VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2

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5.2 5.1 5.0 4.5
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Upgrade vCenter Server for VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.x

The upgrade bundle for VMware
vCenter Server
 is used to upgrade the vCenter Server instances managed by SDDC Manager. Upgrade
vCenter Server
 in the management domain before upgrading
vCenter Server
 in VI workload domains.
  • Download the VMware
    vCenter Server
     upgrade bundle. See downloading-vmware-cloud-foundation-bundles.dita.
  • Take a file-based backup of the
    vCenter Server
     appliance before starting the upgrade. See manually-back-up-vcenter-server.dita.
    After taking a backup, do not make any changes to the
    vCenter Server
     inventory or settings until the upgrade completes successfully.
  • If your workload domain contains Workload Management (vSphere with Tanzu) enabled clusters, the supported target release depends on the version of Kubernetes (K8s) currently running in the cluster. Older versions of K8s might require a specific upgrade sequence. See KB 92227 for more information.
  1. In the navigation pane, click
    Inventory
    Workload Domains
    .
  2. On the Workload Domains page, click the domain you are upgrading and then click the
    Updates
     tab.
  3. Click
    Precheck
     to run the upgrade precheck.
    Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.
  4. Upgrading to
    VMware Cloud Foundation
     5.2:
    1. In the Available Updates section, click
      Update Now
       or
      Schedule Update
       next to the VMware Software Update for
      vCenter Server
      .
    2. Click
      Confirm
       to confirm that you have taken a file-based backup of the vCenter Server appliance before starting the upgrade.
    3. If you selected
      Schedule Update
      , click the date and time for the bundle to be applied and click
      Schedule
      .
    4. If you are upgrading from
      VMware Cloud Foundation
       4.5.x, enter the details for the temporary network to be used only during the upgrade. The IP address must be in the management subnet.
      Image showing the temporary network settings when upgrading vCenter Server from 4.5.x to 5.x.
    5. Review the upgrade settings and click
      Finish
      .
  5. Upgrading to
    VMware Cloud Foundation
     5.2.1 from
    VMware Cloud Foundation
     5.x:
    1. In the Available Updates section, click
      Configure Update.
    2. Select the upgrade mechanism and click
      Next
      .
      Option
      Description
      vCenter Reduced Downtime Upgrade
      The reduced downtime upgrade process uses a migration-based approach. In this approach, a new vCenter Server Appliance is deployed and the current vCenter data and configuration is copied to it.
      During the preparation phase of a reduced downtime upgrade, the source vCenter Server Appliance and all resources remain online. The only downtime occurs when the source vCenter Server Appliance is stopped, the configuration is switched over to the target vCenter, and the services are started. The downtime is expected to take approximately 5 minutes under ideal network, CPU, memory, and storage provisioning.
      To perform a vCenter Reduced Downtime Upgrade, the target vCenter version must be the
      VMware Cloud Foundation
       5.2.1 BOM version or later.
      vCenter Regular Upgrade
      During a regular upgrade, the vCenter Server Appliance is offline for the duration of the upgrade.
    3. Select a backup option and click
      Next
      .
    4. For an RDU update, provide a temporary network to be used only during the upgrade and click
      Next
      .
      Automatic
      Automatically assign network information.
      Static
      Enter an IP address, subnet mask, and gateway. The IP address must be in the management subnet.
    5. Schedule the update and click
      Next
      .
      For vCenter Reduced Downtime Upgrade
      Select scheduling options for the preparation and switchover phases of the upgrade.
      If you are scheduling the switchover phase, you must allow a minimum of 4 hours between the start of preparation and the start of switchover.
      For vCenter Regular Upgrade
      Select an
      Upgrade Now
       or
      Schedule Update
      .
    6. Review the upgrade settings and click
      Finish
      .
  6. Upgrading to
    VMware Cloud Foundation
     5.2.1 from
    VMware Cloud Foundation
     4.5.x:
    1. In the Available Updates section, click
      Configure Update.
    2. Enter the details for the temporary network to be used only during the upgrade. The IP address must be in the management subnet.
    3. Select a backup option and click
      Next
      .
    4. Schedule the update and click
      Next
      .
    5. Review the upgrade settings and click
      Finish
      .
  7. Monitor the upgrade progress. See monitor-update.dita.
  8. After the upgrade is complete, remove the old vCenter Server appliance (if applicable).
    Removing the old vCenter is only required for major upgrades. If you performed a vCenter RDU patch upgrade, the old vCenter is automatically removed after a successful upgrade.
    If the upgrade fails, resolve the issue and retry the failed task. If you cannot resolve the issue, restore
    vCenter Server
     using the file-based backup. See restore-vcenter-server.dita. vCenter RDU upgrades perform automatic rollback if the upgrade fails.
Once the upgrade successfully completes, use the vSphere Client to change the vSphere DRS Automation Level setting back to the original value (before you took a file-based backup) for each vSphere cluster that is managed by the
vCenter Server
. See KB 87631 for information about using VMware PowerCLI to change the vSphere DRS Automation Level.

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