Root Password for Appliance OS

[azizkheri]

Hi All,

I have a vCenter Server 6.5 Server Inside a windows based VM (not Linux based), I am trying to update it to 6.7 Update3. while updating its asking for "Appliance OS Root Password".

 

From where to get Appliance OS root Password or How to reset if vCenter is windows based VM?

 

thanks

Aziz

Moderator edit by wila: moved to vSphere Upgrade & Install discussions

[a_p_]

What exactly are you doing?
In case you are trying to "upgrade" your Windows based vCenter installation to an appliance (vCSA), you have to select "Migrate" rather than "Upgrade" from the installation wizard.

André

[azizkheri]

,

I am trying to upgrade Vcenter and Esxi host from 6.5 to 6.7 U3, If i click on migrate instead of upgrade, will it create new Virtual Machine? and all my settings in vCentre will be as intake?

Thanks

Aziz

[a_p_]

"Migrate" will deploy a new vCSA appliance, and migrate (take over) all settings from the Windows based vCenter Server alliance.It will even assume the current server's identity (host name IP address, ...) , which means that it will shut down the Windows server during the migration. So please ensure that you don't have other required services, or applications running on the current Windows Server, and backup required data.

Please note that in order for the migration to work, you need to run the Migration Assistant on the Windows vCenter Server (and the Update Manager, in case it's running on a different server). See e.g. https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2018/10/vcenter-server-windows-migrations.html, and/or https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.vcenter.upgrade.doc/GUID-9A117817-B78D-4BBE-A957-982C734F7C5F.html

Hint: Although covered in the documentation, ensure that you create static DNS entries for the vCenter Server. The vCSA requires proper forward, and reverse DNS resolution to install, and work.

André

[Daniel Casota]

Hi Aziz,

From the options install/upgrade/migrate/restore the option 'migrate' contains multiple stages. Yes, at the end all your vCenter settings are preserved into the new created vCenter Server Appliance on your ESXi host specified, and the Windows virtual machine will shutdown during a stage. At the end means that 'migrate' does nothing without successfully pre- & environment checks per stage.

Migrate is really easy and shouldn't give you any issues. But, it is good to know the product limitations, see here,here, and here.

The default vCenter Server Appliance password expires after 90 days, but it is always yours, see here how to reset forgotten root VCSA password.

Hope this helps. Daniel

[Arun Sharma]

@azizkheri

Thank you for posting on VMware Communities.

Please refer to the below URL for the Migration process from Windows vCenter Server 6.5 to VCSA 6.7:
https://core.vmware.com/resource/vcsa#section5

The article has step by step instructions with screenshots.

 

During the migration process the only time you use the root password is when you set up VCSA 6.7, that is where you set a root password for VCSA 6.7.

This root password will be your OS password for VCSA 6.7.

 

Arun Kumar

Install Upgrade Specialist

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[azizkheri]

Hi All,    ,

After Migrating it create new VM with Photon OS, but we are facing problem in our thin client. is there anyway I can reset root password for OS appliance. and revoke the migrated vcenter (photon OS).

I need vcenter with windows VM.

[Daniel Casota]

Hi,

Could you provide more info about actual issues? Imho fixing that gives you much more choice for the future.

Reset root password in VCSA Resetting root password in vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 / 6.7 / 7.x

For the revocation recipe, see Roll Back a vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade or vCenter Server on Windows Migration. But, Release 6.7 is the last supported Windows version of vCenter server, see Supported host operating systems for Windows vCenter Server installation

btw. Learning Photon OS is super easy, even for Microsoft Windows Server Admins familiar with some Nano kungfu. vmware.github.io/photon is a good starting point in VMware' open source operating system but also from many Linux perspectives.