You can upgrade vSphere Distributed Switch version 5.x to a later version. The upgrade lets the distributed switch take advantage of features that are available only in the later version.

The upgrade of a distributed switch is a nondisruptive operation, that is, the hosts and virtual machines attached to the switch do not experience any downtime.

Note:

To be able to restore the connectivity of the virtual machines and VMkernel adapters if the upgrade fails, back up the configuration of the distributed switch.

If the upgrade is not successful, to recreate the switch with its port groups and connected hosts, you can import the switch configuration file. See Export vSphere Distributed Switch Configurations and Import a vSphere Distributed Switch Configuration.

Prerequisites

  • Upgrade vCenter Server to version 6.5.
  • Upgrade all hosts connected to the distributed switch to ESXi 6.5.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Web Client, 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.
    Option Description
    Version 6.5.0 Compatible with ESXi version 6.5 and later.
    Note: Distributed Switch 6.5.0 is not compatible with ESXi 8.0 and later.
    Version 6.0.0 Compatible with ESXi version 6.0 and later. Features released with later vSphere Distributed Switch versions are not supported.
    Version 5.5.0 Compatible with ESXi version 5.5 and later. Features released with later vSphere Distributed Switch versions are not supported.
    Version 5.1.0 Compatible with ESXi version 5.1 and later. Features released with later vSphere Distributed Switch versions are not supported.
  4. Review host compatibility and click Next.
    Some ESXi instances that are connected to the distributed switch might be incompatible with the selected target version. Upgrade or remove the incompatible hosts, or select another upgrade version for the distributed switch.
  5. Complete the upgrade configuration and click Finish.
    Caution: After you upgrade the vSphere Distributed Switch, you cannot revert it to an earlier version. You also cannot add ESXi hosts that are running an earlier version than the new version of the switch.
    1. Review the upgrade settings.
    2. If you upgrade from vSphere Distributed Switch 5.1, schedule conversion to the enhanced LACP support.
    3. If you upgrade from vSphere Distributed Switch 5.1 and later, schedule conversion to Network I/O Control version 3.

Results

For information about converting to enhanced LACP support, see Convert to the Enhanced LACP Support on a vSphere Distributed Switch.

For information about converting to Network I/O Control version 3, see Upgrade Network I/O Control to Version 3 on a vSphere Distributed Switch.