upgade from ESXi 6.5 U2 GA to ESXI 8

[HILAL RIDOUAN]

Hi All ,

I want to upgrade from  ESXi 6.5 U2 GA to ESXI 8 ?

is it possible ? or i have to go from 6,5 U2 GA to 6,7 .

what is the right path 

Please advise

[a_p_]

A direct upgrade from 6.5U2 to 8 is not supported, so you either need to upgrade to 6.7, or 7.0 in a first step.
See https://interopmatrix.vmware.com/Upgrade?productId=1&isHidePatch=true

That said, please verify whether ESXi 8.0 supports your hardware, prior to starting any upgrades!

André

 

[Maks Roshchyna]

Better already to upgrade to vsphere7. It will give you and your customer to think about what to do next. 

Maybe in a year or two will be vSphere 8.5 

[HILAL RIDOUAN]

Thanks for your advise .

2 more questions please , how to check for Hardware Compatibility ?

do you know any howto to upgrade from 6.5 to 6,7 ( my ESXi is not connected to any Vcenter Server ) .

i want to do all this because of the esx args ransomware .

thanks a lot 

[jc296]

Stick your hardware in the compatibility matrix to see if its supported here:

https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php

In terms of ESXi 8 upgrade if you don't use vCenter, create a bootable esxi image on a usb stick and install on your existing esxi host. Be careful, it will ask you if you want to do a fresh install or keep the existing datastore (and associated data/VMs etc). Obviuously if you want to keep the VMs and datastore then select the latter option. And voila once updated you should see all your existing inventory.

Again, I would practice on a dev rig or a nested esxi host on Workstation if you want more confidence,

BTW - I had issues with physical network adapters in my servers when I upgraded - drivers and vibs needed updating. Be aware!

Happy days.

[HILAL RIDOUAN]

thanks Man ,

i did find my hardware ( a Dell Poweredge 740 on the compatibilty list : oooof )  

https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/detail.php?scat=cpu&productid=119&deviceCategory=server&details=1&partner=23&releases=589&keyword=PowerEdge%20R740&systemTypes=2&page=4&display_interval=10&sortColumn=Partner&sortOrder=Asc

i have VMware Workstation , how can i test the ESXi upgrade , did i have to install ESXI 6,5 on a VM , restore the Current Config on it , and try to upgrade ? 

thanks again guys 

[jc296]

Nah, I was thinking you might just want to install esxi on a VM (nested), spin up a VM on that host then just go through an update to see if it preserves your test VM to give you confidence.  I'm not sure you woudl want to import your prod VMs to this host - although feasible no point really as you are going through the motions.

Make sense?

 

[HILAL RIDOUAN]

Cristal Clear .

Thank you all .

[HILAL RIDOUAN]

HI All ,

Just to infrom you that the Upgrade was done perfectly . now i run on ESXi 8.0 GA 

My Last question is :

Do i Have the last version or i have to update it and How .

thanks Again .

 

[a_p_]

For available versions see either https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2143832 or https://esxi-patches.v-front.de/vm-8.0.0.html

One option to patch standalone hosts, is to do this from the host's command line, either using the patch/offline bundle, or by doing it online.

Please see e.g. https://www.vladan.fr/upgrade-vmware-esxi-to-7-0-u3-via-command-line/ for how to do this.

André