Import and upgrade VMware Aria Automation 8.x to VCF Automation 9.0

Products

• VCF Automation

Issue/Introduction

• You need to upgrade an existing VMware Aria Automation 8.x environment to VCF Automation 9.0.
• With the introduction of the VCF 9.0 architecture, the upgrade process has changed. Legacy instances managed by VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle cannot be upgraded directly; they must first be imported into the VCF Operations 9.0 Fleet Management console before the upgrade workflow can be triggered.

Environment

 

• VMware Aria Automation 8.x

• VCF Automation 9.0

• VCF Operations 9.0 (Fleet Management)

• Legacy VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.x

 

Cause

• VCF 9.0 utilizes a centralized Fleet Management approach. To participate in the fleet and be upgraded, legacy VMware Aria Automation instances must be registered and imported as an "Integrated instance" within VCF Operations.

Resolution

To successfully import and upgrade your environment, follow these steps:

1. Launch the VCF Operations 9.0 Console.

2. Navigate to Fleet Management > Lifecycle > Management > Overview.

3. Click Add under the VCF Automation section.

4. When prompted, select the option to import existing vRA from Legacy VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle (do not select the option to install a new instance).

5. Enter the connection details for the legacy VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance that currently holds your VMware Aria Automation 8.x environments. The system will connect and fetch the list of available instances.

6. Select the VMware Aria Automation instance you would like to import.

   • Note: The system will make a default recommendation. In a VCF-aware mode, the preferred instance is the one integrated with SDDC Manager. In a non-VCF scenario, it will recommend the instance integrated with VMware Aria Operations. You can choose to override this recommendation if necessary.

7. Once the import process is complete, you can now trigger the upgrade of this instance to VCF Automation 9.0 from the console.