Upgrade vCenter Server 7.0 to 8.0

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This guide provides crucial steps and procedures to perform vCenter migration, covering preparation, deployment of the new vCenter Server Appliance during the upgrade and data transfer.

Environment

vCenter Server 7.0.x
vCenter Server 8.0.x

Resolution

To migrate from vCenter Server 7 to vCenter Server 8.0, follow these detailed steps:

NOTE: If you are upgrading VDS as well to version 8 and later, please upgrade Distributed Switch as the first step (selecting the highest version vCenter will give you), then second upgrading vCenter Server and ESXi hosts as the last step. 

1. Preparation

• Check Compatibility - Use the https://compatibilityguide.broadcom.com  to ensure that all VMware products and third-party applications are compatible with vCenter Server 8.0. 
• Check Certificates - Follow the kb  Verify and resolve expired vCenter Server certificates using command line interface
• Reboot - Reboot the vCenter to make sure there are no pending reboots
• Backup - Make sure vCenter Server and all important data per vSphere environment is backed up to prevent data loss during the upgrade using Restore vCenter Server from a File-Based Backup
• Take snapshots of the vCenter VM. If the vCenter is in Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM), ALL VC's in ELM must be powered off together and snapshots taken when ALL are powered off, NOTE: When reverting snapshot revert all snapshots for each vCenter in ELM. For more information see vCenter in Enhanced Linked Mode pre-changes snapshot best practice
• Upgrading to vCenter Server 8.0 requires an additional precheck for certificates with weak signature algorithms. The precheck ensures that vCenter Server is not using certificates with weak signature algorithms, such as sha1WithRSAEncryption. Certificates with weak signature algorithms are no longer supported in vSphere 8.0 in most contexts.
• Use the VCF Diagnostic Tool for vSphere (VDT) is a multi product diagnostic tool that can be run directly on a vCenter Server appliance. It executes a series of checks on the system configuration and reports user-friendly PASS/FAIL/WARN results for known configuration issues
• For upgrading vCenter in a High Availability Environment, remove vCenter HA see vCenter High Availability Environment.
• Do not forget to change DRS to Partially Automated or Manual to prevent any DRS load balancing from occurring if the vCenter is located on a cluster that had DRS in a Fully Automated state.
• Please ensure that ports 443 and 902 are open for communication between the source and target appliances, as well as between the vCenter managing the source appliance.
• Read through the Prerequisites for Upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance.

2. Upgrade Sequence

• Upgrade Order- Always upgrade the vCenter Server first before upgrading ESXi hosts.
• Follow kb - Update Sequence for VMware vSphere 8.0 and Compatible VMware Products

3. Upgrade Procedure

1. Download the Installer - Obtain the vCenter Server 8.0 installer ISO from https://support.broadcom.com by following the kb VMware vSphere downloads, VMware Converter, OEM custom images, patches and addons in the Broadcom Support Portal
2. Mount Installer- Mount the vCenter Server 8.0 installer ISO on a machine that has network access to the vSphere environment.
3. Start the Installer- Navigate to the `vcsa-ui-installer` directory. Open the appropriate subdirectory per operating system (e.g., `win32` for Windows) and run the installer executable.
4. Follow the Upgrade Wizard

Stage 1: Deploy the New vCenter Server

• Deployment Type: Select "Upgrade" to upgrade existing vCenter Server to vCenter Serv
• Source vCenter Server: Enter the details of the source vCenter Server (7.0). This includes the FQDN or IP address, SSO username, and password.
• Target Deployment: Enter the information for the new vCenter Server Appliance, including its temporary IP address and network settings.
  • If you plan to assign a static IP address and an FQDN as a system name in the temporary network settings of the appliance, verify that you have configured the forward and reverse DNS records for the IP address.
  • If you plan to assign a DHCP IP address in the temporary network settings of the new vCenter Server appliance, verify that the ESXi host on which you want to deploy the new appliance is in the same subnet as the ESXi host on which the existing vCenter Server appliance runs.
  • For more Network Prerequisites find the related section here: Prerequisites for Upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance.
• Deploy Appliance: The installer will deploy a new vCenter Server 8.0 appliance alongside the existing vCenter Server 7.0 appliance.
• If the installer keep loading on below page, please try to access the new VCSA VAMI page with temporary IP and check if it is possible to click the "Upgrade" to continue the upgrade, if not, try another browser or further check the network between new and old VCSA:
  "
  vCenter Server 8.0 has been successfully installed. However, additional steps must be completed before it is available for use. Click one of the links below to continue setup
  "

Stage 2: Transfer Data and Settings   

     

• Transfer Data: The installer will transfer data from the old appliance to the new vCenter Server 8.0 appliance.
• Choose the data transfer level (configuration, historical, or performance data). Configuration: Set up the configuration for the new appliance, including network settings, and review the configuration settings.
• Do NOT proceed unless a valid VAMI backup was previously taken before upgrade. If there is no backup and issues occur during installation a vCenter restore may be needed, without a backup, vCenter will need to be redeployed for scratch.

     

• Finish: Complete the upgrade process, and the new vCenter Server 8.0 will take over the identity and responsibilities of the old vCenter Server 7.0.

4. Post-Upgrade Tasks

Verification

• If any errors or issues occur during or after the installation, gather logs, screenshots, and other relevant information, and then revert to the snapshot. (especially if all are in ELM).
• If using Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM), ensure that all vCenter servers are on the same version. They can only be on different versions during the upgrade process, which should be completed on the same day, with each vCenter upgraded sequentially.
• If the installation competed successfully on stage 2 then log into the vSphere Client and verify that all data, configurations, and permissions have been correctly migrated.
• Ensure that the new vCenter Server 8.0 is functioning as expected. 

Additional Information

• Ensure that the source vCenter Server is not configured to use Integrated Windows Authentication (IWA) as an identity source, as this could result in the issue described in the following Knowledge Base article: vCenter server upgrade fails in stage 2 with an error: "A problem occurred while- applying network configuration".

• If you have advanced Support with a Support Account Manager (SAM) and/or Dedicated Technical Support Engineer (DTSE) you are eligible for a proactive upgrade case. Please see Proactive Upgrade Case for vCenter Server for further details.