vSphere 4.1 is Here – Migrate vCenter to a New 64bit Server

Since I have been pondering around upgrading vCenters, it was a matter of time before i came across a 32bit v4 installation. Since this is not a very standard procedure and needs a bit of extra reading and research on the net, I am saving me some time by keeping a log. Those are extracts taken from the actual 4.1 Upgrade Manual.

Upgrade to vCenter Server 4.1 on a Different Machine and Upgrade the Existing Database

The Official Procedure

1. Back Up and Move the vCenter Server Database on page 34
   Before you upgrade vCenter Server, back up the vCenter Server database. If you are migrating vCenter Server to a new machine, you have several options for moving the database.
2. Back Up VirtualCenter or vCenter Server Configuration with the Data Migration Tool on page 37
   Use the data migration tool to back up VirtualCenter or vCenter Server configuration data such as port settings, SSL certificates, and licensing information. The data migration tool can restore these settings when you upgrade to vCenter Server on a new 64-bit machine.
3. Create a 64-Bit DSN on page 38
   The vCenter Server system must have a 64-bit DSN. This requirement applies to all supported databases. By default, any DSN created on a 64-bit system is 64 bit.
4. Restore the vCenter Server Configuration and Install vCenter Server on the Destination Machine on page 39
   Use the data migration tool to start the vCenter Server installer and restore the vCenter Server configuration to the destination machine.
5. Update the vCenter Server Name for Plug-Ins on page 43
   When you migrate the vCenter Server configuration to a destination machine that does not have the same name as the source machine, you must update the plug-ins to use the new machine name. Plug-ins registered to the vCenter Server system cannot access the destination vCenter Server machine until this update is complete.
6. Migrate a License Server Installed on the Same Machine as vCenter Server on page 43
   If the license server was installed with vCenter Server on the source machine, the data migration tool cannot migrate

The truth is that this is a mixed general instruction path that the manual gives for migrations both from embedded database environments AND standalone or separate Database server installations. In reality the migration paths are different.

My case involved a small installation with an embedded MS SQL 2005 Express database, so i will describe this path since it is one of the most common ones!

Backup and Restore the vCenter Server Configuration, the Bundled Database and Install vCenter Server on the Destination Machine

Backup The Database

Before you perform an upgrade to vCenter Server on a new machine, you might want to move the database. For example, if your database currently resides on the same machine as vCenter Server, you might want to move it to the same machine to which you will move vCenter Server. Moving the database is optional. To move a Microsoft SQL Server database, you can perform a backup and restore operation. Consult your database administrator or see your database documentation about backing up and restoring databases.
The machine with the VirtualCenter 2.5 or vCenter Server 4.0 database is called the source machine. The machine on which the vCenter Server 4.1 database will reside is called the destination machine.

Prerequisites

• Verify that you have a VirtualCenter 2.5 or vCenter Server 4.0 system running with a local or remote Microsoft SQL Server database.
• Verify that Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio are installed on the source machine and the destination machine.

Procedure

1. On the source machine, stop the VirtualCenter service.
   a Select Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services.
   b Right-click VMware VirtualCenter Server and select Stop.
2. In SQL Server Management Studio, make a full back up of the source machine database.
3. Copy the backup file (.bak) to the C:\ drive on the destination machine.
4. On the destination machine, open SQL Server Management Studio and right-click the Databases folder.
5. Select New Database, enter the source machine database name, and click OK.
6. Right-click the new database icon and select Task > Restore > Database.
7. Select From Device and click Browse.
8. Click Add, navigate to the backup file, and click OK.
9. In the Restore Database window, select the check box next to the .bak file.
10. On the Options page, select the Overwrite the existing database check box and click OK.

The original database is restored onto the new database, which you can use for the upgrade to vCenter Server 4.1.

Back Up VirtualCenter or vCenter Server Configuration with the Data Migration Tool

Use the data migration tool to back up VirtualCenter or vCenter Server configuration data such as port settings, SSL certificates, and licensing information. The data migration tool can restore these settings when you upgrade to vCenter Server on a new 64-bit machine.

If your database is a SQL Server Express database that is local to the VirtualCenter or vCenter Server machine, the data migration tool will back up the database and restore it to the destination machine.

If VMware vCenter Orchestrator is installed on the same machine as VirtualCenter or vCenter Server, the data migration tool will back up the vCenter Orchestrator configuration and restore it to the destination machine. The data migration tool does not back up and restore the vCenter Orchestrator database. See the VMware vCenter Orchestrator documentation for information about upgrading vCenter Orchestrator using the data migration tool.

If VMware vCenter Update Manager is installed on the same machine as VirtualCenter or vCenter Server, the data migration tool will back up the vCenter Update Manager configuration and restore it to the destination machine. If vCenter Update Manager uses a SQL Server Express database that is local to the source machine, the data migration tool will back up the database and restore it to the destination machine. The data migration tool does not back up and restore patch binaries. See the VMware vCenter Update Manager documentation for information about upgrading vCenter Update Manager with the data migration tool.

Prerequisites

• Verify that a supported version of VirtualCenter or vCenter Server is installed on the source machine:
  • VirtualCenter 2.5 and its update releases
  • vCenter Server 4.0 and its update releases
• Stop the VMware VirtualCenter Server service before backing up the configuration.
• If the \datamigration\data\ folder already exists from a previous backup attempt, backup cannot proceed.

Remove or rename this folder before backing up the vCenter Server configuration.

Procedure

1. As Administrator on the Windows system, insert the VMware vCenter Server Installation DVD or doubleclick autorun.exe.
2. Click Explore media.
3. Open the datamigration folder and extract the datamigration.zip archive to a writeable local file system on the source VirtualCenter or vCenter Server machine.
4. From the Windows command prompt, change to the datamigration folder and type backup.bat to run the backup script of the data migration tool.
5. Respond to the script prompts.
   The script checks the vCenter Server version, database type, vCenter Update Manager configuration (if installed), and vCenter Orchestrator configuration (if installed) to determine whether they are compatible with the data migration tool.
6. If VMware vCenter Update Manager is not installed, enter y when prompted to continue the backup.
   The VirtualCenter or vCenter Server configuration data and the SQL Server Express database (if applicable) are copied to the \data folder in the extracted folder. The VirtualCenter or vCenter Server database instance is upgraded to be compatible with vCenter Server 4.1.
7. Check \logs\backup.log in the datamigration folder for errors.
   • n If you find no errors, the data backup was successful.
   • n If you find errors, correct the source of the error and rerun backup.bat before proceeding

Restore the vCenter Server Configuration and a Bundled Database and Install vCenter Server on the Destination Machine

If you used the data migration tool to back up the vCenter Server configuration and bundled SQL Server database, use the data migration tool to install vCenter Server and restore the vCenter Server configuration and database to the destination machine.

Use this procedure if you used the data migration tool to back up a SQL Server Express database local to the vCenter Server machine. The data migration tool restores the database to the new machine.

VMware recommends using the same host name for the destination machine that you used for the source machine.

Prerequisites

Ensure that the destination vCenter Server machine has access to all other systems that it must connect to, such as the domain server, Windows Active Directory server with vCenter user accounts, database server, license server, and so on.

Procedure

1. Copy the datamigration folder from the source machine to the destination machine.
2. Insert the vCenter Server installation media into the DVD-ROM drive on the new machine, or copy the installation ISO image to the new machine.
3. From the Windows command prompt, change to the datamigration folder copied from the source machine and type install.bat.
4. If the name of the new machine is different from the name of the source machine, enter y to continue.
5. Enter the path to the vCenter Server installation media.
   For example, if the installation media is in D:\Temp\VMware-VIMSetup-en-4.1.0-build number, enter D:\Temp\VMware-VIMSetup-en-4.1.0-build number. The install script verifies that migration data is present, and launches the vCenter Server installer.
6. Select a language for the installer and click OK.
   The Welcome page informs you that an earlier version of vCenter Server is on the computer and will be upgraded to vCenter Server 4.1.
7. When the Welcome screen appears, click Next.
8. Review the End-User Patent Agreement and click Next.
9. Select I agree to the terms in the license agreement and click Next.
10. Select Install SQL Server 2005 Express instance (for small-scale deployments) and click Next.
11. Enter the password for the vCenter Service user account.
12. Either accept the default destination folders or click Change to select another location, and click Next.
    The installation path cannot have commas (,) or periods (.). NOTE To install the vCenter Server on a drive other than C:, verify that there is enough space in the C:\WINDOWS\Installer folder to install the Microsoft Windows Installer .msi file. If you do not have enough space, your vCenter Server installation might fail.
13. Enter the port numbers to use or accept the port numbers shown and click Next.
    The port numbers displayed are those that were backed up from the source VirtualCenter or vCenter Server installation.
14. Select the amount of memory to allocate to the vCenter JVM in Tomcat, according to the number of hosts
    in your environment.
    You can adjust this setting after installation if the number of hosts in your environment changes.
15. Click Install.
16. When the vCenter Server installation finishes, click Finish.
    The data migration tool restores the backed up configuration data.
17. Check the \logs\restore.log file in the datamigration folder, and verify that no errors occurred during the restore process.

vCenter Server is installed, and the settings that you backed up are restored. The SQL Server Express database is also restored on the new machine. After the installation is complete, vCenter Server is started. If you used the data migration tool to back up VMware vCenter Update Manager configuration data, the vCenter Update Manager installer is launched. Complete the steps in the installation wizard to install vCenter Update Manger and restore the configuration. See the VMware vCenter Update Manager documentation for more information.

If you used the data migration tool to back up VMware vCenter Orchestrator configuration data, the vCenter Orchestrator installer is launched. Complete the steps in the installation wizard to install vCenter Orchestrator and restore the configuration. See the VMware vCenter Orchestrator documentation for more information.