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Table Of Contents
VMware, Inc. 33
Chapter 3 Server Protection
4 Start vCenter Server Heartbeat on the Secondary active server.
5 Start vCenter Server Heartbeat on the Secondary active server and check that the Taskbar icon now
reflects the correct status by showing S / A (Secondary and active).
Applying Patches with vCenter Server Heartbeat Installed
To apply patches to vCenter Server with vCenter Server Heartbeat installed:
1 Using the vCenter Server Heartbeat Console, select the Secondary server and click Make Active. Wait for
Secondary server to become active.
2 Shutdown the vCenter Server Heartbeat Group, leaving the protected applications running on the
Secondary (active) server.
3 Using the Service Control Manager, configure VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat service Startup Type to
Manual on both Primary and Secondary servers.
On the Secondary Server
1 Start VMware vCenter Installer for the version you want to upgrade to and select vCenter Server from the
list.
2 When asked, select Do not overwrite, leave the existing database in place.
3 Continue with vCenter Server installation and record all configuration settings used.
4 Once the vCenter Server upgrade process successfully completes, upgrade the existing extensions on the
server. Details for each component upgrade can be found below.
5 If asked, do not reboot the server.
6 Verify that vCenter Server and all upgraded extensions are operational.
7 If the upgrade on the Secondary server fails:
a Research the cause of the upgrade failure.
b If the issue can be resolved then it is safe to proceed with upgrade procedure. Otherwise, revert to a
previous version.
c To revert to a previous version:
i Uninstall the upgraded components.
ii On the Secondary server, launch the vCenter Server Heartbeat Configure Server Wizard and
click the Machine tab. In the Active server section select Primary.
iii Reboot the server. vCenter Server Heartbeat starts and vCenter Server is stopped.
N
OTE At this point, the data on the Secondary (active) server should be the most up to date and this
server should also be the live server on your network. When vCenter Server Heartbeat starts, it overwrites
all the protected data (configured in the File Filter list) on the Primary passive server. If you are not sure
that the data on the active server is the most current and up to date, contact VMware Support
(www.vmware.com/support). Go on to the next step only if you are sure that you want to overwrite the
protected data on the passive server.
NOTE If the Secondary server is the active server, skip step 1.
I
MPORTANT Before proceeding with the database upgrade, perform a backup of the database.
N
OTE On the VMware vCenter Server service account information page, VMware recommends
providing the same credentials used for the current service (open the Service Control Manager and check
the Logon As Account for VMware VirtualCenter Server service).