How to Migrate from vCenter for Windows 6.0 to vCSA 6.5

Lately, I’ve been getting questions such as How do you upgrade from vCenter Server for Windows to vCSA? and How do you migrate an embedded vPostgres database to MS SQL? The latter question, for instance, is one I do not have an answer to simply because I have yet to try it out, assuming of course it can be done.

I will sometimes refrain from answering questions if I think that I’m not sufficiently versed in the subject matter. Learning and re-learning – yes, I tend to forget stuff – is an ongoing process. Despite titles, certifications and what not, there’s no such thing as an expert who knows it all save a few exceptions.

So, getting back to today’s post, I’ll be replying to a relatively easy question; Is it possible to migrate from vCenter Server for Windows 6.0 to vCenter Server Appliance 6.5? The short answer is yes. It is indeed possible and I’ll show you just how to go about it.

Let’s take a look at the possible migration and upgrade paths first.

Supported vCenter Upgrade and Migration Paths

The table below contains links to VMware’s documentation on the upgrade/migration paths available for vCenter Server. Note that upgrade refers to an in-place upgrade of vCenter Server while migration refers to migrating the state and configuration of a vCenter Server for Windows instance to a freshly deployed appliance (vCSA). Be aware that the process becomes increasingly complex when you have external PSCs, linked vCenter Servers, external databases, embedded VUM, etc.  It is imperative that you always read the product documentation thoroughly, plan, test and backup before taking the plunge.

I listed the links in a manner that, hopefully, allows you to visualize all the possible vCenter upgrade/migration paths. The first column covers upgrade/migration paths to vCenter Server 6.0, including the vSphere 6 U2 migration tool. The second column, lists the ones for vCenter Server 6.5.

For more complex deployments make sure to read Upgrade or Migration Order and Mixed-Version Transitional Behavior for Multiple vCenter Server Instance Deployments.

Note: There is no supported horizontal (same vSphere release) migration from vCenter Server for Windows to vCSA. Once example would be migrating from vCenter Server for Windows 6.0 to vCSA 6.0.

The Migration Tool

A quick intro to the vCSA migration tool is mandatory. It all started with a VMware fling called VMware vCenter Server (VCS) Converter Appliance which enabled users to migrate from vCenter Server for Windows and an external MS SQL database to a VCSA with an embedded vPostgres database. This fling was pretty limited in scope but it was quickly revamped as the Windows vCenter Server to vCenter Server Appliance Migration Tool introduced Oct. 2016 with the release of vSphere 6 U2. You can find the release notes here.

Even better, the migration tool is now embedded in the vCSA 6.5 installer. This version allows you to migrate from vCenter Server on Windows 5.5 and 6.0 to vCSA 6.5

Migrating from vCenter Server for Windows 6.0 to vCSA 6.5

Let’s now get down to the business of actually migrating vCenter Server 6.0 for Windows to vCSA 6.5. If you’re upgrading a production system make sure to read through this first taking good care to fulfill the system requirements.

I’ll be upgrading a vCenter Server for Windows 6.0 instance running as a VM on an ESXi 5.5 host. The vCenter Server is managing an ESXi host and I’ve thrown in a distributed switch just to verify that everything gets migrated properly. Again, this is a basic testing environment but you can easily test an upgrade before going live.

You will need the vCSA 6.5 installer ISO which you can download from my.vmware.com.

You will also need a temporary IP address to assign to the vCSA during the migration process. Make sure that this IP is fully reachable from the vCenter Server for Windows being migrated and the computer you’re using to carry out the migration process.

Setting up the source vCenter Server for Windows

Step 1: Copy the vCSA installer ISO to the source vCenter Server and mount it as a drive under Windows.

Step 2: Once you mount the ISO, locate and execute the \migration-assistant\VMware-Migration-Assistant executable. DO NOT close the window once the process is running.

Steps required on the computer executing the vCSA installer

I’ll be running the vCSA installer from a Windows 10 machine. I’ve left out a few trivialities such as the intro and user acceptance screens. Other than that, the list of steps is complete.

The migration process consists of two stages where the vCSA is first created followed by the actual migration of data. If need be, I’ve covered these steps in more detail in my Upgrading to vSphere PSC 6.5 using the Windows installer. Here, the process is a little bit different since we’re migrating and not upgrading which entails running an agent on the source vCenter Server.

Stage 1

Step 1: Mount the vCSA installer ISO as a drive and execute \vcsa-ui-installer\win32\installer.exe.

Step 2: Select Migrate from the list of options.

Step 3: You can safely skip the first 2 screens i.e. Intro and EULA.

Step 4: Enter the details for the source vCenter Server. The wizard throws an error if the migration assistant is not running on the source server. Press Yes to acknowledge the SSL warning.

Step 5: Tell the wizard where you want the vCSA hosted. You can target both vCenter Server and ESXi. Press Yes to acknowledge the SSL warning.

Step 6: Select the vCSA parent folder and ESXi host where applicable.

Step 7: Assign a VM name to the vCSA along with the root password.

Step 8: Select the deployment type. The larger the environment the more compute resources will be allocated to vCSA.

Step 9: Select the datastore on which the vCSA will be created and whether you want Thin Disk Mode enabled or not.

Step 10: Set the network configuration of the vCSA. Use the temporary IP address set aside and make sure that the selected network is reachable.

Step 11: Press Finish to start the migration process.

I’ve captured screen grabs for each of the above steps as follows.

If the process completes successfully, you will be greeted with the following screen. If you accidentally close the installer window, you can resume via the https://<vCSA IP address>:5480 URL.

Stage 2

Step 1: A series of pre-migration steps are carried out first. Any encountered issues will be reported back both by the wizard and the migration assistant.

Step 2: Select the type of data you want migrated.

Step 3: Confirm that you have a backup of the source vCenter Server and press Finish to start data migration.

At this point, you are warned that the source vCenter Server will be powered off. You can always power it up again if things go wrong since the migration process leaves the source vCenter intact.

Similarly to stage 1, you can follow the progress and status of the operation.

You can see that the vCSA, once it is powered up, will be assigned the hostname and IP address of the source vCenter Server.

Once the process completes, the following screen is shown which provides links to the Getting Started page and vSphere clients.

As a test, try accessing the vCSA using the vSphere Web client and verify that objects such as distributed switches have indeed been migrated. I’ve found this to be the case when migrating my test vCenter Server 6.0 for Windows setup as per the next screenshot but things can take a completely different turn for live and complex environments.

Conclusion

We’ve seen that migrating from vCenter Center for Windows (embedded PSC) 6.0 to vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 is relatively simple. For more complex deployments, you will definitely need to plan accordingly and scour through the list of requirements and gotchas before hitting that upgrade button.

I’ve also listed a number of links to the various VMware supported upgrade and migration paths. In reality, the migration process is hardly any different to upgrading save for the bit where you run the manager assistant on the source vCenter as part of the migration process.