Migrating vCenter Server Appliance VM to a new cluster and subnet without shared storage and network

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Unable to perform vMotion due to lack of shared storage and vCenter IP subnet at destination cluster
Network segment change (New IP/Gateway) is required at the destination.
Need to decommission the source ESXi hosts or cluster.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.x
ESXi hosts using Distributed Switches (DVS) or Standard Switches (VSS)

Cause

Standard vMotion migration requires shared storage and network heartbeat. Without these, a traditional migration is not possible. A manual deployment and host migration strategy is required.

Resolution

1. To migrate the environment under these constraints, follow these steps:

   1. Prepare ESXi Hosts (DVS to VSS Migration)
      If the source hosts use a Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS), migrate the management and virtual machine networking to a Standard Virtual Switch (VSS) on each host. For detailed steps, see Migrate VMs and VMkernel adapters from DVS to VSS.

   2. Deploy New vCenter Server
      Deploy a new vCenter Server Appliance on the destination cluster using the required new IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS settings. Ensure forward and reverse DNS records are updated for the new IP.

   3. Prepare for Host Migration
      Log in to the new vCenter Server and create a new Datacenter and Cluster object.

   4. Disconnect and Move ESXi Hosts

      • Log in to the source vCenter and right-click each ESXi host to select Disconnect.
      • In the new vCenter, right-click the new cluster and select Add Host.
      • Enter the IP/FQDN of the ESXi hosts to register them with the new vCenter. The VMs will remain running on the hosts during this transition.

   5. Post-Migration Validation

      • Verify that the managed address of the vCenter reflects the new IP configuration.
      • For additional best practices on changing vCenter IP addresses, see vCenter Server IP address change best practices.

Additional Information

• If you encounter issues migrating networking from DVS to VSS, contact the networking team or refer to your switch documentation.
• To speak with a customer representative or a Support Engineer, see Contact Broadcom Support.
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