Please note that you should always refer to the latest Solve procedure when upgrading your VxRail cluster as steps might be different depending on configuration and software versions.
My environment consists of a four node cluster running VxRail 7.0.371 with a VxRail managed vCenter Server.
VxRail's lifecycle management is performing the full end-to-end upgrade process. Here is a high level breakdown of the tasks involved:
- Upgrade Pre-Checks
- VxRail Manager Upgrade
- vCenter Server Upgrade (As part of the process a new vCSA is deployed and data migrated. A temporary IP address needs to be provided)
- ESXi Host and Firmware Upgrade
Obviously, if you are using an external vCenter Server, you will need to upgrade it prior to the VxRail upgrade process.
Upgrade Preparation:
- Upgrade vSphere licenses to version 8
- Download upgrade bundle for local upgrades
- Run VxVerify tool
- Ensure that the VxRail cluster is in a healthy state and address all open issues
- Take snapshots of VxRail Manager and vCenter Server
Upgrade execution:
- Perform pre-check
- Execute upgrade
Post upgrade:
- Check health status
- Apply vSphere 8 license
- Delete snapshots
The following video shows the end-to-end upgrade process from VxRail 7.x to 8.0.000. Speed is increased slightly during some sections 😉