Installation guide

Preparing for the Upgrade to vCenter
Server 5
Before you upgrade to vCenter Server, review the prerequisites.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“About the vCenter Server 4.0 Upgrade,” on page 37
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“vCenter Server Upgrade Summary,” on page 37
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“Prerequisites for the vCenter Server Upgrade,” on page 38
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“vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements,” on page 40
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“Database Scenarios,” on page 41
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“Configure vCenter Server to Communicate with the Local Database After Shortening the Computer
Name to 15 Characters or Fewer,” on page 42
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“Back Up VirtualCenter 2.x,” on page 43
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“Downtime During the vCenter Server Upgrade,” on page 43
About the vCenter Server 4.0 Upgrade
If you have VirtualCenter 2.x and you want to manage ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.0, you must upgrade the VirtualCenter
software to vCenter Server 4.0.
ESX 4.0 and ESXi 4.0 hosts that are managed together in a vCenter Server system can run the same virtual
machines, use VMotion to migrate virtual machines between the hosts, and access the same datastores.
You can manage ESX 3.x/ESXi 3.5 hosts in the same cluster with ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.0 hosts. You can manage ESX
2.x as standalone hosts in a vCenter Server system. ESX 2.x hosts cannot be added to clusters.
vCenter Server Upgrade Summary
The upgrade to vCenter Server impacts other software components of your datacenter.
Table 5-1 summarizes the impacts on your datacenter components.
Table 5-1. Upgrading vCenter Server Components
Product Component Description
vCenter Server VI Client 1.x Not supported
VirtualCenter Server 1.x Not supported
vSphere Client 4.0 Install
VirtualCenter Server 2.0 Upgrade
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