VMware: ESXi upgrade to vSphere 8.0 with NSX-T Data Center 4.1 (90541)
This article provides information on upgrading your vSphere 8.0 environment with NSX-T Data Center 4.1 for VMware Out-Of-Band product upgrades / Non VCF workflows.
For Steps to recover if ESXi 8.0 NSX kernel module are not installed after ESXi upgrade, refer to KB 78679 and use NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 8.0 to the host instead of 7.0.
Note :
For VCF workflows, the NSX VIBs installation as part of ESXi upgrade has been automated and is enabled by default. Please make sure the NSX is upgraded and on-demand precheck to check for presence of NSX LCP file is successful.
Solution
Upgrade using baseline group method:
1. Upgrade vCenter Server (VC) to 8.0.
2. Log in to the the upgraded VC.
3. Navigate to Menu > Lifecycle Manager.
4. In Lifecycle Manager, upload the ESXi 8.0 installation ISO.
5. Download the NSX-T Data Center 4.1 NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 8.0, available at VMware Downloads.
( In the dropdown menu for “Select Version” choose appropriate NSX version, scroll down and download NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 8.0 )
6. In Lifecycle Manager, select ACTIONS > Import Updates, upload the NSX-T Data Center 4.1 NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 8.0
7. Create an upgrade baseline using the imported ESXi 8.0 installation ISO. For more information, see vSphere Lifecycle Manager Baselines and Images section of the VMware vSphere Product Documentation.
8. Create an extension baseline using the uploaded kernel module.
9. Type nsx quickly in the name filter to quickly locate the kernel module.
10. Create a baseline group using two baselines as created above.
11. Attach the baseline group to a cluster.
12. Ensure the vmknics on the hosts are properly configured, if the vmknics are configured to use DHCP, ensure the DHCP server is working.
13. Start the remediate process.
14. Wait until all the upgrade completes.
Upgrade using combined ESXi 8.0 + NSX-T Data Center 4.1 NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 8.0
1. Upgrade VC to 8.0.
2. Log in to the upgraded VC.
3. Navigate to Menu > Autodeploy.
4. Click ENABLE IMAGE BUILDER.
5. On the Software Depots tab, upload the ESXi 8.0 software depot.
6. Download the NSX-T Data Center 4.1 NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 8.0, available at VMware Downloads. ( in the select versions dropdown, select the appropriate NSX version which is 4.1 here )
10. Create a new image profile, choose all the packages from ESXi 8.0 software depot and NSX-T Data Center 4.1 NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 8.0.
11. After the new customized software depot image is ready, choose Export > ISO.
12. Upload the the exported ISO to Lifecycle Manager.
13. Create a baseline based on the uploaded ISO image in Lifecycle Manager, attach it to a cluster.
14. Start the remediate process.
15. Wait until all the upgrade completes.
16. If there are failures, retry the the remediate process again.
17. Host reboot is taken care of by Lifecycle Manager.
Upgrade using esxcli method
2. Download the ESXi upgrade bundle to the host.
3. Install using this command:
esxcli software vib install -d /<path to nsx bundle>
For example:
esxcli software vib install -d /tmp/nsx-lcp-4.1.1.0.0.15936085-esx80.zip
6. Reboot the ESXi host.
7. Exit Maintenance Mode.
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