Performing an offline upgrade from ESX 3.5 U5a to ESX 4.x
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Performing an offline upgrade from ESX 3.5 U5a to ESX 4.x

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Article ID: 340478

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Note: To perform an offline upgrade from an ESX 3.5, it is necessary that your ESX 3.5 should be on Update 5a. For more information refer vSphere Upgrade Guide
The esxupgrade.sh script is an experimental way to upgrade an ESX 3.5 U5a host without network access to ESX 4.x . This knowledge base article provides information about the esxupgrade.sh script and instructions on how to use the script to upgrade from ESX 3.5 U5a to ESX 4.x . See http://www.vmware.com/support/policies/experimental.html for more information on experimental features.
If the ESX 3.5 U5a host has network access, you can use VMware vCenter Update Manager or the vSphere Host Update Utility to perform the upgrade. The vSphere Host Update Utility is installed with the vSphere Client . vCenter Update Manager is available with vCenter Server 4.0, vCenter Server 4.0 Update 1, vCenter Server 4.0 Update 2, vCenter Server 4.0 Update 3, vCenter Server 4.0 Update 4, vCenter Server 4.1, vCenter Server 4.1 Update 1, vCenter Server 4.1 Update 2 and vCenter Server 4.1 Update 3. Both applications are available on the vSphere download site: www.vmware.com/download/vsphere.
For information about the upgrade process, see the vSphere Upgrade Guide.
NOTICE: BY DOWNLOADING AND INSTALLING, COPYING OR OTHERWISE USING THESE MODULES, INCLUDING DRIVERS, PLUG-INS, SCRIPTS OR UPDATES, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THESE MODULES ARE TO BE CONSIDERED RELATED COMPONENT(S) OF THE SOFTWARE UNDER THE TERMS OF YOUR VMWARE ESX END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT ("EULA") AND YOUR USE OF THESE MODULES IS GOVERNED BY THE TERMS OF YOUR EULA. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, YOU MAY NOT DOWNLOAD, INSTALL, COPY OR USE THESE MODULES. "YOU" MEANS THE NATURAL PERSON OR THE ENTITY THAT IS AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS, THEIR EMPLOYEES AND THIRD PARTY CONTRACTORS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES TO YOU. YOU SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY FAILURE BY SUCH EMPLOYEES AND THIRD PARTY CONTRACTORS TO COMPLY WITH THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.


Environment

VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware ESX Server 3.0.x
VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware ESX 4.0.x

Resolution

Use the esxupgrade.sh script in conjunction with the ESX 4.x installation DVD or ISO file to upgrade an ESX 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.x. The script is a self-contained upgrade application that is packaged as a ZIP file.
Important: Copy the ZIP file to the ESX host before you extract it. Do not extract the ZIP file on a Windows machine.
  • For vSphere 4.0, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.0.0-164009.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.0 Update 1, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.0.0-208167.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.0 Update 2, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.0.0-261974.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.0 Update 3, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.0.0-398348.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.0 Update 4, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.0.0-504850.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.1, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.1.0-260247.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.1 Update 1, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.1.0-348481.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.1 Update 2, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.1.0-502767.zip file.
  • For vSphere 4.1 Update 3, the script is packaged in the esxupgrade-4.1.0-800380.zip file.

Extracting the ZIP file

To extract the contents of the ZIP file, run this command on the host:

unzip filename.zip
For more information about the unzip command, run the man unzip command while connected to the ESX host using SSH.

esxupgrade.sh Syntax

esxupgrade.sh -h -V -v -i -r -p

Argument
Description
Type
-h
Prints help information.
Optional
-V
Prints version information.
Optional
-v
( -vmdk-extra-space )
Specifies the amount of extra space, in megabytes, to allocate for the ESX service console VMDK. The value must be greater than zero.
Optional
-i
The full path to the installation ISO file or DVD.
If you are upgrading ESX by using an ISO image, the ISO file must be located on a VMFS volume. If you are upgrading from a CD-ROM, the default drive location is /dev/cdrom.
Important: The upgrade script does not verify whether the file path is a VMFS volume and not an NFS datastore, or whether the device is supported by VMware. For example, software iSCSI is not a supported device, but no check is performed to detect such devices.
Required
-r
Prevents the immediate reboot of the ESX host after the esxupgrade.sh script performs pre-upgrade tasks. By default, the esxupgrade.sh script reboots the host five seconds after the pre-upgrade tasks are completed. You can use this argument if you need to perform other operations before rebooting the ESX host and starting the actual upgrade process.
Note: If you run the esxupgrade.sh script with the -r argument, you can cancel the reboot by typing \Ctrl-C at the command prompt after the script runs. A message appears and indicates that the host must be manually rebooted to start the upgrade.
Optional
-p
Runs the specified script at the end of the upgrade process. For example, the following command runs the myconfig.sh script after upgrading to ESX 4.x:
esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/esx4.1.0.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1
-p /root/myconfig.sh
Note:The contents of the script code must begin with %post. If the post script fails, the upgrade process also fails unless you specify the following command with the post command:
--ignorefailure=true.
For example, %post --ignorefailure=true
Optional

Note: Ensure that esxupgrade.sh has the execute permission, to add execute permissions use the command: chmod +x esxupgrade.sh

Syntax Example 1: Upgrading to ESX 4.x by using the DVD

This command upgrades an ESX 3.5 U5a host by using the ESX 4.x installation DVD:

# ./esxupgrade.sh /vmfs/volumes/storage1

Note: If there are any spaces in the destination path, the command fails to run with the error too many arguments given. If you do have spaces in your destination path, ensure to rename it so that it does not contain any spaces. For more information, see Running the esxupgrade.sh script fails with the error: too many arguments given (1031254).

Syntax Example 2 : Upgrading to ESX 4.x by using the ISO file

This command upgrades an ESX 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.0 by using the ESX 4.0 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/esx-DVD-4.0.0-164009.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1
This command upgrades an ESX 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.0 Update 1 by using the ESX 4.0 Update 1 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/esx-DVD-4.0.0-208167.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1
This command upgrades an ESX 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.0 Update 2 by using the ESX 4.0 Update 2 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/esx-DVD-4.0.0-261974.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1
This command upgrades an ESX 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.0 Update 3 by using the ESX 4.0 Update 3 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/ESX-4.0.0-update03-398348.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1

This command upgrades an ESX 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.0 Update 4 by using the ESX 4.0 Update 4 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/ESX-4.0.0-update04-504850.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1

This command upgrades an 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.1 by using the ESX 4.1 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/esx-DVD-4.1.0-260247.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1
This command upgrades an 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.1 Update 1 by using the ESX 4.1 Update 1 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/ESX-4.1.0-update01-348481.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1

This command upgrades an 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.1 Update 2 by using the ESX 4.1 Update 2 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/ESX-4.1.0-update02-502767.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1
This command upgrades an 3.5 U5a host to ESX 4.1 Update 3 by using the ESX 4.1 Update 3 ISO image:
# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/storage1/ESX-4.1.0-update02-502767.iso /vmfs/volumes/storage1

Running the Upgrade Script

Prepare for the Upgrade

  1. Obtain the ESX 4.x installation DVD or ISO image.
  2. From a machine that has access to the Internet, download the necessary esxupgrade ZIP file from this knowledge base article.

    Important:     Copy the ZIP file to the ESX host before you extract it. Do not extract the ZIP file on a Windows machine. When you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, the file might be saved with a filename such as esxupgrade-4 [1].0.0-164009.zip . If this happens, change the filename to esxupgrade-4.0.0-164009.zip.

    ESX 4.0
    esxupgrade-4.0.0-164009.zip

    ESX 4.0 Update 1
    esxupgrade-4.0.0-208167.zip

    ESX 4.0 Update 2
    esxupgrade-4.0.0-261974.zip

    ESX 4.0 Update 3
    esxupgrade-4.0.0-398348.zip

    ESX 4.0 Update 4
    esxupgrade-4.0.0-504850.zip

    ESX 4.1
    esxupgrade-4.1.0-260247.zip

    ESX 4.1 Update 1
    esxupgrade-4.1.0-348481.zip

    ESX 4.1 Update 2
    esxupgrade-4.1.0-502767.zip

    ESX 4.1 Update 3
    esxupgrade-4.1.0-800380.zip

  3. Verify the integrity of the downloaded ZIP file by using the following MD5SUM or SHA1SUM.
    • ESX 4.0
      • MD5SUM: 4e83ae7795d4790cbd6d9cd07795b558
      • SHA1SUM: 771810ade82f9e8096d46dbf617e83e72ede7677

    • ESX 4.0 Update 1
      • MD5SUM: 3f0c689c4adb2ba091002a383ea0293b
      • SHA1SUM: b060314aa4d1a34b8b7ed60592edb6fc388938d9

    • ESX 4.0 Update 2
      • MD5SUM: dc126a77d554ceab45c8008784394965
      • SHA1SUM: 73cba3f8fe5dad56fb99915b580166fb36376f35

    • ESX 4.0 Update 3
      • MD5SUM: eb72caf8ac2cc9f7f21e82b9931e0011
      • SHA1SUM: 46b7ef8c22388e392ae2514d3d9e450146aacb4a

    • ESX 4.0 Update 4
      • MD5SUM: 672a7a8b6e222b2ede6f3fe1e91eb3f6
      • SHA1SUM: 56b2ccf9695e56914400aefdac08ca83d27bfaac

    • ESX 4.1
      • MD5SUM: 3fd15177fa22904b6f69f251c7268b54
      • SHA1SUM: b7812d4271a43df85406642099c08e5eb782ee06


    • ESX 4.1 Update 1
      • MD5SUM: e5a97b0aee59b3a90782f53cdb06ec02
      • SHA1SUM: d9fd869f5360ce4e5b42a9b8ffbaea25cd7d4840

    • ESX 4.1 Update 2
      • MD5SUM: 5ea3872412a5e8d848ad28a52692cc80
      • SHA1SUM: e2960dde537b7298b47b160ec55db3099a219a9a

    • ESX 4.1 Update 3
      • MD5SUM: 537c188cf714ac2d8e95bb651c30919c
      • SHA1SUM: f6596b5c3c062843b7dbf48a5e2374a7c6f14537

  4. Copy the ZIP file to the 3.5 U5a host that you want to upgrade.

    Important    :     Copy the ZIP file to the ESX host before you extract it. Do not extract the ZIP file on a Windows machine.
  5. Extract the contents of the ZIP file to the ESX 3.5 U5a host.

Upgrade Procedure

  1. Place the ESX 3.5 U5a host into maintenance mode.
  2. From the service console, log in to the ESX 3.5 U5a host as the root user.
    If you are performing a remote upgrade, log in to the host through a secure shell (SSH).
  3. Copy the ZIP file onto the ESX 3.5 U5a host and extract it. The ZIP file contains the esxupgrade.sh script.

    Important: Copy the ZIP file to the ESX host before you extract it. Do not extract the ZIP file on a Windows machine.
  4. Run the esxupgrade.sh script from the service console on the ESX 3.5 U5a host.

To upgrade the host by using the ESX 4.x DVD

Run this command:
# ./path/esxupgrade.sh VMFS_datastore1

where:

  • path is the full path to the esxupgrade.sh script.
  • VMFS_datastore1 is t he VMFS datastore for the ESX 4.x service console VMDK.
Select a datastore that is local to the ESX 3.5 U5a host. The service console VMDK requires at least 8.4GB of free space. NFS and software iSCSI datastores are not supported as the destination for the ESX 4.x service console VMDK.

The script takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes to check the integrity of the CD-ROM.

Important: Only IDE CD-ROMs are supported with the scripted upgrade. For more information, see The ESX 4.x upgrade script requires an IDE CD-ROM device (1009509).

To upgrade the host by using the ESX 4.x ISO file

Run this command:

# ./esxupgrade.sh -i /vmfs/volumes/VMFS_datastore1/esx4x.iso /vmfs/volumes/VMFS_datastore1

where:

  • /vmfs/volumes/VMFS_datastore1/esx4x.iso is the full path to the ISO file. Keep the ISO file in the same datastore as the one that contains the ESX 4.x service console VMDK.
  • /vmfs/volumes/VMFS_datastore1 is the VMFS datastore for the ESX 4.x service console VMDK. Select a datastore that is local to the ESX host.

If you are upgrading the ESX host from a remote machine, the ISO image must be on a VMFS volume that is accessible to the ESX host.

Upgrade Results

If the upgrade is successful, the host boots into the upgraded ESX 4.x version. The upgrade log files are located in the following directories on the host:

  • /esx3-installation/esx4-upgrade/
  • /var/log/vmware/
If the upgrade is unsuccessful, the host rolls back to ESX 3.5 U5a. The upgrade log files are located in the /esx4-upgrade/ directory on the host.

What to do next

See the vSphere Upgrade Guide for post-upgrade considerations.

Attachments

esxupgrade-4.0.0-261974.zip get_app
esxupgrade-4.0.0-398348.zip get_app
esxupgrade-4.0.0-164009.zip get_app
esxupgrade-4.0.0-208167.zip get_app
esxupgrade-4.0.0-504850.zip get_app
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