6.0.2

Table Of Contents
2 Verify that the vCenter Server system is not an Active Directory primary or backup domain controller.
3 Update any ESX/ESXi 4.1 hosts to version 5.x.
4 If you have ESX 4.x hosts that you choose not to upgrade, you must remove them from the
vCenter Server inventory.
5 If the vCenter Server 4.x environment that you are upgrading includes Guided Consolidation 4.x,
uninstall Guided Consolidation before upgrading to vCenter Server 6.0.
Preparing vCenter Server Databases
vCenter Server requires a database to store and organize server data. You can either use the bundled
PostgreSQL database that can be installed and congured at deployment time, or you can set up an external
database.
vCenter Server for Windows supports Oracle and Microsoft SQL database, while the
vCenter Server Appliance supports only an Oracle database as an external database.
Although the database is automatically congured by the installer, you can congure an external database
manually or by using a script. In addition, the data source name user must have a specic list of
permissions.
The database passwords are stored in clear text on the Windows virtual machine or physical host on which
you install vCenter Server and in the vCenter Server Appliance. The les containing the passwords are
protected by using the operating system protection, that is, you must be a Windows local administrator or a
Linux root user to access and read these les.
vCenter Server instances cannot share the same database schema. Multiple vCenter Server databases can
reside on the same database server, or they can be separated across multiple database servers. For Oracle
databases, which have the concept of schema objects, you can run multiple vCenter Server instances in a
single database server if you have a dierent schema owner for each vCenter Server instance. You can also
use a dedicated Oracle database server for each vCenter Server instance.
Prepare Oracle Database Before Upgrading to vCenter Server 6.0
Ensure that your Oracle database meets requirements, that you have the necessary credentials, and that you
complete any necessary cleanup or other preparation before upgrading vCenter Server.
Prerequisites
Verify that you have conrmed basic upgrade interoperability before preparing your Oracle database for
upgrading vCenter Server. See “vCenter Server for Windows Database Requirements,” on page 37 and
“vCenter Server Appliance Database Requirements,” on page 39.
Verify that you have backed up your database. For information about backing up the vCenter Server
database, see the Oracle documentation.
To set database permissions correctly, see “Database Permission Requirements for vCenter Server,” on
page 59
Procedure
1 Verify that your database meets the upgrade requirements. If necessary, upgrade the database to a
supported version.
2 If your database server is not supported by vCenter Server, perform a database upgrade to a supported
version or import your database into a supported version.
vSphere Upgrade
54 VMware, Inc.