VMware vSphere 5.1 U1: update/upgrade Best Practices

[parnassus]

Hi all,

I inherited a single host HP ProLiant DL380e G8 with installed an HP Custom Image of VMware vSphere 5.1 Update 1 (no Shared Storage, no VMware Virtual Center, no VMware Update Manager): the system is running on production with few VMs.

I'm looking for the best procedure, considering I'm going to work on a production system, to update/upgrade that system at all its levels (HP Components Firmware, HP Drivers for VMware released as VIBs for vSphere 5.1 U1 and finally VMware vSphere 5.1 U1 drivers/software components).

In other words the system state languishes since 2013 and nobody before did any update for any component.

Is there a procedure to update all correctly (no problem about system Reboot, I can arrange a time window for management)?

AFAIK, from what I've read so far, it seems that it's a best practice to proceed with these steps (as a rule for HP ProLiants...Drivers first, Firmwares last):

• 1st Update VMware vSphere 5.1 U1 (or newer?) drivers/software components
• 2nd Update HP Drivers for VMware released as VIBs for vSphere 5.1 U1 (or newer?)
• 3rd Do an Offline Update of HP Firmware components through HP SSP 2016.04.0.

I'm in doubt if I 1st have to go from VMware vSphere 5.1 U1 to actual U3 using VMware Custom Image for HP (running on the system as-is, with old HP Firmware) and then go on with 2nd and 3rd steps.

Is anybody able to give me some help in defining what steps to perform and in which order?

Thanks!

[parnassus]

Wrong sub-category or no interested VMware + HP ProLiant experts here?

[cidic]

Hi,

I have a HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen8 with a HP Customized Image ESXi 6.0.0 version 600.9.2.38. I have the same question as you have for upgrade purposes as I dont see any relevant guide from HP. I would suggest you have a good back up of all your systems before attempting any upgrade especially from your production environment.

All the best!

[parnassus]

Hi cidic, thanks for answering!

In my specific case not only a Backup is a must but I've the problem that, if anything goes wrong, I must be able to start running backed up VM(s) on another ready-to-run ESXi Host.

So I asked exactly what steps and in what order to execute them...but no answer on that.

There are some HPE documents like:

• VMware vSphere and HPE ProLiant servers
• HPE custom ESXi images for ProLiant servers

that help to understand various relationships between software/firmware components but those documents seem (correctly, looking at the target audience) to focus on the usage of HPE SUM 7.5.1 (also here) and HPE OneView (Advanced edition?) for VMware vCenter...instead I asked for a sort of flowchart to be manually followed when, as example, VMware vCenter isn't available (and so VMware Update Mangager VUM isn't available too).

AFAIK HPE SUM (ISO coming soon...) can't be used directly on a VMware ESX/ESXi host.

There is also the (relevant IMHO) Best practices for updating VMware-based HPE ProLiant server firmware and drivers document (January 2016) that states:

"This paper describes alternatives available for maintaining HPE firmware, driver, and system software components on HPE ProLiant servers and HPE ProLiant server blades in a VMware® environment."

Probably the HPE SPP is the way to go:

"The SPP provides HPE ProLiant server and HPE BladeSystem firmware, driver, and system software components for most operating systems. For VMware environments, the SPP provides firmware and, starting with SPP version 2014.09.0, installation and update of driver components. For VMware environments, the SPP does not provide HPE system software components."

The problem I have...is not a lack of methods (there are a plenty of them)...the problem I face is that there are so many ways to perform (HPE+VMware vSphere) host management that a flowchart-based guide would be of great help.