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VMware Cloud Foundation

Upgrading VCF 4.4.0 to 4.5 Step by Step

With the release of of VCF 4.5 i wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

Please note that some of the components within the VCF will still need additional upgrading. Please read the release notes for additional details.

We can start by going to Lifecycle Management -> Bundle management -> Download now. If you do not see the newest releases go to Administration -> Repository settings and add a VMware Customer Connect account that has access to perform downloads.

We can also download it directly from the domain by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the VCF version -> Download now

Next we need to download the configuration drift bundle by going to Lifecycle Management -> Bundle Management -> Download now

Alternatively it can also be downloaded directly under the Workload domain Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select Workload domain -> Updates/Patches -> Select the cloud foundation version and click on Download now

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the cloud foundation version we’re upgrading to and click on Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.5. This will install both the Cloud Foundation update as well as the drift remediation

Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components

Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen

Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager versions i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 3.2.1. The release notes can be found here. We can go to Lifecycle Management -> Bundle Management -> Download now. The 4.5 release actually comes with NSX-T 3.1.3, however because I haven’t upgraded my environment yet, I need to get to 3.1.2 first. The 3.1.3 release notes can be found here and the process is the same.

We can also download it directly from the workload domain by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the VCF version -> Download now

Once the download is complete we can proceed with updating the NSX components by clicking on the update now

Make the proper selection and click next

Make the proper selection and click next

Make the proper selection and click next

Review the options and click on Finish

The upgrade will go thought upgrading the NSX edges. We can view the upgrade status by clicking on view status

Once the edges are upgraded we an go back to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on Update Now

Review the selection and click next

Review the host clusters and click next

Review the upgrade options and click next

Review the selection and click finish

We can view the status of the upgrade by selection view status

Once the upgrade is complete we can proceed with the vCenter Upgrade. VCF 4.5 comes with vCenter Server 7.0 Updated 3h. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on the drop down and select Cloud Foundation 4.5 -> Download now.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

We can follow the status of the upgrade by clicking on the view status tab

Here we can see the different components that are getting upgraded

Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. The release notes can be found here. Click on Download Now

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific cluster(s) we want to upgrade.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade as well as quick boot

We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task

Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can follow the same steps for the other domains

Don’t forget to clean up the download bundles by following the steps from my other blog here

Skip-Level Upgrading VCF 4.x to 4.4.1 Step by Step

With the release of of VCF 4.4.1 i wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

In order to get to 4.4.1.0 in the past we had to upgrade to each version incrementally. As per the documentation found here we can now upgrade from any release past 4.1.0.1 directly to 4.4.1 skipping the releases in between. We can do so by going to Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now.

Alternatively if we are on 4.4.1.0 it can be found under Lifecycle Management -> Bundle Management -> Download now

We can also download it directly from the domain by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the VCF version -> Download now

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the cloud foundation version were upgrading to and click on Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.4.1.0

Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components

Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen

Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager versions i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.

Next step is to download and install the configuration drift package. We can find it under Lifecycle management -> Bundle management -> Download now

We can also download it directly from the domain by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the VCF version -> Download now

Once the download is complete go to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the VCF version and click on update now

We can view the upgrade process by clicking on view status

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 3.1.3.7.4. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on the drop down and select Cloud Foundation 4.4.1.0 -> Download now.

Once the download is complete we can proceed with updating the NSX components by clicking on the update now

Make the proper selection and click next

Make the proper selection and click next

Make the proper selection and click next

Review the options and click on Finish

The upgrade will go thought upgrading the NSX edges. We can view the upgrade status by clicking on view status

Once the edges are upgraded we an go back to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on Update Now

Review the selection and click next

Review the host clusters and click next

Review the upgrade options and click next

Review the selection and click finish

We can view the status of the upgrade by selection view status

Once the upgrade is complete we can proceed with the vCenter Upgrade. VCF 4.4.1 comes with vCenter Server 7.0 Updated 3d. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on the drop down and select Cloud Foundation 4.4.1 -> Download now.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

We can follow the status of the upgrade by clicking on the view status tab

Here we can see the different components that are getting upgraded

Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. The release notes can be found here. Click on Download Now

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific cluster(s) we want to upgrade.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade as well as quick boot

We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task

Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can follow the same steps for the other domains

Don’t forget to clean up the download bundles by following the steps from my other blog here

Skip-Level Upgrading VCF 4.3.1 to 4.4 Step by Step

With the release of of VCF 4.4 i wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

In order to get to 4.3.1.0 in the past we had to upgrade to each version incrementally. As per the documentation found here we can now upgrade from any release past 4.1.0.1 directly to 4.4 skipping the releases in between. We can do so by going to Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now.

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the cloud foundation version were upgrading to and click on Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.4.0.0

Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components

Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen

Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager versions i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.

Next step is to download and install the configuration drift package. We can find it under Lifecycle management -> Bundle management or Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under the drop down select Cloud Foundation 4.4.0.0 -> Download Now

Once the download is complete in the same location click on update now

We can view the upgrade process by clicking on view status

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 3.1.3.5. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on the drop down and select Cloud Foundation 4.4.0.0 -> Download now.

Once the download is complete we can proceed with updating the NSX component by clicking on the update now

The upgrade will go thought upgrading the NSX managers as well as the edges. We can view the upgrade status by clicking on view status

Once the upgrade is complete we can proceed with the vCenter Upgrade. VCF 4.4 comes with vCenter Server 7.0 Updated 3c. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on the drop down and select Cloud Foundation 4.4 -> Download now.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

We can follow the status of the upgrade by clicking on the view status tab

Here we can see the different components that are getting upgraded

Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. The release notes can be found here. Click on Download Now

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific cluster(s) we want to upgrade.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade as well as quick boot

We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task

Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can follow the same steps for the other domains

Skip-Level Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.1 to 4.3.1.0 Step by Step

With the release of of VCF 4.3.1 i wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

In order to get to 4.3.1.0 in the past we had to upgrade to each version incrementally. As per the documentation found here we can now upgrade from any release past 4.1.0.1 directly to 4.3.1 skipping the releases in between. We can do so by going to Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now. Download the Configuration drift bundle as well as the Update package.

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.3.1.0.

Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components

Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen

Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager versions i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 3.1.3.1. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on the drop down and select Cloud Foundation 4.3.1.0 -> Download now.

Once the download is complete we can proceed with updating the NSX component by clicking on the update now

The upgrade will go thought upgrading the NSX managers as well as the edges. We can view the upgrade status by clicking on view status

Once the upgrade is complete we can proceed with the vCenter Upgrade. VCF 4.3.1.0 comes with vCenter Server 7.0 Updated 2d. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on the drop down and select Cloud Foundation 4.3.1.0 -> Download now.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

We can follow the status of the upgrade by clicking on the view status tab

Here we can see the different components that are getting upgraded

Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. The release notes can be found here. Click on Download Now

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific cluster(s) we want to upgrade.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade as well as quick boot

We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task

Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can get back to the Update/Patches page

Shutting down a vSAN Cluster

I have the need to completely shut down some of my vSAN clusters for various clusters and ive been having a hard time finding the proper procedure. As of 2/16/2021 VMware released guidance here

Here are the steps i took to do it on my end. If you have the vCLS service enabled follow my other instructions here prior to starting the rest of this guide.

Disable cluster member updates from vCenter on each ESXi host in the cluster by running

esxcfg-advcfg -s 1 /VSAN/IgnoreClusterMemberListUpdates

After the above is completed run the below only on 1 of the ESXi hosts. Take note of the host

python /usr/lib/vmware/vsan/bin/reboot_helper.py prepare

Place all ESXi hosts in maintenance mode with NoAction

esxcli system maintenanceMode set -e true -m noAction

Perform the necessary maintenance. Once the hosts are back up we will run the above in reverse

Remove the maintence mode on all ESXi hosts by running

esxcli system maintenanceMode set -e false

Run the below command on the same host it was originally run

python /usr/lib/vmware/vsan/bin/reboot_helper.py recover

vSAN availability can be checked by running

esxcli vsan cluster get

Enable cluster member updates for vCenter

esxcfg-advcfg -s 0 /VSAN/IgnoreClusterMemberListUpdates

Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.2.0.0 Step by Step

With the release of of VCF 4.2 i wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

In order to get to 4.2.0.0 we have to upgrade to 4.1.0.1. We can do so by going to Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.1.0.1. The release notes can be found here

Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components

Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen

Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager versions i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.

Next is the 4.2.0.0 update. Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now. In my case i already had it downloaded so the next step is to apply the upgrade by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.2.0.0. The release notes can be found here

Once the upgrade starts we can follow its progress

Once the upgrade is completed we can click finish and go to the next step

Again i would recommend clearing the cache since we changed sddc-manager versions.

Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. The release notes can be found here. Click on Download Now

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific cluster(s) we want to upgrade.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade as well as quick boot

We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task

Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can get back to the Update/Patches page

The next update is the configuration drift bundle. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Download now. You will notice a new drop down that allows us to pick the Cloud Foundation version.

Once the download is complete click on update now

Once the upgrade started i got redirected to the Update status page.

Considering the update is only 219 MB the upgrade went through pretty quickly. Once its completed we can click finish to get back to the main sddc manager page

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 3.1.0. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Download now.

Once the download is complete click on Update Now

We can view the status and the steps by clicking on View Status.

Once the upgrade is complete we are redirected back to the available updates page showing that the vCenter server is next

Click on Download now and wait for the download to complete. Once the download is complete click on update now

We can view the task by clicking on View Status

Next are the the additional domains that we might have where we can follow the same instructions as above. The process will be allot quicker because the upgrades are already downloaded

If no additional upgrades are needed we can clean up the downloads by following the instructions on my other post here

vIDM 3.3.4 online upgrade

I wanted to go through the upgrade of vIDM 3.3.4 outside of lifecycle manager. I wanted to do it using the online upgrade via the console. Official documentation can be found here. First step is to log on to the console via the root credentials and upgrade the upgrade manager to 3.3.4

/usr/local/horizon/update/updatemgr.hzn updateinstaller

Set the upgrade version that you are upgrading from in my case was 3.3.2 so i ran

/usr/local/horizon/update/configureupdate.hzn manifest --set-version 3.3.2.0

Because we are switching operating systems to Photon OS 3 we need to download the dual boot update package from here. Look for VMware Identity Manager Service Virtual Appliance Dual Boot Update and transfer it to the vIDM server

And finally run the update

/usr/local/horizon/update/updatemgr.hzn update

Specify the path to the dualboot file. It would look something like this:

If everything went through properly you would be greeted with something like this

All we need to do now is to reboot.

If you are greeted by the following screen follow my other post here

Upgrading VCF 4.0.1.1 to 4.1.0.0

With the release of of VCF 4.1 i wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

In my case i pre downloaded the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.1.0.0 by going to Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Update Now

Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components

Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen

Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager version i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.

The next update is the configuration drift bundle. We can go to nventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Download now

Once the download is complete click on update now

Once the upgrade started i got redirected tot he Update status page. Considering the update is only 204 MB the upgrade went through pretty quickly. Once its completed we can click finish to get back to the main sddc manager page

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 3.0.2. Click on Download now from the same page as above

Once the download is complete click on Update Now

We can view the status and the steps by clicking on View Status. Once the upgrade is complete we are redirected back to the available upates page showing that the vCenter server is next

Click on Download now and wait for the download to complete. Once the download is complete click on update now

We can view the task by clicking on View Status

Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. Click on Download Now

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific luster(s) we want to upgrade.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade as well as quick boot

We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task

Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can get back to the Update/Patches page to see that there are no more updates available

Next is the Workload domains where we can follow the same instructions as above. The process will be allot quicker because the upgrades are already downloaded

Extracting SSL Thumbprint

I recently ran in to an issue where i had to re-register my NSX server with vIDM.

The ask was to extract the Thumbprint from vIDM. The command i ran to extract it was:

echo -n | openssl s_client -connect hostname:443 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -fingerprint -sha256

This can be used across multiple products where the Thumbprint needs to be extracted

Deploying vRA with vRealize Lifecycle Manager in a VCF 4 Environment

If you followed my previous posts Deploying the vRealize suite using VCF 4.0 and vRealize Lifeycycle Manager (vRSLCM) enable product dowloads you should now have vRA and vIDM already downloaded.

In my previous post i went over the installation of vIDM which is a pre requisite for vRA. You can find the link here

Next, we need to create a new environment that will be used to deploy vRA. For this we can go to Lifecycle Operations -> Create Environment. Fill in the necessary information and click next

Select vRealize Automation, select the version and install type then click next

Review and accept the EULA then click Next

Next screen is the key. Click on Select and select the vRA key from the inventory. If we need to add the key manually we can follow the steps in my post here

Verify the key selection click on Validate Association and click on next

Select the certificate and click next. If a new certificate needs to be create follow the instructions on my post here

Make the proper selections for where the vRA server will get deployed and click Next

Fill in the proper network configuration and click next

Specify the proper network configuration for the product and click next

Run the precheck and verify that everything is green then click Next

Verify the summary and click submit

Next we are taken to the request details where we can follow the process that LCM is performing for us automatically.

We can see that the task completed

If we go to environments we can see that the vRA Environment