Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Topic
VxRail Software Upgrade Procedures
Selections
Select the VxRail Appliance Model: VxRail E460/E460F
Select the Installed VxRail Software Version: v4.7.000
Select the Target VxRail Software Version: v7.0.200
Select your current VxRail Configuration: VxRail Cluster - non-vSAN Stretched Cluster
Is VMware Horizon VDI Installed?: No
REPORT PROBLEMS
If you find any errors in this procedure or have comments regarding this application, send email to
SolVeFeedback@emc.com
Copyright © 2020 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” EMC CORPORATION (“EMC”)
MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE
INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-
INFRINGEMENT AND ANY WARRANTY ARISING BY STATUTE, OPERATION OF LAW, COURSE OF
DEALING OR PERFORMANCE OR USAGE OF TRADE. IN NO EVENT SHALL EMC BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL,
LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF EMC HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is
subject to change without notice. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this
publication requires an applicable software license.
Dell, EMC, Dell EMC and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other
trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.
Page 1 of 28
Contents
Preliminary Activity Tasks .......................................................................................................3
Read, understand, and perform these tasks.................................................................................................3
Page 2 of 28
Preliminary Activity Tasks
This section may contain tasks that you must complete before performing this procedure.
Table 1 List of cautions, warnings, notes, and/or KB solutions related to this activity
543609: VxRail: VxRail 4.7.470 plugin shown after installing or upgrading to VxRail 7.0.000
543028: VxRail: Need to update VxRail Manager configuration after converging external vCenter and
PSC using script
2. This is a link to the top trending service topics. These topics may or not be related to this activity.
This is merely a proactive attempt to make you aware of any KB articles that may be associated with
this product.
Note: There may not be any top trending service topics for this product at any given time.
Page 3 of 28
IMPORTANT: Please confirm whether a customer is using RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VM)
in the VxRail cluster, prior to upgrading VxRail. RP4VM must be upgraded prior to upgrading VxRail to
prevent a DRU/DU issue on the VxRail cluster!
Note: It is highly advisable to monitor node reboots through IDRAC/BMC interfaces to detect boot related
issues.
Summary:
This procedure describes the steps required to perform a data-in-place upgrade to v7.0.200 on a VxRail
Appliance running v4.5.400, v4.5.401, v4.5.402, v4.5.420, v4.5.422, v4.5.450, v4.5.451, v4.5.452,
v4.5.460, v4.7.000 or v4.7.001.
Note: vSphere 7.0 license keys are required for a cluster to run on vSphere 7.0. The LCM precheck will
not stop a user from upgrading without 7.0 license keys. Without them, the nodes will be running on 60-
day evaluation license keys. User needs to go my.vmware.com to determine whether their clusters need
7.0 license keys and acquire them there if applicable.
Note: VxRail appliances based on the Quanta hardware platform are not supported at VxRail v7.0.200.
Note: Users upgrading from VxRail v4.5.400 may need to perform manual steps after completing the
v7.0.200 upgrade to implement some of the security mitigations. For a description of these issues and a
link to the mitigation procedure, review the MCEPSC vulnerability described in the “Security fixes” section
of the release notes.
Note: If the VxRail Manager SSL certificate has been changed, please refer to the following EMC
Knowledgebase solution 530378 (How to prevent vCenter plugin issue caused by VxRail Manager SSL
certificate mismatch) before proceeding with the upgrade.
Materials Required:
Ensure the following passwords are available:
VxRail Manager Root
vCenter Administrator
vCenter Root
PSC Root
ESXi Node Root
iDRAC/BMC (aka Baseboard Management Controller (if configured)
Download the VxVerify tool from https://support.emc.com/kb/536801. VxVerify is designed specifically to
detect issues which could cause complications or failures during VxRail LCM upgrades.
A temporary IP address on the same subnet needed to upgrade vCenter Server (not required if using
external vCenter).
Page 4 of 28
There is no need to load the file locally when performing an Internet connected upgrade. The upgrade
file will be auto downloaded from support.emc.com.
If not internet connected, the upgrade file will file need to be downloaded from
https://support.emc.com/products/39970 and made locally available.
File names (choose one):
o VXRAIL_COMPOSITE-7.0.200-xxx_for_4.5.x.zip (for 4.5.x only)
o VXRAIL_COMPOSITE-7.0.200-xxx_for_4.7.x.zip (for 4.7.x only)
For clusters with external vCenter only):
o VXRAIL_COMPOSITE-SLIM-7.0.200-xxx_for_4.5.x.zip (for 4.5.x only)
o VXRAIL_COMPOSITE-SLIM-7.0.200-xxx_for_4.7.x.zip (for 4.7.x only)
Preparation:
1. [ ] Execute the VxVerify tool. Follow the instructions available in KB536801.
2. [ ] Log into VxRail Manager.
3. [ ] Make sure the VxRail appliance is in a healthy state.
a. On the CONFIG page under the General tab, select the Diagnostic button under System
Diagnostics to verify the VxRail cluster health status. Address any issues found prior to starting
the upgrade process.
4. [ ] Confirm VxRail appliance is currently running v4.5.400, v4.5.401, v4.5.402, v4.5.420, v4.5.422,
v4.5.450, v4.5.451, v4.5.452, v4.5.460, v4.7.000 or v4.7.001.
Note: Screen shots may differ depending on the running VxRail version.
Figure 1
Note: If this VxRail Cluster is joining an External vCenter, please check the VxRail and External vCenter
Interoperability Matrix: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000520355. Work with the customer to ensure
that the External vCenter is running a supported version.
Page 5 of 28
Note: All customer-supplied vCenter configurations are required to upgrade to vCenter 7.0 U1 prior to
upgrading to VxRail 7.0.200. Prior to the vCenter upgrade, users are required to follow manual steps to
update a vCenter setting prior to upgrading the customer-supplied vCenter to 7.0 U1. Please reference
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000181307 for the detailed procedure. Set Cluster Health Monitoring
to Muted mode in the VxRail Manager GUI prior to upgrading external vCenter to avoid false alerts.
Note: If this VxRail Cluster is joining an External vCenter with an External PSC, after the External
vCenter is upgraded to v7.0, follow the “Use Converged PSC for VxRail 7.0” procedure below. Otherwise
VxRail Manager will prevent you from logging in.
Figure 2
3. [ ] Click Quickconnect to connect to the VxRail Manager VM. The VxRail Manager default directory
will be /home/mystic.
4. [ ] Upload the ext_vc_psc_convergence_post_action.py file to the /home/mystic directory. Once the
upload has completed, close FileZilla.
5. [ ] Using PuTTy or other SSH client, establish an SSH session to the VxRail Manager VM using the
following permissions:
Host Name (or IP address): <enter_vxrail_manager_ip_address>
Port: 22
Login: mystic
Password: <please_get_password_from_customer>
6. [ ] Switch to root user account.
Page 6 of 28
su <enter>
Password: <please_get_password_from_customer>
7. [ ] Run the ls -l command to verify the file has been uploaded.
Figure 3
8. [ ] Run the script with the following command. The script will check the vCenter type first to make
sure the script is run under the embedded PSC vCenter.
python ext_vc_psc_convergence_post_action.py -u <vcenter_admin_usr> -p
<vcenter_admin_pwd>
For example:
python ext_vc_psc_convergence_post_action.py -u
administrator@vsphere.local -p Passw0rd!
9. [ ] Once the script has completed, close the SSH session.
Task 2: Disk Space Expansion (Applicable for release v4.5.400 and 4.7.00x only)
Note: For release v4.5.400 and 4.7.00x, there is not enough disk space in the VxRail Manager
/data/store2 to perform an upgrade to v7.0.200. The VXRAIL_COMPOSITE-7.0.200-xxx_for_4.5.x.zip
and VXRAIL_COMPOSITE-7.0.200-xxx_for_4.7.x.zip bundles are larger than the available space,
therefore the disk_space_expansion.py script must be run to add 64GB of additional space to
/data/store2.
Figure 4
3. [ ] Click Quickconnect to connect to the VxRail Manager VM. The VxRail Manager default directory
will be /home/mystic.
Page 7 of 28
4. [ ] Upload the disk_space_expansion.py file to the /home/mystic directory. Once the upload has
completed, close FileZilla.
5. [ ] Using PuTTy or other SSH client, establish an SSH session to the VxRail Manager VM using the
following permissions:
Host Name (or IP address): <enter_vxrail_manager_ip_address>
Port: 22
Login: mystic
Password: <please_get_password_from_customer>
6. [ ] Switch to root user account.
su <enter>
Password: <please_get_password_from_customer>
7. [ ] Run the ls -l command to verify the file has been uploaded.
Figure 5
8. [ ] Run the df -Th command. Note in this example that the /data/store2 size is approximately 14G,
which is not large enough to accommodate the upgrade bundle.
Figure 6
9. [ ] Run the script with the following command. It will display the message “Config logic volume
succeeded” and “Running script succeeded” if the script executed successfully.
python disk_space_expansion.py -c <vcenter_ip> -u <vcenter_usr> -p
<vcenter_pwd> [-s] [-k <controller_key>]
For example:
python disk_space_expansion.py -c 10.xx.xx.xx -u
administrator@vsphere.local -p Passw0rd!
Page 8 of 28
Figure 7
Note: The -s (skip taking snapshot) option is optional. If it is not provided, the script will take a snapshot
of the VxRail Manager VM automatically.
For example:
python disk_space_expansion.py -c 10.xx.xx.xx -u
administrator@vsphere.local -p Passw0rd! -s
Note: The -k (specify a controller key value) option is optional. If the disk expansion fails due to a
controller key error, use this option to provide a controller key value when adding disk space to the VM.
For example:
python disk_space_expansion.py -c 10.xx.xx.xx -u
administrator@vsphere.local -p Passw0rd! -k 1000
Note: Please follow Appendix A to obtain the correct controller key value if the script fails due to an
incorrect value.
Page 9 of 28
10. [ ] After the disk space expansion has completed, run the “df -Th” command to verify the
/data/store2 has been extended. It should be approximately 77G. Once the disk space expansion has
completed, close the SSH session.
Figure 8
Page 10 of 28
Figure 9
3. [ ] Take a snapshot of a service VM. For example, right-click VxRail Manager > Snapshots > Take
Snapshot.
Figure 10
Page 11 of 28
Figure 11
Figure 12
5. [ ] If the support account is not already set, you will be required to enter your Support username and
password then press Login you will then be prompted to select Internet Upgrade again.
Page 12 of 28
Figure 13
6. [ ] The required file will begin to be downloaded. When completed, skip to step 10.
Figure 14
7. [ ] If the cluster is not internet enabled, Select the Local Upgrade option.
Note: Screen shots may differ depending on the running VxRail version.
Page 13 of 28
Figure 15
8. [ ] In open file dialog, navigate to the upgrade composite package file previously downloaded and
saved locally and then click Open to select.
Page 14 of 28
Figure 17 Screenshot for v4.7.x
Note: Screen shots may differ depending on the running VxRail version.
Figure 18
Note: Screen shots may differ depending on the running VxRail version.
Figure 19
Page 15 of 28
11. [ ] Input the usernames, passwords and temporary IP as prompted. Input fields will differ depending
on whether you are using an external vCenter or internal vCenter. Click Submit to continue.
Figure 20
Note: Screen shots may differ depending on the running VxRail version.
Figure 21
Page 16 of 28
Note: VxRail upgrading page will be unreachable about 10 minutes after the warning dialog is shown.
Figure 22
13. [ ] Refresh the browser after VxRail Manager is recovered, LCM progress can be monitored
continuously.
Note: Screen shots may differ depending on the running VxRail version.
Figure 23
Page 17 of 28
14. [ ] After vCenter upgrade completed, you will be logout from vCenter automatically
Note: After re-login vCenter, enable the VxRail plugin by clicking on “Refresh Browser”
Figure 24
15. [ ] Log into vCenter using HTLM5 client with vCenter administrator account, then click VxRail
Cluster > Configure > VxRail > Updates.
Figure 25
Page 18 of 28
Figure 26
17. [ ] From the Home tab, select Hosts and Clusters and select the VxRail Cluster. Under the
Configure tab, expand the VxRail selection and choose Updates to verify the VxRail component
versions.
Figure 27
Page 19 of 28
Figure 28
Figure 29
c. On the Support section, check last heartbeat is alive like the following figure.
Page 20 of 28
Figure 30 Check Last heartbeat
d. Open in browser: https://<ESRS VE IP>:9443. Login with admin username and password.
e. Check ESRS VE connectivity status is connected.
Figure 31
f. If not connected, please follow the below steps to correct the status.
a. Navigate to Home > Hosts and Clusters > VxRail-Cluster
b. Select Configure > VxRail > Support.
c. On the ESRS section, click DELETE… button.
Page 21 of 28
Figure 32 Delete ESRS again
Note: Users upgrading from VxRail v4.5.400 may need to perform manual steps after completing the
v7.0.200 upgrade to implement some of the security mitigations. For a description of these issues and a
link to the mitigation procedure, review the MCEPSC vulnerability described in the “Security fixes” section
of the release notes.
Page 22 of 28
Figure 34
2. [ ] Remove the snapshot of a service VM. For example, right-click VxRail Manager > Snapshots >
Manage Snapshots.
Figure 35
Page 23 of 28
Figure 36
Figure 37
Page 24 of 28
Figure 38
Figure 39
# passwd mystic
6. [ ] Enter the new password as prompted.
7. [ ] Type logout to log out of VxRail Manager console.
Page 25 of 28
Appendix A: Get the Correct Controller Key Value
1. [ ] Connect to https://<vCenterServer IP Address>/mob and log in using administrator@domain
credentials.
Figure 40
2. [ ] Click content to access the MOB properties table. The MOB properties table has three columns
labeled NAME, TYPE, and VALUE.
Figure 41
3. [ ] Locate property with NAME rootFolder and TYPE ManagedObjectReference:Folder and click on
the link for (Datacenters) VALUE.
Page 26 of 28
4. [ ] Locate the property with NAME ChildEntity and TYPE ManagedObjectReference:ManagedEntity[].
Click on the link for the VxRail-Datacenter VALUE.
Figure 43
5. [ ] Locate the property with NAME datastore and TYPE ManagedObjectReference:Datastore[] for the
VxRail-Virtual-SAN-datastore-uuid VALUE.
10. [ ] Locate the property with NAME hardware and TYPE VirtualHardware. Click on the link for the
hardware VALUE.
Page 27 of 28
Figure 47 Sample MoRef ID for hardware
11. [ ] Locate the property with NAME device and TYPE VirtualDevice[]. Record the value of
VirtualLsiLogicController.
Figure 48
Troubleshooting
If vCenter upgrade failed, you can revert vCenter and PSC and then check vCenter service status to
confirm vCenter and PSC reverted to previous upgrade version. Please refer to
https://support.emc.com/kb/542406 for more details.
Page 28 of 28