Interoperability and Upgrade Sequence for vSAN File Services 8.x with vCenter Server 9.x

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Validation of interoperability and compatibility between vSAN File Services version 8.0.3.1000 (Build 24280767) and vCenter Server 9.0.0.0 during infrastructure upgrade or maintenance.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server: 9.x
• VMware vSAN: 8.x
• VMware Cloud Foundation: 9.x

 

Cause

NA

Resolution

1. vSAN File services 8.x version  is compatible with vCenter 9.x version .

To successfully transition to or maintain vSAN File Services within a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 environment, the following components must be updated in the specified sequence:

1. vCenter Server: Management software must be upgraded to version 9.0 prior to infrastructure updates.
2. ESXi Hosts: All participating hosts within the vSAN cluster must be updated to version 9.0.
3. Disk Format Conversion (DFC): Perform the on-disk format upgrade to ensure compatibility with version 9.0 features.
4. File Service VMs (FSVMs): Once the infrastructure is updated, apply any remaining patches or version updates directly to the FSVMs via the vSphere Client to finalize the file services upgrade.

Prerequisites :

Before beginning, ensure the core vSphere components are already upgraded to the target version in the following order: 
vCenter Server: Must be updated first.
ESXi Hosts: All hosts in the cluster must be upgraded to the latest version.
vSAN Disk Format: Upgrade the on-disk format to the latest supported version.
Health Checks: Perform a vSAN Skyline Health check to ensure no failed disks or active resynchronization tasks are running.

Upgrade Steps:

Navigate to Services: In the vSphere Client, go to your vSAN cluster, then select Configure > vSAN > Services.
In the File Service row, click CHECK UPGRADE.
Choose Deployment Method:
Automatic Approach: The default method where the system automatically searches and downloads the required OVF from VMware. This requires internet connectivity.
Manual Approach: Use this if your vCenter lacks internet access. You must manually download the six required file service appliance files (OVF, MF, CERT, and three VMDKs) and upload them through the wizard.
Click UPGRADE. Once started, this task cannot be cancelled. 

Post-Upgrade Verification:

Monitor Rolling Update: vSAN will fail over file server containers to other virtual machines as it updates each host's agent.
Verify Health: After completion, re-run the vSAN Health check to confirm everything is operational and the status shows as Enabled.