to change the vSphere DRS Automation Level setting back to the original value (before you took a file-based backup) for each vSphere cluster that is managed by the vCenter Server. See KB 87631 for information about using VMware PowerCLI to change the vSphere DRS Automation Level.

Upgrade VxRail Manager and ESXi Hosts for VMware Cloud Foundation

Use the VxRail upgrade bundle to upgrade VxRail Manager and the ESXi hosts in the workload domain. Upgrade the management domain first and then VI workload domains.

By default, the upgrade process upgrades the ESXi hosts in all clusters in a workload domain in parallel. If you have multiple clusters in the management domain or in a VI workload domain, you can select the clusters to upgrade. You can also choose to upgrade the clusters in parallel or sequentially.

If you are using external (non-vSAN) storage, the following procedure updates the ESXi hosts attached to the external storage. However, updating and patching the storage software and drivers is a manual task and falls outside of SDDC Manager lifecycle management. To ensure supportability after an ESXi upgrade, consult the vSphere HCL and your storage vendor.

Prerequisites

  • Validate that the ESXi passwords are valid.
  • Download the VxRail upgrade bundle. See Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Bundles.
  • Ensure that the domain for which you want to perform cluster-level upgrade does not have any hosts or clusters in an error state. Resolve the error state or remove the hosts and clusters with errors before proceeding.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the Updates/Patches tab of the workload domain.
  2. Click Precheck to run the upgrade precheck.
    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.
  3. In the Available Updates section, select the target release.
  4. Click Upgrade Now or Schedule Update.
    If you selected Schedule Update, specify the date and time for the bundle to be applied.
  5. Select the clusters to upgrade and click Next.
    The default setting is to upgrade all clusters. To upgrade specific clusters, click Enable cluster-level selection and select the clusters to upgrade.
  6. Click Next.
  7. Select the upgrade options and click Finish.
    By default, the selected clusters are upgraded in parallel. If you selected more than five clusters to be upgraded, the first five are upgraded in parallel and the remaining clusters are upgraded sequentially. To upgrade all selected clusters sequentially, select Enable sequential cluster upgrade.
    Click Enable Quick Boot if desired. Quick Boot for ESXi hosts is an option that allows Update Manager to reduce the upgrade time by skipping the physical reboot of the host.
  8. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.

What to do next

Upgrade the vSAN Disk Format for vSAN clusters. The disk format upgrade is optional. Your vSAN cluster continues to run smoothly if you use a previous disk format version. For best results, upgrade the objects to use the latest on-disk format. The latest on-disk format provides the complete feature set of vSAN. See Upgrade vSAN on-disk format versions.

Upgrade vSAN Witness Host for VMware Cloud Foundation

If your VMware Cloud Foundation environment contains stretched clusters, update and remediate the vSAN witness host.

Prerequisites

Download the ESXi ISO that matches the version listed in the the Bill of Materials (BOM) section of the VMware Cloud Foundation Release Notes.

Procedure

  1. In a web browser, log in to vCenter Server at https://vcenter_server_fqdn/ui.
  2. Upload the ESXi ISO image file to vSphere Lifecycle Manager.
    1. Click Menu > Lifecycle Manager.
    2. Click the Imported ISOs tab.
    3. Click Import ISO and then click Browse.
    4. Navigate to the ESXi ISO file you downloaded and click Open.
    5. After the file is imported, click Close.
  3. Create a baseline for the ESXi image.
    1. On the Imported ISOs tab, select the ISO file that you imported, and click New baseline.
    2. Enter a name for the baseline and specify the Content Type as Upgrade.
    3. Click Next.
    4. Select the ISO file you had imported and click Next.
    5. Review the details and click Finish.
  4. Attach the baseline to the vSAN witness host.
    1. Click Menu > Hosts and Clusters.
    2. In the Inventory panel, click vCenter > Datacenter.
    3. Select the vSAN witness host and click the Updates tab.
    4. Under Attached Baselines, click Attach > Attach Baseline or Baseline Group.
    5. Select the baseline that you had created in step 3 and click Attach.
    6. Click Check Compliance.
      After the compliance check is completed, the Status column for the baseline is displayed as Non-Compliant.
  5. Remediate the vSAN witness host and update the ESXi hosts that it contains.
    1. Right-click the vSAN witness and click Maintenance Mode > Enter Maintenance Mode.
    2. Click OK.
    3. Click the Updates tab.
    4. Select the baseline that you had created in step 3 and click Remediate.
    5. In the End user license agreement dialog box, select the check box and click OK.
    6. In the Remediate dialog box, select the vSAN witness host, and click Remediate.
      The remediation process might take several minutes. After the remediation is completed, the Status column for the baseline is displayed as Compliant.
    7. Right-click the vSAN witness host and click Maintenance Mode > Exit Maintenance Mode.
    8. Click OK.

Upgrade vSphere Distributed Switch versions

[Optional] Upgrade the distributed switch to take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

Prerequisites

ESXi and vCenter Upgrades are completed.

Procedure

  1. On the vSphere Client Home page, click Networking and navigate to the distributed switch.
  2. Right-click the distributed switch and select Upgrade > Upgrade Distributed Switch
  3. Select the vSphere Distributed Switch version that you want to upgrade the switch to and click Next

Results

The vSphere Distributed Switch is successfully upgraded.

Upgrade vSAN on-disk format versions

[Optional] Upgrade the vSAN on-disk format version to take advantage of features that are available only in the later versions.

  • The upgrade may cause temporary resynchronization traffic and use additional space by moving data or rebuilding object components to a new data structure.

Prerequisites

  • ESXi and vCenter Upgrades are completed

  • Verify that the disks are in a healthy state. Navigate to the Disk Management page to verify the object status.

  • Verify that your hosts are not in maintenance mode. When upgrading the disk format, do not place the hosts in maintenance mode.

  • Verify that there are no component rebuilding tasks currently in progress in the vSAN cluster. For information about vSAN resynchronization, see vSphere Monitoring and Performance

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the vSAN cluster.
  2. Click the Configure tab.
  3. Under vSAN, select Disk Management.
  4. Click Pre-check Upgrade. The upgrade pre-check analyzes the cluster to uncover any issues that might prevent a successful upgrade. Some of the items checked are host status, disk status, network status, and object status. Upgrade issues are displayed in the Disk pre-check status text box.
  5. Click Upgrade.
  6. Click Yes on the Upgrade dialog box to perform the upgrade of the on-disk format.

Results

vSAN successfully upgrades the on-disk format. The On-disk Format Version column displays the disk format version of storage devices in the cluster