6.0.2

Table Of Contents
Introduction to vSphere Upgrade 1
vSphere 6.0 has many options for upgrading your vSphere deployment. For a successful vSphere upgrade,
you must understand the upgrade options, conguration details that impact the upgrade process, and
sequence of tasks.
The two core components of vSphere are VMware ESXi™ and VMware vCenter Server™. {ESXi is the
virtualization platform on which you can create and run virtual machines and virtual appliances.
vCenter Server is a service that acts as a central administrator for ESXi hosts connected in a network. You
use the vCenter Server system to pool and manage the resources of multiple hosts.
You can upgrade the vCenter Server system on a Windows virtual machine or physical server, or upgrade
vCenter Server Appliance. vCenter Server Appliance is a precongured Linux-based virtual machine
optimized for running the vCenter Server system and the vCenter Server components.
Starting with vSphere 6.0, all prerequisite services for running vCenter Server and the vCenter Server
components are bundled in the Platform Services Controller. Depending on the details of your existing
vCenter Server conguration, you can upgrade to the vCenter Server system with an embedded or external
Platform Services Controller. For details about vCenter Server 6.0 upgrade options, see About the vCenter
Server 6.0 for Windows Upgrade Process,” on page 73 and About the vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade
Process,” on page 92.
For information on ESXi upgrade support, see “Upgrade Options for ESXi 6.0,” on page 140.
When you upgrade to vSphere 6.0, you must perform all procedures in sequence to avoid possible data loss
and to minimize downtime. You can perform the upgrade process for each component in only one direction.
For example, after you upgrade to vCenter Server 6.0, you cannot revert to vCenter Server 5.x. With backups
and some planning, however, you can restore your original software records. For information on the overall
vSphere upgrade sequence, see “vSphere Upgrade Process,” on page 18.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“vCenter Server Components and Services,” on page 12
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“How vSphere 6.0 Diers from vSphere 5.x,” on page 13
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“vCenter Server Deployment Models,” on page 16
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“vSphere Upgrade Process,” on page 18
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“How vCenter Single Sign-On Aects Upgrades,” on page 25
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“vSphere Security Certicates Overview,” on page 27
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“Enhanced Linked Mode Overview,” on page 27
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“vCenter Server Example Upgrade Paths,” on page 28
VMware, Inc.
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