Each method listed are valid and supported for upgrading ESXi hosts. All methods may have different requirements which should be reviewed. Upgrades for ESXi hosts can be done Interactively with a CD/DVD or USB drive, with vSphere Auto Deploy, scripted, or via esxcli commands. I should also mention that utilizing VUM is not the only way to perform ESXi host upgrades. Using vSphere Update Manager (VUM ) is a consistent way to keep updates and upgrades in order as well as managed in a repeatable fashion for vSphere Administrators. In this post we will cover the upgrade process for Upgrading vSphere Hosts (ESXi) via vSphere Update Manager (VUM). Upgrade and then completed the vCenter Server & vSphere Update Manager (VUM) upgrades to version 6.7. You cannot use the features that remained unused before the license expiration.įor information about managing licensing for ESXi hosts, see the vCenter Server and Host Management documentation.In Part 1 Preparing to Upgrade & Part 2 Upgrading vCenter Server of the vSphere Upgrade Series we prepared our environment for an You cannot change the current configuration of the features that are in use. All powered on virtual machines continue to work, but you cannot power on virtual machines after they are powered off. If you set the host back in evaluation mode, you can explore the entire set of features for the host for the remaining evaluation period of 40 days.įor ESXi hosts, license or evaluation period expiry leads to disconnection from vCenter Server. The time available in the evaluation period is decreased by the time already used.įor example, suppose that you use an ESXi host in evaluation mode for 20 days and then assign a vSphere Standard Edition license key to the host. At any time during the 60-day evaluation period, you can convert from licensed mode to evaluation mode. The evaluation period is 60 days and begins when you turn on the ESXi host. It might be in evaluation mode or prelicensed. ESXi Embedded is preinstalled on an internal storage device by your hardware vendor. The installable version of ESXi hosts is always installed in evaluation mode. If you want to continue using these features, you must assign a license that supports them. Before the evaluation mode expires, you must assign to your hosts a license that supports all the features in use.įor example, in evaluation mode, you can use vSphere vMotion technology, the vSphere HA feature, the vSphere DRS feature, and other features. The evaluation mode provides the set of features equal to a vSphere Enterprise Plus license. You can use evaluation mode to explore the entire set of features for ESXi hosts.

Upgrade vmware esxi 5 to 6 license