Skip to main content

Tag: Upgrade

Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: The Aftermath

Scott Forehand

Part 1: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Before We Begin
Part 2: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Upgrading the Cluster
Part 3: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: The Aftermath

In the final post in this 3-part series, we cover some of the things that need to be done post upgrade for a VxRail 4.5 cluster.

Cleanup Process After a Successful Upgrade

  1. Log into the vSphere Web Client.
  2. Navigate to Hosts and Clusters.
  3. Delete all snapshots from the VxRail Manager service VM.
    1. Right-click the VxRail Manager VM, select Snapshots > Delete All Snapshots.
  4. Delete all snapshots from the vCenter Server Appliance service VM.
    1. Right-click the vCenter Server Appliance VM, select Snapshots > Delete All Snapshots.
  5. Delete all snapshots from the Platform Services Controller service VM.
    1. Right-click the Platform Services Controller VM, select Snapshots > Delete All Snapshots.
  6. If changes were made to avoid vSAN timeout issues during the upgrade process, change the following Advanced System Setting when the upgrade is complete.
    1. Navigate to Hosts and Clusters.
    2. Select the first node in the cluster.
    3. Select Configure > System > Advanced System Settings.
    4. Locate the VSAN.ClomRepairDelay setting.
    5. Change the current value of
…

Read More

Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Upgrading the Cluster

Scott Forehand

Part 1: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Before We Begin
Part 2: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Upgrading the Cluster
Part 3: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: The Aftermath

In Part 2 of this 3-part series, we’ll cover the actual upgrade process for your 4.5 VxRail cluster and how to monitor that upgrade so you don’t end up pulling your hair out.

Upgrading the VxRail Cluster

Local Upgrade Process

The local upgrade process is preferred, because it stages the upgrade to the VxRail Manager before proceeding with the upgrade.

  1. Log into the VxRail Manager.
  2. Navigate to the CONFIG page, and click on the System tab.
  3. Click the Local Upgrade button.
  4. In the Open File dialog, navigate to the VxRail Composite Bundle previously downloaded and saved locally, and then click Open to upload it to the VxRail Manager.
  5. Once the upgrade is staged to the VxRail Manager, click on the Continue button to begin the upgrade.
  6. When prompted, enter the required credentials for the vCenter Server local administrator account, the VxRail Manager root account, the vCenter Server root account, and the Platform Services Controller root account, and click the Submit button.

Internet

…

Read More

Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Before We Begin

Scott Forehand

Part 1: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Before We Begin
Part 2: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: Upgrading the Cluster
Part 3: Dell EMC VxRail 4.5 Upgrade Process: The Aftermath

In Part 1 of this 3-part series, we’ll address what to do prior to kicking off an upgrade of your 4.5 VxRail cluster. There are a few “gotchas” I’ve run into in the past that I address here. Hopefully it’s helpful.

Generating the SolVe Upgrade Procedure

  1. Log into Dell EMC SolVe Online.
  2. Select All Products from the menu.
  3. Click the VxRail Appliance button.
  4. Click the Software Upgrade Procedures link.
  5. Select the model of the VxRail appliances being upgraded, and click the Next button.
  6. Select the VxRail software version currently installed on the VxRail appliances being upgraded, and scroll down.
  7. Select the VxRail software version targeted for installation on the VxRail appliances being upgraded, and click the Next button.
  8. Click the Generate button to generate an upgrade procedure.
  9. Save, open and read the procedure thoroughly once it has been generated.
  10. Download the VxRail Composite Bundle for the version of software targeted in the upgrade.

Before Upgrading the VxRail Cluster

  1. Log into the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface using
…

Read More

How to Cleanly Uninstall the Nimble Connection Manager Before an ESXi Upgrade

Scott Forehand

If you’re using HPE Nimble storage arrays to back your VMware environment, there’s something that you should know. Lets start from the top. As of this writing, the Nimble Connection Manager (NCM) for ESXi comes in three different flavors. There’s a version available for use with ESXi 5.X, one available for use with ESXi 6.0, and one available for use with ESXi 6.5. Add the appropriate download source to VMware Update Manager (VUM), then create and attach a baseline for Nimble Connection Manager to your hosts. Doing so will ensure that Nimble Connection Manager is installed or updated during your normal VMware Update Manager update cycle which will keep Nimble Connection Manager updated across your infrastructure. For those that need them, here are the source URLs:

Nimble Connection Manager Download Sources for VMware Update Manager
ESX VersionDownload Source
ESXi 5.xhttps://update.nimblestorage.com/esx5/ncm/index.xml
ESXi 6.0https://update.nimblestorage.com/esx6/ncm/index.xml
ESXi 6.5https://update.nimblestorage.com/esx6.5/ncm/index.xml

I recently upgraded my entire VMware environment from vSphere 5.5 to 6.5. Because I had Nimble Connection Manager installed on the hosts, and the version installed was compatible with ESXi 5.X, I had to do a few things before I could upgrade the hosts. If you leave the older version of Nimble

…

Read More