I have a client that is running vCenter Appliance 5.1 and needs to upgrade to 5.5. I am going to document the process of upgrading their vCenter Appliance to 5.5.
– First, you will need to download a full new version of the vCenter Appliance from VMware’s website. We are going to deploy an entirely new Appliance during this process.
– In vSphere, click “File” and select “Deploy OVF Template.” Select the OVA files you downloaded.
– Name your VM, Select the correct Network and Datastore and click Finish. Let it Deploy
– Set the IP information of the new vCenter server. See my previous post about modifying vCenter Appliance IP here. (The default login is Username: root Password: vmware)
– Connect to both the OLD and the NEW vCenter Appliances in separate browser windows.
– In the new vCenter Appliance Browser Window, Accept the EULA and select “Upgrade from Previous Version”
– Copy the Key from Box number 1.
– Paste that key into the OLD vCenter Appliance, under the Upgrade tab. Click “Import Key and Stop vCenter Server”
– Copy the Upgrade Key that will be presented and paste that key in Box #2 in the NEW vCenter Server and click Next.
– If there are any issues with certificates, you will need to check the “Replace the SSL Certificates box and then click Next.
– Next, you will be prompted for the SSO password for the user administrator@vpshere.local. This should be “root”
– You should be presented with the ESXi Hosts that will be imported into the new vCenter Appliance. Make sure they are checked, and click Next.
– Review the Upgrade Check and take care of any errors before proceeding
– Click to confirm that you have taken a backup/snapshot of the source vCenter Database and click Start
– When the upgrade completes, click Close. The vCenter Appliance will now reboot and the upgrade is complete.
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