You can use the GUI method to migrate a vCenter Server instance with an embedded Platform Services Controller to a vCenter Server appliance.
When you migrate from vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller on Windows to vCenter Server appliance, the entire deployment is migrated in a single step.
If you use Update Manager in the vCenter Server deployment on Windows that you migrate, and Update Manager runs on a separate machine from any other of the vCenter Server components, take an extra step to migrate Update Manager to an appliance.
- If your vCenter Server deployment on Windows uses an external Update Manager, run Migration Assistant on the Update Manager machine to start the migration of the Update Manager server and database to the Update Manager appliance.
- Migrate the vCenter Server instance with embedded Platform Services Controller from Windows to a vCenter Server appliance.
GUI tasks for migrating vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller from Windows to a vCenter Server appliance.
- Download and Mount the vCenter Server Installer ISO file on a network virtual machine or physical server from which you want to perform the migration.
- Download and Run VMware Migration Assistant on the Source Windows Machine.
Note: If you are migrating a vCenter Server system that uses an external instance of Update Manager that runs on a separate Windows machine, first run Migration Assistant on the Update Manager machine.
- Assemble the Required Information for Migrating vCenter Server from Windows to an Appliance.
- Deploy the OVA File for Migrating to the Target vCenter Server Appliance.
- Set Up the Target vCenter Server Appliance
The installer:
- Deploys a new target appliance.
- Exports the required files from the source vCenter Server.
- Copies the required files to the new vCenter Server appliance.
- Runs the migration process on the new vCenter Server appliance as specified in the Summary.
- Imports and updates the files and settings of the source vCenter Server installation to the new vCenter Server appliance.
Deploy the OVA File for Migrating to the Target vCenter Server Appliance
To start the migration process, you use the GUI installer to deploy the OVA file that is included in the installer ISO file as the target vCenter Server appliance.
Prerequisites
Procedure
Results
The newly deployed target vCenter Server appliance version 8.0 is running on the target server but is not yet configured.
Set Up the Target vCenter Server Appliance
When the OVA deployment completes, you are redirected to stage 2 of the migration process to transfer the data from the source vCenter Server and start the services of the newly deployed vCenter Server appliance version 8.0.
Your window of downtime does not begin until you begin to set up the target appliance. You cannot cancel or interrupt the process until it completes with the shut down of the source deployment. Your window of downtime ends when the target appliance starts.
Procedure
Results
The source vCenter Server instance is migrated from Windows to a vCenter Server appliance. The sourcevCenter Server instance is powered off and the new target appliance starts.
What to do next
Verify that your migration to an appliance was successful. For verification steps, see Verify Your vCenter Server Upgrade or Migration Is Successful. For post-migration steps, see After Upgrading or Migrating vCenter Server.