Tag Archives: vmware vsphere

Upgrade vSphere 4 Environment to vSphere 5

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KB ID 0000543

Problem

I will probably have a ton of these to do next year! The following process runs right through the entire migration process of vCenter, the ESX/ESXi hosts, The Datastores, The VM Tools, VMHardware, and finally re licencing everything with your new vSphere 5 keys.

Solution

Step 1 Verify your Software and Hardware Requirements

1. vCenter 5 Hardware Requirements:

CPU: Requires Dual CPU (At least 2GHz – IA64 Processors are NOT supported)

RAM: 4GB (More may be required if the database runs on the same machine and you have many hosts and guests.

Disk Space: 4GB (though you need additional 2GB to extract the setup files into).

vCenter can no longer be installed on an x32 Host Operating System (Neither can it be installed on Windows XP anymore!).

2. vCenter 5 Software Requirements:

OS: Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2003 R2 x64, Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 R2 x64.

Database: SQL 2008 R2 Express (Included).

Note: Microsoft Windows Installer 4.5 and .Net 3.5SP1 are also required. (Can be installed from the VIM setup Media).

Step 2 Back Up

1. You are doing and upgrade, you are only as good as your last backup!

Note: Though it is designed for clients migrating from x32 vCenters, to x64 vCenters you can perform a backup with the datamigration tools On the vSphere VIM 5 Media.

Step 3 Upgrade to vCenter Server 5.0

1. Pop in the DVD, present the iso, or extract the setup files using 7Zip.

2. Start > Run > Services.msc > Locate and stop the VMware Virtual Center Server Service.

3. Run autorun.exe form the install media > Select vCenter Server > Install.

4. Select Language > Next > Welcome Screen > Next > Next > I agree… > Next > Enter your Licence Key (It’s easier to do this later) > Next > Next > If you have Update Manager installed you will see this message > OK.

5. Select “Upgrade Existing vCenter Database” and tick the box to say you have a backup > Next.

6. Select Automatic > Next > Supply User Credentials > Next > Next > Next > Next > Select Small, Medium, or Large Deployment > Next > Install > Finish.

Step 4 Upgrade VMware vSphere Update Manager

1. Back at the installer screen > Select VMware vSphere Update Manager > Install.

2. It should detect (providing you are updating update manager of course) the earlier version > OK > Next.

3. Next >Tick “I Agree….” > Next > Untick “Download Updates…” if you wish > Next > Type in the administrator password > Next > Next > Tick “Yes, I want to upgrade…” > Tick “I Have taken a backup…” > Next.

4. Next >Install > If prompted for a reboot click OK > Finish.

Step 5 Upgrade VMware vSphere Client 5.0

1. This does not have to be on the vCenter server, but your VI clients on your administrative machines will need updating. Back at the installer screen > Select VMware vSphere Client > Install.

2. OK > Next > Next > Tick “I Agree….” > Next > Enter your user information >Next > Install > Finish > Close the VMware vCenter Installer window.

Step 6 Install the Update Manager Plug-in.

1. Launch your new VI client and log into the Virtual Center > Select Plug-ins >Manage Plug-ins.

2. Locate and install the update manager Plug-in.

Step 7 Upgrade your Hosts to ESXi 5.0 Using Update Manager

1. Whilst in your VI client, select the virtual Center > Update Manager Tab > Admin View.

2. Select the ESXi Images Tab > Import ESXi Images.

3. Browse to a copy of the ESXi 5.0 install setup iso > Open it > Next.

4. Next > Next > Give the Image a new name > Finish.

5. Select the “Baselines and Groups” Tab > You should see your imported Image.

6. Change back to “Compliance View” > Attach > Select the ESXi 5.0 Baseline > Attach.

7. Your ESXi hosts should appear (If not, click scan) > Click Remediate > Ensure the host(s) you want to update are selected > Next.

8. Tick “I accept….” > Next > Tick “Remove Installed Third Party Software…..” > Next.

Warning: If you upgrading from ESX (as opposed to ESXi you may have software installed e.g. UPS monitoring software, HP Insight Agents etc, these will be removed, be aware.)

9. Next > Next > Finish > Your Hosts will remediate/upgrade. This can take a long time and appears to hang at 22% > If you have access to the host you can speed up the process by rebooting it when prompted, though you DONT have to do that. It will put the host into maintenance mode update it, the reboot it, and finally take it out of maintenance mode.

10. Repeat as necessary for any remaining ESX/ESXi hosts, if you have HA it will move your gust VMs about for you but I prefer to shift them manually as I find its usually quicker that way.

Step 8 Upgrade your VMFS-3 Datastores to VMFS-5

1. Select a host that has access to the datastore > Configuration > Storage > Select the VMFS Datastore > Update to VMFS-5 > At the warning click OK.

2. Depending on the size of the volume it might take a while, when its finished it will automatically rescan all the datastores and update the display.

Step 9 Upgrade the VMware Tools and Virtual Machine Hardware

1. You can either do this on a machine by machine basis, or using Update Manager. To update the VMware tools on a particular guest, right click it and select Guest > Install/Upgrade VMware Tools.

2. Remember choosing “Automatic Tools Upgrade” will reboot the guest machine, as soon as its finished, plan some downtime or do this out of hours.

3. You can update the virtual machine hardware in the same manner (the guest needs to be powered off first) Then right click > Upgrade Virtual Hardware > At the warning message click Yes.

4. To update using Update Manager > Change your view to “VMs and Templates”

5. Then either select a single VM or select a folder containing multiple VMs (you can create a folder and drag the VMs in you want to update). Select the update manager Tab > Attach > Select either VMware tools or VM Hardware (or Both) > Attach.

6. Select Scan > Select Tools and/or Hardware > Untick Virtual appliance upgrades > Scan.

7. The guests that need upgrading will be shown as “non compliant” > Select them > and click Remediate.

8. Next > Next > If you want to take a snapshot before proceeding, leave the option ticked > Next.

9. Finish.

Step 10 Install your vSphere 5 Licences

1. From within the VI client > Home > Licencing.

2. Manage vSphere Licences > Paste or type your licence keys in, and select > Add Licence Keys > Next > Select Each ESXi host and change its licence from Evaluation mode to the licenced key.

3. Select the Virtual Center tab and allocate that a licence as well > Next > Next > Finish.

 

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links

NA

Allow access to VMware View through Cisco ASA 5500

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KB ID 0000545 

Problem

To access VMware View though a firewall you need the following ports to be open;

In the following example I’m using 192.168.1.100 as the internal IP address of the View Server and the public IP address of the firewall is 123.123.123.123.

Which solution you use, depends on weather you are allowing access via a dedicated public IP that you will assign to the VMware View server, or if you do not have a spare public IP, you will need to use port forwarding.

Option 1 – You have a public IP that you want to assign to the VMware View Server

Option 2 – You want to use Port Forwarding (And your ASA is pre version 8.3)

Option 3 – You want to use Port Forwarding (And your ASA is version 8.3 or newer)

Solution

Option 1 – You have a public IP that you want to assign to the VMware View Server

As I’m using 123.123.123.123 on the outside of my ASA I’m going to use another public IP address for the VMware View server (123.123.123.124) and I will statically map that to its internal IP address. Then I allow the ports to that IP address, and finally apply the access-list (ACL) that I’ve used to the outside interface (where the VMware View traffic will be coming from).

Warning: The last command (starting access-group, applies the access-list ‘inbound’ in the inbound direction on the outside interface, you may already have an access-list applied to this interface (the ‘show run access-group’ command will tell you) If you do have another ACL simply substitute the name of yours for the work inbound in my example below).

[box]static (inside,outside) 123.123.123.124 192.168.1.100 netmask 255.255.255.255
access-list inbound extended permit tcp any host 123.123.123.123 eq www
access-list inbound extended permit tcp any host 123.123.123.123 eq https
access-list inbound extended permit tcp any host 123.123.123.123 eq 4172
access-list inbound extended permit udp any host 123.123.123.123 eq 4172
access-group inbound in interface outside[/box]

Option 2 – You want to use Port Forwarding (And your ASA is pre version 8.3)

Below I’m creating a static PAT entry for all the ports required, then allowing the traffic with an access-list, and finally applying the access-list (ACL) that I’ve used to the outside interface (where the VMware View traffic will be coming from)

Warning: The last command (starting access-group, applies the access-list ‘inbound’ in the inbound direction on the outside interface, you may already have an access-list applied to this interface (the ‘show run access-group’ command will tell you) If you do have another ACL simply substitute the name of yours for the work inbound in my example below).

Note: If you port forward https on the outside interface, as I’m doing here, you will not be able to access the ASDM from outside – unless you put it on another port. The following two commands would change the ASDM to port 2345 for example:

no http server enable
http server enable 2345

[box]static (inside,outside) tcp interface www 192.168.1.100 www netmask 255.255.255.255
static (inside,outside) tcp interface https 192.168.1.100 https netmask 255.255.255.255
static (inside,outside) tcp interface 4172 192.168.1.100 4172 netmask 255.255.255.255
static (inside,outside) udp interface 4172 192.168.1.100 4172 netmask 255.255.255.255
access-list inbound permit tcp any interface outside eq www
access-list inbound permit tcp any interface outside eq https
access-list inbound permit tcp any interface outside eq 4172
access-list inbound permit udp any interface outside eq 4172
access-group inbound in interface outside[/box]

Option 3 – You want to use Port Forwarding (And your ASA is version 8.3 or newer)

Below I’m creating a network object for all the ports required and statically NATTING the ports required to them, then I’m allowing the traffic to reach that network object, and finally applying the access-list (ACL) that I’ve used to the outside interface (where the VMware View traffic will be coming from)

Warning: The last command (starting access-group, applies the access-list ‘inbound’ in the inbound direction on the outside interface, you may already have an access-list applied to this interface (the ‘show run access-group’ command will tell you) If you do have another ACL simply substitute the name of yours for the work inbound in my example below).

Note: If you port forward https on the outside interface, as I’m doing here, you will not be able to access the ASDM from outside – unless you put it on another port: The following two commands would change the ASDM to port 2345 for example:

no http server enable
http server enable 2345

[box]object network VMWare-View-T80
host 192.168.1.100
nat (inside,outside) static interface service tcp www www
object network VMWare-View-T443
host 192.168.1.100
nat (inside,outside) static interface service tcp https https
object network VMWare-View-T4172
host 192.168.1.100
nat (inside,outside) static interface service tcp 4172 4172
object network VMWare-View-U4172
host 192.168.1.100
nat (inside,outside) static interface service udp 4172 4172
access-list inbound permit tcp any object VMWare-View-T80 eq www
access-list inbound permit tcp any object VMWare-View-T443 eq https
access-list inbound permit tcp any object VMWare-View-T4172 eq 4172
access-list inbound permit udp any object VMWare-View-U4172 eq 4172
access-group inbound in interface outside[/box]

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links

Cisco PIX / ASA Port Forwarding Using Command Line, ASDM and PDM