The upgrade bundle for VMware vCenter Server is used to upgrade the vCenter Server instances 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 might require a specific upgrade sequence. See KB 92227 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. Upgrading to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2:
    1. In the Available Updates section, click Update Now or Schedule Update next to the VMware Software Update for vCenter Server.
    2. Click Confirm to confirm that you have taken a file-based backup of the vCenter Server appliance before starting the upgrade.
    3. If you selected Schedule Update, click the date and time for the bundle to be applied and click Schedule.
    4. If you are upgrading from VMware Cloud Foundation 4.5.x, enter the details for the temporary network to be used only during the upgrade. The IP address must be in the management subnet.
      Image showing the temporary network settings when upgrading vCenter Server from 4.5.x to 5.x.
    5. Review the upgrade settings and click Finish.
  5. Upgrading to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.1 from VMware Cloud Foundation 5.x:
    1. In the Available Updates section, click Configure Update.
    2. Select the upgrade mechanism and click Next.
      Option Description
      vCenter Reduced Downtime Upgrade

      The reduced downtime upgrade process uses a migration-based approach. In this approach, a new vCenter Server Appliance is deployed and the current vCenter data and configuration is copied to it.

      During the preparation phase of a reduced downtime upgrade, the source vCenter Server Appliance and all resources remain online. The only downtime occurs when the source vCenter Server Appliance is stopped, the configuration is switched over to the target vCenter, and the services are started. The downtime is expected to take approximately 5 minutes under ideal network, CPU, memory, and storage provisioning.

      Note: To perform a vCenter Reduced Downtime Upgrade, the target vCenter version must be the VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.1 BOM version or later.
      vCenter Regular Upgrade During a regular upgrade, the vCenter Server Appliance is offline for the duration of the upgrade.
    3. Select a backup option and click Next.
    4. For an RDU update, provide a temporary network to be used only during the upgrade and click Next.
      Option Description
      Automatic Automatically assign network information.
      Static Enter an IP address, subnet mask, and gateway. The IP address must be in the management subnet.
    5. Schedule the update and click Next.
      Option Description
      For vCenter Reduced Downtime Upgrade Select scheduling options for the preparation and switchover phases of the upgrade.
      Note: If you are scheduling the switchover phase, you must allow a minimum of 4 hours between the start of preparation and the start of switchover.
      For vCenter Regular Upgrade Select an Upgrade Now or Schedule Update.
    6. Review the upgrade settings and click Finish.
  6. Upgrading to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.1 from VMware Cloud Foundation 4.5.x:
    1. In the Available Updates section, click Configure Update.
    2. Enter the details for the temporary network to be used only during the upgrade. The IP address must be in the management subnet.
    3. Select a backup option and click Next.
    4. Schedule the update and click Next.
    5. Review the upgrade settings and click Finish.
  7. Monitor the upgrade progress. See Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation Updates.
  8. After the upgrade is complete, remove the old vCenter Server appliance (if applicable).
    Note: Removing the old vCenter is only required for major upgrades. If you performed a vCenter RDU patch upgrade, the old vCenter is automatically removed after a successful upgrade.

    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. vCenter RDU upgrades perform automatic rollback if the upgrade fails.

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.