Install and upgrade vCenter Server and ESXi step by step procedures

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article intends to be a one-stop place to provide links to step by step procedures for ESXi and vCenter install and upgrade. The links below encompass scenarios relating to 

•  install and upgrade of vCenter and ESXi server,
•  migration of the vCenter from Windows to an appliance version,
•  upgrade of VMware tools and VM hardware using Update Manager.

Environment

• VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
• VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x
• VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.x
• VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.7.x
• VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.0
• VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5
• VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
• VMware ESXi 6.0.x

Resolution

Table of Contents

• Everything You Wanted To Know About VMware vSphere 7 Upgrade
• Easier vCenter Server Updates with Update Planner
• Upgrading vCenter Server from 6.5 to 6.7
• Upgrading PSC and vCenter Server from 6.5 to 6.7
• ESXi Host Upgrade using Update Manager
• ESXi System Storage When Upgrading
• vSphere Update Manager
• VMware Tools and Virtual Machine Hardware

Everything You Wanted To Know About VMware vSphere 7 Upgrade

• Overview
• Why should you upgrade to vSphere 7?
• Pre-upgrade considerations
• Upgrade path
• Upgrading with vCenter Server high Availability (VCHA)
• Upgrading Load balanced PSCs 6.x to 7.0

Easier vCenter Server Updates with Update Planner

• Overview
• Prerequisites

Upgrading vCenter Server from 6.5 to 6.7

• Upgrading vCenter Server 6.5 to vCenter Server 6.7 using VCSA CLI
• Upgrading vCenter Server 6.5 to vCenter Server 6.7
• vSphere 6.5 Upgrade Considerations

Upgrading PSC and vCenter Server from 6.5 to 6.7

• Walkthrough: Upgrading vCenter Server 6.5 to vCenter Server 6.7
• Walkthrough: Upgrading vCenter Server 6.5 to vCenter Server 6.7 using VCSA CLI
• Blog: Upgrading Platform Services Controller and vCenter Server via the CLI Installer
• Upgrading vCenter Server via the GUI Installer

VCSA Migration

• Migration Assistant and Migration Tool
• vCenter Server Windows Migration
• Video: Topology Considerations

ESXi Host Upgrade using Update Manager

• Using the Update Manager Interface to Upgrade from ESXi 6.5 to 6.7
• Walkthrough: Upgrading a cluster with VUM
• Blog: vSphere Upgrade Series Part 3: Upgrading vSphere Hosts
• Using the Update Manager 6.7 Interface to Patch VMware ESXi 6.7 Hosts
• Video: Faster Host Upgrades to vSphere 6.7

ESXi System Storage When Upgrading

• Overview
• Storage Requirements Upgrades
• Partition Layout
• Upgrade Scenarios

vSphere Update Manager

• Using the Update Manager Interface to Upgrade from ESXi 6.5 to 6.7
• Using the Update Manager 6.7 Interface to Patch VMware ESXi 6.5 Hosts
• Video: Faster Host Upgrades to vSphere 6.7
• Using the Update Manager 6.7 Interface to Patch VMware ESXi 6.7 Hosts
• vSphere Quick Boot Demo
• Upgrading a cluster with VUM

VMware Tools and Virtual Machine Hardware

• VMware Tools Lifecycle Video from VMworld 2017
• Configure a Centralized VMware Tools Installation Repository
• Overview of 3 Types of Tools
• Updating Tools in a vSphere environment
• Correlating Tools versions with ESXi releases
• Upgrading VM Compatibility using vSphere Update Manager
• Upgrading VM Tools using vSphere Update Manager