VxRail Upgrade from v4.7 to v7.0

In this post, we will discuss how to upgrade the VxRail software 4.7.410 to 7.0.010.

Environment:

• 3 x VxRail P570 (ESXi 6.7 Patch 01 + vSAN 6.7 Patch 01)
• 1 x VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 Update 3b
• 1 x VMware vCenter Platform Services Controller 6.7 Update 3b
• 1 x vRealize Log Insight 4.8
• 1 x VxRail Manager 4.7.410

Preparation:

• Downloaded VxRail Composite 7.0.010 Upgrade Package
• Make sure the VxRail Cluster is running in the health status
• Create the VM snapshot of VxRail Manager
• Prepare a temp IP address for embedded Platform Services Controller

Final Configuration:

• 3 x VxRail P570 (ESXi 7.0b + vSAN 7.0b)
• 1 x VMware vCenter Server Appliance 7.0b
• 1 x vRealize Log Insight 8.1
• 1 x VxRail Manager 7.0.010

VxRail 7.0.x Upgrade Paths:

According to VxRail 7 release notes, 4.7.410 can direct upgrade to 7.0.010.

Now we start the VxRail software upgrade.

It is always best practice to create a VM snapshot of VxRail Manager VM before initiating an update.

Click “OK” to create a snapshot.

Then, make sure alll nodes in the cluster are in a healthy state and are fully operational! We can proceed with the update.

The VxRail system is running in version 4.7.410.

In this upgrade, we choose the local upgrade. Click “Browse…” to navigate for the update package.

Select the “VxRail Composite 7.0.010 Upgrade Package” to continue. Choose “Open” to begin importing the package.

Once the package has been uploaded, VxRail will unpack and validate the component files.

Automated Life Cycle Management for VxRail mitigates risk and saves time for the end user. The LCM process ensures the update will keep the cluster in a Continuously Validated State.

Click “Continue Update” to enter credentials for the cluster update.

Updates can be executed immediately, or queued for a later date and time. Choose “Next” to continue.

Enter the credentials for the vCenter Server and VxRail Manager accounts to continue.

The update wizard will check for available VMware 7.0 licenses in the environment. If none are found, it will issue a helpful reminder to obtain associated 7.0 vCenter, vSAN and vSphere licenses from VMware.

The update wizard will also request a temporary IP address to assist with embedding the Platform Services Controller into the VxRail created vCenter. This is required for updates to 7.0, as external PSC’s are now deprecated.

When all information has been entered, click “Next” to continue.

Confirm the target update version is as expected, and click “Finish” to immediately begin installation.

Once upgrade is successfully completed, we can review the updated VxRail system and component version details.

Finally, we need to assign the vSphere 7.0 license into each VxRail node.

Remark: The prior VCSA, PSC and VxMail Manager VMs are now considered legacy. They are powered down and can be safely removed.

Categories: Dell Technologies VMware vSAN VxRail

Victor Wu

Chief Architect, Blogger, Author at Dell EMC Knowledge Sharing & Packt