Installation guide

3 Update the data source information, as needed.
4 Verify the data source connectivity.
Back Up VirtualCenter 2.x
You must back up a VirtualCenter 2.x system to ensure that you can restore your previous configuration of
VirtualCenter if the vCenter Server upgrade does not complete successfully.
If you begin the upgrade to vCenter Server, and you did not back up your VirtualCenter 2.x database and SSL
certificates, you cannot restore your previous VirtualCenter configuration. You cannot roll back your database
to the previous database schema. The only way to recover from an unsuccessful upgrade is to use your backed
up database and SSL certificates.
Procedure
1 Make a full backup of the VirtualCenter 2.x database.
See your database documentation.
2 Back up the VirtualCenter 2.x SSL certificates.
a Copy the SSL certificate folder under %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware\VMware
VirtualCenter or %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\.
b Paste it at the backup location.
3 Take notes on the existing VirtualCenter installation regarding the selections, settings, and information
used. For example, note any nondefault settings, such as the IP address, the database DSN, user name,
password, and assigned ports.
4 Create a backup copy of vpxd.cfg.
What to do next
Continue with the upgrade to vCenter Server.
Downtime During the vCenter Server Upgrade
When you upgrade to vCenter Server, no downtime is required for the ESX/ESXi hosts that vCenter Server is
managing. Nor is downtime required for the virtual machines that are running on the hosts. Downtime is
required for vCenter Server.
Expect downtime for vCenter Server as follows:
n
VMware estimates that the upgrade requires vCenter Server to be out of production for 10 minutes, plus
15 to 20 minutes for the database schema upgrade, depending on the size of the database. This estimate
does not include host reconnection after the upgrade.
If the machine does not have Microsoft .NET Framework already installed, a reboot will be required after
the upgrade to vCenter Server.
n
VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler does not work while the upgrade is in progress. VMware HA
does work during the upgrade.
Chapter 5 Preparing for the Upgrade to vCenter Server
VMware, Inc. 43