Installation guide

Preparing for the Upgrade to ESX
4.0/ESXi 4.0 10
After completing the upgrade to vCenter Server, upgrade legacy VMware ESX/ESXi hosts to ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.0.
These topics are intended for administrators who are upgrading ESX, ESXi, and virtual machines from
ESX 3.x/ESXi 3.5 hosts to ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.0. One topic discusses the upgrade path from ESX 2.5.5.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“About Host Upgrades,” on page 65
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“vSphere Host Update Utility,” on page 66
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“vCenter Update Manager,” on page 66
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“Recommendation for Static IP Addresses,” on page 67
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“List of Upgraded vSphere Components,” on page 67
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“List of Preserved Configuration Components,” on page 68
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“Back Up the ESX Host Configuration,” on page 69
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“Back Up the ESXi Host Configuration,” on page 69
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“Release Upgrade Support for ESX/ESXi,” on page 70
About Host Upgrades
To upgrade to vSphere 4.0, upgrade hosts with service consoles to ESX 4.0 (which also has a service console).
Upgrade hosts without service consoles to ESXi 4.0 (which does not have a service console). You cannot use
the upgrade tools to convert ESX hosts to ESXi hosts, or the reverse.
VMware provides the following tools for upgrading ESX/ESXi hosts:
vSphere Host Update
Utility
Graphical utility for standalone hosts. Allows you to perform remote upgrades
of ESX 3.x/ESXi 3.5 hosts to ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.0. vSphere Host Update Utility
upgrades the virtual machine kernel (vmkernel) and the service console, where
present. vSphere Host Update Utility does not upgrade VMFS datastores or
virtual machine guest operating systems.
vCenter Update Manager
Robust software for upgrading, updating, and patching clustered hosts, virtual
machines, and guest operating systems. Orchestrates host and virtual machine
upgrades. If your site uses vCenter Server, VMware recommends that you use
VMware Update Manager instead of vSphere Host Update Utility. See the
vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide.
VMware, Inc. 65