Installation guide

Preparing for the Upgrade to ESX
4.1/ESXi 4.1 8
After completing the upgrade to vCenter Server, upgrade legacy VMware ESX/ESXi hosts to ESX 4.1/ESXi 4.1.
These topics are intended for administrators who are upgrading ESX, ESXi, and virtual machines from
ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.0 to ESX 4.1/ESXi 4.1.
To upgrade directly from ESX 3.5/ESXi 3.5 to ESX 4.1/ESXi 4.1, use VMware vCenter Update Manager. For
information on upgrading from ESX 3.5/ESXi 3.5 to ESX 4.1/ESXi 4.1, see the vSphere Update Manager
Administration Guide.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“About Host Upgrades,” on page 56
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“Release Upgrade Support for ESX/ESXi,” on page 56
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“vCenter Update Manager,” on page 57
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“Recommendation for Static IP Addresses,” on page 58
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“vSphere Components Upgraded by Update Manager,” on page 58
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“Preserved Configuration Components,” on page 58
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“Non-Preserved Configuration Components,” on page 60
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“Back Up the ESX Host Configuration,” on page 60
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“Back Up the ESXi Host Configuration,” on page 61
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“Best Practices for Upgrades,” on page 61
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