Upgrade to vSphere 7

1. Build your hybrid cloud infrastructure faster. vSphere 7 is the building block of modern cloud infrastructure.
2. Simplify software patching and hardware upgrades. vSphere Lifecycle Manager enables you to discover, manage and upgrade VMware software and firmware from vSphere or REST API. 
3. Secure audits and account management. Identity Federation delivers seamless enterprise and multi-factor authentication.
4. Tighten physical infrastructure security. vSphere Trust Authority provides the building blocks for attestable hardware-based trust and security. 
5. Take on AI/ML workload demands in real-time. vSphere 7 lets you create a shared pool of GPUs for higher device utilization and cost savings.
6. Reduce complexity and increase scale. New vSphere tools and REST APIs increase consolidation, flexibility, and automation, making it easy to access and maintain configurations.
7. Maximize performance and efficiency. Improved vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) logic achieves better consolidation, workload placement, and balancing.
8. Take advantage of proactive support technology and services. Skyline Health for vSphere provides comprehensive analytics and support to resolve potential issues before they affect operations.
9. Run any app on any cloud. vSphere 7 tracks workload migration and federates corporate identities in a single view, from the data center to the cloud to the edge. 
10. Build a solid HCI foundation for modern applications. vSAN 7 delivers Cloud Native Storage (CNS) support for vSphere 7 with Kubernetes to future proof your infrastructure and reduce costs. 

vSphere 6.0 End of General Support Reminder
If you are running vSphere 6.0, please be advised that End of General Support (EOGS) for vSphere 6.0 will occur on March 12, 2020. Read the 6.0 EOGS blog for more details.

Recommended Resources:

• Compare Features and Capabilities of vSphere 6.5, 6.7, and 7

The upgrade of your environment to vSphere 7 is performed in a phased manner. The components that are upgraded in earlier phases are fully compatible with components whose upgrades have not yet occurred.

Upgrading VMware vSphere License Keys

You must obtain new licenses to deploy vSphere 7. Existing vSphere 6.x licenses will not work on vSphere 7.

Upgrade Eligibility

Licenses will be upgraded to the new version according to these rules:

• Only licenses, or portion of licenses, that have active support and subscription contracts as of the day when VMware vSphere 7 becomes generally available (in the following known as "the GA date") will be eligible for upgrade. If a subscription has expired or will expire prior to the GA date you will retain access to any existing VMware vSphere licenses, but you will not be eligible to upgrade to VMware vSphere 7 license keys.
• If your support and subscription has expired prior to the GA date, you can choose to reinstate it later. If you do so, you will be eligible to upgrade to VMware vSphere 7 licenses at that time.

How to Get Your vSphere 7 Licenses

To upgrade a product to the new version:

• Log into My VMware using your VMware.com account credentials.
• Go to Accounts > License Keys. Alternatively, when you receive an alert for a subscription upgrade, click “Upgrade Licenses” in the alert. This will take you to the License Keys page. If the alert does not appear in the Alerts Overview, click “View All Alerts” to see the complete list of alerts.
• Select “Upgrade License Keys” from the “I Want To” dropdown. Note: If no folders or products appear, you may not have permissions to upgrade license keys on any of the folders, or there may not be any license keys available for upgrade.
• Select the folders you have access to from the folder list. All products that you are entitled to upgrade will be displayed. When you select the product you want to upgrade, you will see all of the licenses for that particular product.
• To filter the data, expand the filter and input the order number, contract number, license key, or other search criteria, and click “Apply Filter”. The related product that is eligible for upgrade will be displayed in the results.
• Enter the quantity of licenses to upgrade. You can select all or a few licenses. This number should be one or more, and up to the total number of upgradeable license keys.

The system deactivates your current license for you. The new licenses are delivered in the same folder as the original license key. If any quantities of the current key remain un-upgraded, new licenses keys are generated for the remaining portion of the current product and will be displayed in the confirmation process.

The ability to upgrade a license key depends on:

• The permissions associated with the folder where the license key sits.
• Eligibility of license entitlement for a subscription upgrade (associated with the license key).
• The date the new product version becomes available.

If you cannot upgrade, contact the Super User associated with that particular account or VMware Support.

Expected Timeframe to Receive Your vSphere License Keys

Upgrades will be available on the portal shortly after vSphere 7 becomes generally available. All license keys with active support and subscription contracts with an end date on or after General Availability are eligible for an upgrade.

Preparing for Your License Upgrade

To ensure a problem-free license upgrade, we request your cooperation in verifying that your license and subscription data are correct. Please take the time to review your account and contact Support if the information is not consistent with your expectation. If corrections are needed, please make them prior to the delivery of your vSphere 7 licenses.

1. Review Your Support Contracts

• Go to Support Contract History under Account after logging into My VMware and, using the same login, review your support contracts.
• Review the status and end-dates of all contracts that contain vSphere 5.x and vCenter 5.x components.
• If some contracts are expired or have an end-date before the General Availability (GA) date for vSphere 7, you will not be eligible to upgrade your licenses to VMware vSphere 7 for the quantities on those contracts.
• To request a renewal or reinstatement of contracts, use the “Request Quote” button on the Support Contract Details page.

For additional questions related to licensing, contact Support.

2. Verify Your Role

Go to Account > User & Permissions after logging into My VMware and verify your permission on each of the folders.

The ability to upgrade a license key depends on:The permissions associated with the folder where the license key sits.Eligibility of license entitlement for subscription upgrade (associated the license key).The date the new product version becomes available.On the date a new version of a product becomes available, you will receive an alert that you are entitled to the new version of your current product. (see  above). The Super User of the account has the ability to grant and remove permissions on the folder.