migrating to esxi: how to
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given for ILTA in 12/2010 detailing the key preparations and migration strategies, as well as demonstrated several techniques to migrate your infrastrcuture to ESXi 4.1TRANSCRIPT
Server Operations and Security TechnologySpeaker: Christopher Janoch
December 29, 2010
ILTA Webinar Session
Migrating to ESXi: How To
Strategies, Procedures & Precautions
Christopher Janoch
Migrating to ESXi: How To
Strategies, Procedures & Precautions
Speaker Bio
Christopher JanochSr. Virtualization Engineer at iVision
Contact Info:[email protected]#cjanoch
iVision, Inc. Page 3
Why Migrate to ESXi?
iVision, Inc. Page 4
VMware’s Big Announcement
VMware vSphere 4.1 and its subsequent update and patch releases are the last releases to include both ESX and ESXi hypervisor architectures.
Future major releases of VMware vSphere will include only the VMware ESXi architecture.
VMware recommends that customers start transitioning to the ESXi architecture when deploying VMware vSphere 4.1
VMware will continue to provide technical support for VMware ESX according to the VMware vSphere support policy
iVision, Inc. Page 5
VMware vSphere 4.1 Release Notes – ESX Edition, July 13th, 2010
ESXi Advantages and Improvements
Better Reliability and Security- ESXi has fewer security vulnerabilities
Faster to Deploy- The installation is easier to script and automate
Tighter Control over the VMkernal- No arbitrary code or 3rd party agents in core operating system
Lower Development Costs- Only one version of the platform simplifies development and testing
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vSphere ESXi Licensing Options
iVision, Inc. Page 7
The ESXi Upgrade Path
Preparation for Migration
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ESXi 4.1 Requirements
Verify Hardware Compatibility Guide www.vmware.com/go/hcl
VMware ESXi 4.1 will only install on servers with 64-bit x86 CPUs- All AMD Opterons CPUs support 64-bit- All Intel Nehalem CPUs support 64-bit- Most Intel Xeon CPUs support 64-bit
3000/3200, 3100/3300, 5100/5300, 5200/5400, 7100/7300, 7200/7400
2GB RAM minimum / 3GB if vCenter Managed
5GB of Storage Space (1GB Core Components + 4GB Swap)- DAS, Flash Drive, Boot From SAN
One or More Gigabit Ethernet Controllers
iVision, Inc. Page 10
Management Requirements
There is no Service Console- Management tools and processes have changed
RemoteCLI, PowerShell, VMA- Learn new systems and procedures *before* migrating systems.
The ESXi Firewall/Security Profile is configured differently- Only minimal allowances remain
vCenter Management, VUM, NTP Services- 3rd Party Applications should use vShield Zones
3rd Party Tools must use remote APIsBackup Agents, Hardware Monitoring Agents (DELL, HP), Reporting Tools
Upgrade Management Servers and Services First- vCenter, vAppliances, Monitoring and Backup Tools
Convert any 3.x VMware licenses to 4.1
iVision, Inc. Page 11
Migration Considerations
An ESXi migration is NOT an “upgrade” or “conversion” –
It really is a rebuild:
- Local VMFS drives are erased and re-formatted- Networking settings need to be re-created- Security settings reset to default
All host-specific settings are lost during an ESXi installation!
iVision, Inc. Page 12
Migration Preparations
All VMs must be moved off Local Storage
- In a clustered environment use Storage vMotion- In a managed environment use cold migrations- In a stand-alone environment use SSH copy or VMware Converter
Backup or Document all Critical Settings
- vSwitch and vmnic Configurations- Security Settings and Local Accounts- DNS and Routing Settings- Time Settings- Power Management Settings
iVision, Inc. Page 13
Tools for Backing up ESX/ESXi Settings
Tools for Backing up & Restoring Host Configurations- vCenter 4.1 – Host Profiles (vSphere 4.0 and higher)- vCenter 4.1 – Distributed Switches (vSphere 4.0 and higher)- Veeam Reporter by Veeam Software
http://www.veeam.com/ - vProfile Configuration Management by Reflex Systems
http://www.reflexsystems.com/
vMA /vCLI / PowerShell Scripts- vicfg-cfgbackup.pl (vMA or vSphere CLI)- ghettoHostBackupManagement.pl by William Lam
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-11767http://www.virtuallyghetto.com/
iVision, Inc. Page 14
Installing ESXi
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Installation Strategies
Manual Installation Methods
- Use the Interactive Mode from the ESXi 4.1 CD/DVD to install the OS onto local SAS, SATA, or SCSI drive
- Run a Scripted or KickStart Installation from either a local Boot CD or a PXE environment
Automatic Installation Methods
- Use VMware Update Manager (Preserves Settings!)- Boot from SAN (FC, iSCSI, and FCoIP)- Use stand-alone VMware tools for a non-managed environment
1. VMware Infrastructure Update Utility (Upgrades ESXi 3.x to 3.5)2. VMware Host Update Utility (Upgrades ESXi 3.x to ESXi 4.0)3. rCLI command: vihostupdate (Upgrades ESXi 4.0 to ESXi 4.1)
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Manual Upgrade Procedures
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Manual Interactive Mode Procedure
Pre-Installation Steps
1. Remove host from vSphere managed cluster and datacenter2. Disconnect FC-attached SAN to avoid accidental LUN re-formatting3. Verify the Server Hardware Clock is set to UTC4. Verify that keyboard and mouse are attached to host server5. ESXi Embedded must be removed (if present).
Interactive Mode Installation1. Insert ESXi 4.1 installable CD/DVD into the local CD/DVD-ROM drive
Alternate: Use iLo or DRAC to mount ISO to virtual bootable drive2. Set BIOS to boot from CD/DVD-ROM3. Restart Machine to boot from CD/DVD and begin installation wizard
iVision, Inc. Page 18
Manual Scripted Mode Procedure
Scripted Mode Advantages
- It allows you to rapidly deploy ESXi to multiple machines
- Configurations can be duplicated to multiple ESXi hosts with minimal manual intervention
- Modifying an ESXi configuration is easier and faster because you need to modify only the script file
- You can boot the scripted installation with a CD-ROM drive or over the network using PXE booting
- It supports scripted installations of ESXi to local and remote disks
- All configuration directives initiated by the installation script are logged in the /var/log/weasel.log file of the ESXi host, which helps in troubleshooting deployment issues
iVision, Inc. Page 19
Manual Scripted Mode Procedure
Scripted Mode Installation
1. Create a script using the supported commands2. Edit the installation script as needed to change settings unique for
each host to be installedIP Address, Host Name, etc.
3. Run the scripted installation form one of the following locations:Default installation script PXEFTP, HTTP, or HTTPS serverNFS ShareUSB Flash Drive, CD/DVD Rom
For detailed Script settings and examples refer to:www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r41/vsp_41_esxi_i_vc_setup_guide.pdf http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1022263
iVision, Inc. Page 20
Automatic Upgrade Procedures
iVision, Inc. Page 21
Automatic Installation Procedures
VMware Update Manager (vCenter 4.1)
1. Upgrade vCenter to version 4.1 before proceeding!
2. Install and configure VMware Update Manager
3. Download the ESXi 3.5 to ESXi 4.1 Update bundle (.ZIP), and register it in the Update Manager administration view
4. Create a Host Upgrade Baseline
5. Attach the Host Upgrade Baseline to the managed host or cluster to be upgraded
6. Place the host to be upgraded into Maintenance Mode to evacuate any active VMs.
Shutdown or cold migrate any VMs that cannot vMotion off of the host
7. Scan the host for Upgrade baseline compliance, and then Remediate to update the host.
iVision, Inc. Page 22
Stand-Alone Tools Upgrade Procedure
Upgrade ESXi 3.5 to ESXi 4.01. Download and install the VMware vSphere 4.0 client. Select the
option to install the vSphere Host Update Utility.
2. When you start the Utility, you will be prompted to download patches from VMware. You can also manually check for update patches selecting File Download Patches option.
3. If the ESXi 3.5 host is not listed, you can manually enter it by selecting Host Add and entering the FQDN name of the host.
4. Stop all VMs on the host, and ensure that the host is in Maintenance Mode.
5. Select your host and then click on upgrade. The upgrade wizard will start and you may have to select an upgrade ZIP package.
6. After the package is Validated, user credentials entered, and the host passes a Compatibility Check, the upgrade will begin.
iVision, Inc. Page 23
Stand-Alone Tools Upgrade Procedure
Upgrade ESXi 4.0 to ESXi 4.11. Download and install the vSphere CLI 4.1 package from the
VMware site to allow for remote management of the ESXi hypervisorVMware vSphere Command -Line Interface Windows InstallerVMware vSphere Command -Line Interface Linux InstallerVMware Management Appliance (vMA)
2. Stop all VMs on the host, and ensure that the host is in Maintenance Mode.
3. Open the CLI command prompt and use the vihostupdate.plcommand to begin the ESXi upgrade process
vihostupdate.pl --server 192.168.1.1 --install --bundle c:\path\Upgrade-from-ESXi~.zip
4. Verify that the upgrade has run successfully by using the vihostupdate.pl command to run a query
vihostupdate.pl --server 192.168.1.1 --query
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Reconfiguring System Settings
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System Reconfiguration
Restore Host Settings
- If using one of the Manual Upgrade methods, or the Stand-Alone tools method, you will need to restore the system settings that you documented in the first step of the process.
- If you are upgrading a number of ESXi servers, you can use the vCenter Server 4.1 Host Profiles option to save the settings from the first, manually re-configured ESXi 4.1 host and apply them to every additional upgraded ESXi 4.1 Server
iVision, Inc. Page 26
Virtual Machine Updates
Update VMware Tools on all of the Virtual Guest Servers- Upgrades to the latest drivers for the virtual hardware
- Updates the memory control driver for better integration with the ESXi 4.1 hypervisor
- Upgrades can be automated using VMware Update Manager
- Updates require a reboot of the guest server
Update Virtual Hardware version on Guest Servers- Adds the latest functionality to the virtual servers
- Once updated, the VM will no longer operate on pre-4.1 hosts
- Upgrades can be automated using VMware Update Manager
- Updates require a reboot of the guest server
iVision, Inc. Page 27
Sample ESXi Installation Demonstrations
iVision, Inc. Page 28
Upcoming ILTA Webinar Sessions
Look Ahead for More Information:
Managing ESXi – The Missing ConsoleTools and Techniques for Managing and
Trouble-shooting ESXi
Late January
Contact Info:[email protected]#cjanoch