Enhancing VMware ESX Server. Migrating from VMware ESX Server 2.5X to VI3

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Melanie Newman
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1 Migrating from VMware ESX Server 2.5X to VI3 /

2 Agenda Overview of Changes to Architecture for VI3 Phased Approach Migration plan, backup, execute migration VMware Migration options and procedures In-Place vs. Migration Upgrade Four-stage approach Challenges To Consider esxmigrator from vizioncore 2

3 Overview of Changes to ESX 3.0

4 VMFS Upgrade of VMFS required VMFS-2 is read-only ESX 3.0 cannot power on VMs on VMFS-2 Can Power On VM s with VM2 Format, only on VMFS-3 datastores VMFS-3 subdirectory structure per VM VMX VMDK SWAP 4

5 VM Format (VMX File) Upgraded virtual hardware (NIC, SCSI, etc.) ESX 3.0 can run legacy VMs Virtual Hardware Version 4 Hot-add VMDK files Remote CD/floppy 64-bit VMs (experimental) 5

6 SDK Enhanced 3 rd party support Complete programmatic interface Automatic configuration during install Same SDK for host or VirtualCenter communication 6

7 Preparing For Your Migration

8 Create a Migration Plan What, when, how? Verify environments ESX2.5x, VI3 Architecture Plan for downtime Read all materials available Outline Migration Plan 8

9 Backup the Infrastructure VMware Installation and Upgrade Guide - Page 88 VirtualCenter 1.X Database ESX 2.5X COS /etc (Host/ESX configuration files) /home (VMX files) Virtual Machine Data VMDK files Templates 9

10 Verify Hardware Compatibility ESX host hardware Storage array VirtualCenter host/database Compatibility Guides: ESX Server 3.0 Systems Compatibility Guide ESX Server 3.0 I/O Compatibility Guide ESX Server 3.0 Storage/SAN Compatibility Guide 10

11 VMware Migration Process Step 1: Upgrade Virtual Center Step 4: Upgrade VMware Tools inside guest OS Four-Stage Approach Step 3: Upgrade Virtual Machines Step 2: Upgrade ESX Server hosts & VMFS datastores 11

12 Stage 1: Upgrade VirtualCenter

13 Expected Downtime VirtualCenter Server In-Place 10 minutes for uninstall/reinstall Migration Upgrade 1 minute - second machine available for install 13

14 Upgrading VirtualCenter Access databases no longer supported Must convert to SQL to upgrade MSDE for demo only VirtualCenter 1.0 and 1.1 databases cannot be upgraded VirtualCenter 1.2 and 1.3 databases can be upgraded VMware advertised downtime: 10 minutes (VirtualCenter only) 14

15 Upgrading VirtualCenter (cont.) Uninstall VirtualCenter 1.X Do not install VirtualCenter 1.X and VirtualCenter 2.0 in parallel Two database options: 1. Create new database All configuration, audit and performance data lost 2. Upgrade existing database Preserves configuration, audit and performance data Be patient during database upgrade 15

16 Stage 2: Upgrade ESX Server Hosts and VMFS Datastores

17 Expected Downtime Total = 2 to 4 hours per VM ESX Server Hosts Host reboot twice VMware advertised downtime 40 minutes of total VMware License Server - none Virtual Machines varies In-Place Downtime begins when you upgrade host Downtime continues through VMFS upgrade Migration Downtime occurs when you move (copy) VM from VMFS-2 to VMFS-3 17

18 Upgrade Paths In-Place upgrade: For standalone ESX Servers using local storage or small environments using SAN Complete outage of ESX hosts and configured virtual machines Total VMware advertised downtime 2 hours 18

19 Upgrade Paths (cont.) Migration upgrade: Enterprise upgrade method Per virtual machine/small group of virtual machines upgrade Requires hardware and storage for temporary migration capacity Total VMware advertised downtime 4-plus hours 19

20 Pros and Cons In Place Pros: Fewer resources required Acceptable downtime for smaller environments One-click approach Cons: All VMs on a particular datastore must be powered off simultaneously For VMFS-2 to VMFS-3 upgrade More downtime expected in large environments 20

21 Pros and Cons Migration Pros: Minimize downtime of mission critical VMs Cons: Not all VMs on datastore need to be powered off simultaneously More flexibility on managing downtime window Needs additional resources Manage 2 environments: part running on ESX2.5x and part on ESX3 hosts 21

22 In-Place Upgrade Prerequisites Must have 1200MB of free space on VMFS-2 volumes Run the ESX 3.0 Pre-Upgrade Script Checks required freespace Check for potential upgrade issues Take note of any warnings/errors Take appropriate action as needed Insert the ESX 3.0 Install CD mount /mnt/cdrom perl /mnt/cdrom/scripts/preupgrade.pl 22

23 In-Place Upgrade Steps All VMs powered off VMFS volume(s) upgraded from VMFS-2 to VMFS-3 VMX files upgraded to Virtual Hardware Version 4 VMs are powered on VMware Tools software is installed in each guest 23

24 Migration Upgrade Steps Selected VMs powered off VMX file & ea. VMDK file of ea. VM are copied through SAN from VMFS-2 to VMFS-3 VMDK data is imported into ESX 3.0 VMDK spec on VMFS-3 VMX file upgraded to Virtual Hardware Ver. 4. ***** VM is powered on VMware Tools software is installed in each guest 24

25 Stage 3: Upgrading Your Virtual Machines

26 Notes Stage 3 is a manual upgrade For remaining VM2-format virtual machines The VM3-format upgrade offers improved snapshots and hardware functionality Stage 3 upgrade is irreversible Once upgraded, cannot be powered up by VMFS-2 Backup is essential for assurance of success! 26

27 Expected Downtime VM Upgrade Total to this point: 10 minutes + 4 hours Next Phase VM Upgrade Downtime expected: Virtual Machines 30 minutes per VM Can be concurrent for multiple VMs 27

28 Prerequisites VM Upgrade All VMDK files must be available to ESX Server host on a VMFS-3 datastore A VM can be upgraded if: Store on VMFS-3 or NAS datastores No suspend files exist At least one virtual disk exists 28

29 Upgrade Tasks VM Upgrade Select a VM from inventory Choose inventory>virtual Machine>Upgrade Virtual Machine Alternatively, you can script upgrades for multiple VMs from VM2 to VM3 vmware-vmupgrade.exe -u user [-p password] [-n vmname] [-h host] [-m maxpowerons] [-o port] [-t maxpowerontime] [-s] [-q] Specify multiple virtual machines using multiple -n parameters The -n option is ignored if -h is specified 29

30 Results At End of Stage 3 VMX configuration file is in VM3 format VMDK virtual disk file is in VMDK3 format Allows multiple snapshots, etc. The VMX and VMDK files are located in one directory on the VMFS3 volume Allows usage by any ESX Server Host sharing datastore 30

31 Stage 4: Upgrading VMware Tools

32 Expected Downtime - VMware Tools Upgrade Total to this point: 10 minutes + 4 hours + 30 minutes per VM (can be simultaneous) Virtual Machines reboot once per VM Usually several minutes 32

33 Prerequisites - VMware Tools Upgrade A supported guest OS on the VM License installed to power on VM VMware strongly recommends that you upgrade all virtual machines with VMware Tools 3 A virtual machine powered on with VMware Tools 2 on an ESX Server version 3 host might not have full network connectivity, and might display incorrect connectivity information 33

34 Procedure - VMware Tools Upgrade Launch virtual machine Install VMware Tools from VirtualCenter 2.0 Client When the guest operating system starts, choose Virtual Machines > Install VMware Tools From inside the virtual machine, click Yes to launch the InstallShield Wizard Follow the onscreen instructions Reboot 34

35 Challenges to Consider with In-Place or Migration Upgrades

36 Challenges Spider-web architecture Single application or volume cannot be tied to single host Complexity Scheduling Downtime Application dependencies spread across hosts/data volumes. Scheduling difficult/impossible w/o multiple large scale outages VMware s recommended upgrade processes are non reversible! Permanent Significant downtime to upgrade volumes or transfer data 36

37 Migration Selection Note VMware documentation methods If selecting one of the two: Consult the installation and upgrade guide Plan for method you select (See page 103 for upgrade method examples) Plan for associated downtime accordingly Total minimum downtime expected: 2 ESX Server hosts & 10 VMs each equals 8 or more hours of downtime possible 37

38 Overcoming Challenges? Consider 3 rd party vendor solution: esxmigrator from vizioncore Automated GUI driven - no scripting Minimized downtime ~ 60 seconds for one reboot Managed Scheduling options Multiple Servers and VM s 38

39 esxmigrator Advantages Leverages core technologies from existing vizioncore offerings Performs a complete VM migration and conversion across platforms with a simple reboot of VM Source VM remains 100% consistent and unmodified during migration/conversion Minimize downtime during migration process from 2.5X to 3.0 to as little as 60 seconds Can be staged in advance replicate for specified time, final cutover during scheduled maintenance window 39

esxmigrator Process Enables cross-platform replication Final cutover can be scheduled Source VM is unmodified (can fail back) VM is migrated in a

40 esxmigrator Process Enables cross-platform replication Final cutover can be scheduled Source VM is unmodified (can fail back) VM is migrated in a consistent state VMware Tools can be installed at leisure, or can be slipstreamed during cutover (reboot required) VM reboot is the only downtime (~60 Seconds) 40

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