Before You Install ESX Server 2.0

VMware ESX Server 2.0

Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums

There are a few steps you should take before you install ESX Server 2.0 to ensure the best possible upgrade experience.

Resume and Shut Down Suspended Virtual Machines

If you plan to use virtual machines created under a previous version of ESX Server, be sure they have been shut down completely before you upgrade.

If the virtual machine is suspended, resume it in the earlier release, shut down the guest operating system, then power off the virtual machine.

Note: If you attempt to resume a virtual machine that was suspended under a different VMware product or a different version of ESX Server, a message gives you the choice of discarding or keeping the file that stores the suspended state. To recover the suspended state, you must click Keep, then resume the virtual machine under the correct VMware product. If you click Discard, you can power on normally, but the suspended state is lost.

Commit or Discard Changes to Disks in Undoable Mode

If you plan to use existing virtual machines that have disks in undoable mode, commit or discard any changes to the virtual disks before you remove the release you used to create them.

Resume or power on the virtual machine in the earlier release, shut down the guest operating system, power off the virtual machine and either commit or discard changes to the disk when prompted.

Back Up Virtual Machines

As a precaution, back up the virtual machine files — including the .dsk and .vmx files — for any existing virtual machines you plan to migrate to ESX Server 2.0.

Back Up the vm-list File

Before you upgrade, back up the /etc/vmware/vm-list file by either renaming it or moving it to a different directory. After the upgrade, rename or move the file back to its original name or location in /etc. Otherwise, you must register each of your virtual machines again by using the following command in the service console:
vmware-cmd -s register <path/to/configfile>.vmx

New PCI Device Allocation Method

ESX Server 2.0 has a new PCI device allocation system whereby all SCSI storage devices controlled by the same driver must be:

Allocated to the vmkernel for use by virtual machines,
Allocated to the service console or
Allocated to the vmkernel but shared with the service console.

For example, your ESX Server 1.5 system has 2 aic7xxx cards and you previously allocated one to the service console and one to the vmkernel. For ESX Server 2.0, you must change the configuration so that both controllers are allocated to the service console, the vmkernel (for use by virtual machines) or to the vmkernel but shared with the service console. You must change the configuration if you allocated one controller to the service console and shared the other controller between the service console and the vmkernel.

When you upgrade from ESX Server 1.5, the upgrade script converts any mixed allocation systems as follows:

If a device was previously allocated to the service console, the device is now shared between the vmkernel and the service console.
If a device was previously allocated the vmkernel or shared with the service console, the device allocation is not changed by the upgrade script.

You can allocate these devices when you first configure your server in the Startup Profile screen of the System Configuration Wizard. For more information, see Using the System Configuration Wizard to Configure Your Server.

Prev Contents Last Next