Dell Repository Manager

To follow this topic, you need to install Dell Repository Manager. The installation is pretty easy: Next, Next, Install. This application enables you to connect to an online repository to download drivers and firmware and to create custom bundles. Dell Repository Manager is able to connect to an iDrac to detect the hardware. You can also choose the server reference from a list. When you open for the first time Dell Repository Manager, you can only add a repository.

Then provide a name to your repository and choose Enterprise Server Catalog. Next I choose the repository type called Integration and I select iDrac.

Specify the IP address of the iDrac and the credentials.

Then your server is detected (the service tag as well).

Now that the repository is added, you should get two bundles: one for Linux and the other one for Windows. I select the Windows bundle and I click on Export.

Create the custom SUU

Once you have clicked on export, select SUU ISO. If you use Dell Repository Manager for the first time, the application should warn you that plugins are required. Just install plugins to be able to export as SUU ISO. Select SUU ISO and specify a location. Click on Export to start the process.

If you click on Repository Manager (in the top of application), you can select Jobs. From this view, you are able to monitor the job status.

When the export process is finished, you should the SUU ISO.

Now that the SUU ISO is created, you can copy it to the server you want to upgrade. When you mount the ISO on a Windows Server, you can run SUU.cmd -e and SUU will take care to upgrade your drivers and firmware itself.

Conclusion

When you have dozens of servers, the server upgrade process can be a pain and take a lot of time. SUU helps to automate the firmware upgrade but the full ISO can take a long time to copy past because of its size. Thanks to Dell Repository Manager, you can create a custom SUU with just enough firmware and drivers for your systems. It’s free, enjoy

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The VMware vCSA upgrade is done in 2 steps:

• The vCSA deployment
• The data migration from source to destination

Before beginning you need the following:

• A new name for the new VM or rename the old vCenter VM Name with _old prefix for example
• A temporary IP address
• Enough storage for the appliance
• Enough compute resources to run the appliance

Step 1: Deploy a new appliance

Once you have mounted the ISO, open <ISO Drive Letter>\vcsa-ui-installer\win32\installer.exe. Then choose Upgrade.

The next screen introduces the steps to follow to upgrade your appliance from vCSA 5.5 or 6.0 to vCSA 6.5u1. Just click on Next.

Once the next screen, just accept the license agreement and lick on Next.

In the next window, specify the vCenter FQDN or IP address and password to connect to. Then specify the ESXi name which hosts the vCenter Appliance. I specify the ESXi instead of the vCenter because I want to upgrade this vCenter server. When the upgrade will occur, the current vCSA will be shutdown.

Then choose the deployment type and click on next.

Then specify an ESXi or vCenter name. Because I migrate the only one vCenter I have, I choose to specify the ESXi name and credentials to connect to.

Next choose a destination VM folder and click on Next.

Then choose an ESXi in the list.

Next specify a VM name and the root password for the target vCSA.

In the next window, regarding your needs, choose the right appliance size. In the table, you have information about supported number of hosts and VMs.

Next choose the datastore where you want to store the vCSA VM file. You can also deploy the appliance in thin provisioning.

Next specify the temporary IP address. This IP is used only during the data migration step.

In the next screen, you can review the settings you apply previously. When you have reviewed the settings just click on Finish to run the vCSA deployment.

Once the appliance deployment is finished, you can click on continue to process the step 2.

Step 2: Migrate configuration for vCSA 5.5 to vCSA 6.5

The next screen introduces the step2 which consists of copying data from source vCenter Server Appliance to the new appliance.

The next step runs some verifications to check if the configuration can be migrated. For example, in the below screenshot is indicated that a plugin cannot be migrated and to check if DRS is not enabled on the ESXi which host the new appliance. If the DRS is enabled, the new appliance can be migrated and so the wizard will be not able to contact this VM anymore (we have specified the ESXi in step 1).

In the screen, the wizard asks you which data you want to migrate.

Then you can choose to join the CEIP or not.

Next you can review the settings before run the data copies. To run the migration, just click on Finish.

Once the migration is finished, you can connect to the vCenter by using the web client and enjoy the new web interface (either flash or html). The source appliance should be shutdown.

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Step 1: upgrade your vCenter Server Appliance

In my lab, I have deployed a vCenter Server Appliance. So, to update the VCSA I’m connecting the Appliance Management (https://<IP or DNS of VCSA>:5480). Then, I navigate to update. Click on check updates from repository.

Once the update is installed, click on summary tab and reboot the VCSA. You should have a new version.

Step 2: Update ESXi nodes

Manage patch baseline in Update Manager

My configuration consists of two ESXi 6.5 nodes and one vSAN witness appliance 6.5. To update these hosts, I use Update Manager. To create / edit a baseline open the Update Manager from “hamburger” menu.

I have created an update baseline called ESXi 6.5 updates.

This baseline is dynamic which means that patches are added automatically regarding criteria.

The criteria are any patches for the product VMware ESXi 6.5.0.

Update nodes

Once the baseline is created, you can attach it to the nodes. Navigate to Hosts and Clusters and select the cluster (or a node) and open the update manager tab. In this tab, you can attach the baseline. Then you can click on Scan for Updates to verify if the node is compliant with the baseline (in other words, if the node has the last patches).

My configuration is specific because it is a lab. I run a configuration which is absolutely not supported because the witness appliance is hosted on the same vSAN cluster. To avoid issues, I manually set to maintenance mode the node I want to update and I move VM to the other node. Then I click on Remediate in Update Manager tab.

Next I select the baseline and I click on next.

Then I select the target node.

Two patches are not installed on the node. These patches are related to vSAN 6.6.

I don’t want to schedule later this update so I just click on next.

In host remediation options tab, you can change the VM Power state. I prefer to not change the VM Power state and run a vMotion.

In the next screen, I choose to disable the HA admission control as recommended by the wizard.

Next you can run a Pre-check remediation. Once you have validated the options you can click on finish to install updates on the node.

The node will be rebooted and when the update is finished you can exit the maintenance mode. I do these steps again for the second node and the witness appliance.

Note: in a production infrastructure, you just have to run the update manager from the cluster and not for each node. I add the node to maintenance mode and I move manually the VM because my configuration is not supported and specific.

Step 3: Upgrade disk configurations

Now that nodes and vCenter are updated, we have to upgrade the disk format version. To upgrade these disks, select your cluster, navigate to configure and general. Then run a Pre-check Upgrade to validate the configuration.

If the Pre-Check is successful, you should have something as below. Then click on Upgrade.

Then the disks are upgrading …

Once all disks are upgraded, disks should be on version 5.0.

That’s all. Now you can enjoy VMware vSAN 6.6.

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