Reduced downtime upgrade is a migration-based approach to upgrade vCenter Server between major and minor versions that reduces downtime to less than 5 minutes under ideal network, CPU, memory, and storage conditions.

You can perform a reduced downtime upgrade for single self-managed vCenter Server instances, vCenter Server instances managed by another vCenter Server, vCenter Server instances enabled with vCenter HA, and vCenter Server instances connected in Enhanced Linked Mode configuration.

Supported Upgrade Paths

Source Version Target Version
vSphere 8.0 vSphere 8.0 Update 2 or later
vSphere 8.0 Update 1 vSphere 8.0 Update 2 or later
vSphere 8.0 P02 vSphere 8.0 Update 2 or later
vSphere 8.0 Update 2 Releases later than vSphere 8.0 Update 2
vSphere 8.0 Update 2 with vSphere High Availability (vSphere HA)
Note: Reduced downtime upgrade is not available for vCenter HA clusters of versions earlier than vSphere 8.0 Update 2 and for vCenter HA clusters that are manually configured.
vSphere 8.0 Update 3 and later releases.

About the Reduced Downtime Upgrade Process

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. The reduced downtime upgrade does not replace the current vCenter Server upgrade process through the GUI installer.

During the reduced downtime upgrade process, the source vCenter Server Appliance and all resources remain online. The 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 less than 5 minutes under ideal network, CPU, memory, and storage provisioning.

The high-level steps for the reduced downtime upgrade are:
  1. Configure the repository URL.
    Note: Perform this step when you are upgrading from versions earlier than vSphere 8.0 Update 2 to vSphere 8.0 Update 2.

    Go to Step 2 if you are upgrading from vSphere 8.0 Update 2 to later versions.

  2. Download and mount the ISO.
  3. Verify that you have a backup of the source vCenter Server Appliance.
  4. Upgrade the vCenter Server Life-cycle Manager service plug-in and run prechecks.
  5. Configure the target vCenter Server Appliance.
  6. Prepare the upgrade and and switch over to the target vCenter Server Appliance.
Prechecks are run at every stage of the process. If you face issues, resolve the issue and retry the upgrade steps. If the upgrade is canceled or an error occurs at any stage, the configuration reverts to the source vCenter instance. The source vCenter instance does not shut down until the upgrade process is complete and the target vCenter is up and running.
Note: In the event of a failure, the upgrade process is cancelled automatically and the configuration reverts to the source vCenter instance. The vCenter Lifecycle plug-in does not revert.

Configure Repository URL

You can configure the vCenter Server Appliance to use the default or a custom repository URL as a source for ISO images. By default the current repository for URL-based patching is the default VMware repository URL

If vCenter Server is not connected to the Internet or if your security policy does not allow you to connect to the Internet, you can build and configure a custom repository. The custom repository runs on a local Web server within your data center and replicates the data from the default repository.
Note: You must perform this procedure when you are upgrading from versions earlier than vSphere 8.0 Update 2 to vSphere 8.0 Update 2.

Prerequisites

Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance Appliance Management Interface as root.

Procedure

  1. If you want to configure a custom repository URL, build the repository on your local web server.
    1. Log in to VMware Customer Connect at https://customerconnect.vmware.com/downloads/#all_products.
    2. Select Download Product under VMware vSphere.
    3. Select the vCenter Server version from the Select Version drop-down.
    4. Against your license type, click GO TO DOWNLOADS in the row for VMware vCenter Server.
    5. Download the VMware vCenter Server Appliance Update Bundle ZIP file.
    6. Confirm that the md5sum is correct by using an MD5 checksum tool.
    7. On your Web server, create a repository directory under the root.
      For example, create the vc_update_repo directory.
    8. Extract the ZIP file into the repository directory.
      The extracted files are in the manifest and package-pool subdirectories.
  2. In the vCenter Server Management Interface, click Update.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Select the Repository settings.
    Option Description
    Default Uses the default VMware repository URL that is preset for the build profile of the appliance.
    Specified Uses a custom repository. You must enter the repository URL, for example, https://web_server_name.your_company.com/vc_update_repo.

    The repository URL must use a secure protocol such as HTTPS or FTPS.
  5. (Optional) If the specified repository requires authentication, enter the user name and password.
  6. If you do not want to perform a security certificate check, deselect the Check Certificate check box.
    If you trust the URL for the repository, you can choose to bypass the certificate check for the repository URL.
  7. Click SAVE.

    In the Current version details pane, you can view the vCenter Server version and build number.

Download and Mount the ISO Image

VMware releases the vCenter Server Appliance ISO image, which contains the installers for the vCenter Server Appliance.

  • Download the ISO image to the content library or datastore connected to the vCenter virtual machine or the managing vCenter.
  • Mount the ISO image on the CD-ROM device of the vCenter Server virtual machine.

Prerequisites

  • Create a Customer Connect account at https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/.
  • Verify that you have the following privileges:
    • Virtual machine .Interaction.Configure CD media on the virtual machine.
    • Datastore.Browse datastore on the datastore to which you upload the installation media ISO image.
    • Datastore.Low level file operations on the datastore to which you upload the installation media ISO image.

Procedure

  1. Log in to VMware Customer Connect.
  2. Go to Products and Accounts > All Products.
  3. Find VMware vSphere and click View Download Components.
  4. Select a VMware vSphere version from the Select Version drop-down.
  5. Select a version of VMware vCenter Server and click GO TO DOWNLOADS.
  6. Download the vCenter Server Appliance ISO image.
  7. Right-click a virtual machine in the vCenter Server inventory and select Edit Settings.
  8. Expand CD/DVD drive, and select Datastore ISO File from the drop-down menu.
    The Select File dialog box opens.
  9. Browse to select the file that you downloaded and click OK.
  10. From the Virtual Device Node drop-down menu, select the node that the drive uses in the virtual machine.
  11. Select Connect At Power On to connect the device when the virtual machine powers on.
  12. Click OK.
  13. Expand the VM Hardware panel and click the Connected icon next to the datastore ISO file to connect the device.

Upgrade the vCenter Lifecycle Plug-in

After you download and mount the ISO image, upgrade the vCenter Lifecycle plug-in.

  • Concurrent upgrades are not supported.
  • Perform steps 3-5 if you are upgrading from a version earlier than vSphere 8.0 Update 2.
  • If you are upgrading from version vSphere 8.0 Update 2 or later versions, you can mount the ISO file and upgrade the plug-in.

Prerequisites

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Client, select the vCenter Server that you want to upgrade.
  2. On the Updates tab, click Update Planner.
  3. Click Target Version and SELECT VERSION.
  4. Select the version and click OK.
  5. Click NEXT.
  6. In Backup, select the check box to indicate that you have backed up the vCenter Server.
    The backups are listed.
  7. In Upgrade Plug-in, select UPGRADE PLUG-IN to update the vCenter Lifecycle service plug-in.
    After the plug-in upgrades, the UI reloads with the version from the ISO file.
  8. Click NEXT to proceed with configuring the target vCenter Server Appliance.
    Warning: Clicking NEXT before the upgrade completes might result in crash of the plug-in. Wait for the progress bar to reach 100% before you click NEXT.
  9. Click RUN PRECHECKS to run source prechecks and click NEXT.
  10. (Optional) Click DISCARD to discard the upgrade workflow and return to the mount the ISO step. The vCenter Lifecycle plug-in does not revert.

Configure the Target vCenter Server Appliance

When the vCenter Lifecycle service plug-in update completes, configure the target vCenter Server Appliance.

After the upgrade, the target vCenter Server has the same IP address and identity as the source vCenter Server.

Procedure

  1. In Upgrade, go to the Target Appliance section.
  2. Click CONFIGURE TARGET APPLIANCE.
    The Target VM deployment wizard appears.
  3. Read and accept the license agreement, and click Next.
  4. Review the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) page and choose if you want to join the program.
    For information about the CEIP, see the Configuring Customer Experience Improvement Program section in vCenter Server and Host Management.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Enter location details if the source vCenter Server is managed by another vCenter Server.
    Enter the container location, HTTPS port, user name,and password of the source vCenter Server.
  7. View and accept the certificate of the source vCenter Server and click Next.
  8. Select where you want to deploy the target vCenter Server Appliance and click Next.
    You can deploy the target vCenter Server Appliance on the same location as the source appliance or choose a different location. If you select a different location, the target location must be a different vCenter Server and you must enter the connection details such as, host name or IP address, HTTPS port, user name, and password of the vCenter Server.
    The Deployment Type page is displayed if you choose to deploy the target on the same location as the source vCenter Server Appliance.
  9. If you select a different location for the target vCenter Server, view and accept the certificate and click Next.
  10. Select the deployment type of the target vCenter Server Appliance and click Next.
    Select Same configuration to deploy the target vCenter Server Appliance with same configuration as the source.
    Select Detailed configuration to enter all the configuration parameters for the target appliance.
    1. Enter the data center or virtual machine folder where you want to deploy the target vCenter Server Appliance.
    2. Select the compute resource required for the target deployment.
    3. Click Next.
  11. Configure the target VM appliance details and click Next.
    Enter the VM name and set and confirm the temporary root password.
  12. Select a deployment size and storage size for the target vCenter Server and click Next.
  13. Select a datastore for the deployment and click Next.
    Optionally, enable thin provisioning.
  14. In the Network Settings page, enter a temporary IP address of the target vCenter Server for static deployments.
    This IP address is used during the deployment of the target vCenter Server Appliance, during upgrade and for switchover.
    If the temporary IP address mode is DHCP, you do not need to enter the IP address.
  15. In the Review page, review the configuration and click FINISH.
    The Target Appliance section under the Upgrade window appears.
  16. To change the settings, click Edit configuration and make the changes required.
  17. Click Next to proceed with the upgrade and switchover.
  18. Click DISCARD to discard the upgrade workflow and return to the mount the ISO step. The vCenter Lifecycle plug-in does not revert.
    You cannot discard the configuration when the upgrade is progress.

Prepare Upgrade and Switch Over to the Target vCenter Server Appliance

Once the target vCenter Server Appliance is configured, you can upgrade and switch over the services to it.

The upgrade and switchover happen in two stages. The first stage is the preparation stage where the upgrade is initialized and the target vCenter Server Appliance is created with the configuration that you entered. During this stage, data from the source machine is replicated on the target machine and the time taken for the process depends on the environment and vCenter usage. The second stage is the switchover stage where the target vCenter Server Appliance takes the identity of the source. During the switchover, there is a short downtime. You can select manual or automatic switchover.

Procedure

  1. In Update Planner, go to the Upgrade section.
  2. Select the type of switchover you want to perform.
    • Manual Switchover. Select this option if want to manually switch over to the target vCenter Server Appliance. You must click SWITCHOVER to trigger the switchover after the target appliance is created with the selected configuration.
    • Automated Switchover. Select this option to continue with an automatic switchover after the target appliance is created with the selected configuration.
  3. Click START UPGRADE
    You can see the progress of the prepare stage. When the prepare stage completes and switchover starts and you can see the status of the switchover stage.
    After the switchover completes, you can log in to the target vCenter Server Appliance.
  4. Click OPEN VSPHERE CLIENT to log in.
    If the upgrade fails, the configuration reverts to the source vCenter Server Appliance.