Purpose
There are several methods to upgrade ESX/ESXi. This article outlines the available upgrade paths. Note: This is not a comprehensive guide on how to upgrade ESX/ESXi. For more information on performing an upgrade, see the links in this article.
Resolution
This table lists the methods available to upgrade your ESX/ESXi host, and identifies the version to which you can upgrade:
| ESX/ESXi version that is currently installed | Version that it can be upgraded to | CD-ROM Installation Wizard *1 | Using esxupdate from the Service Console *2 | vSphere Remote CLI *3 | Host Update Utility or Infrastructure Update *4 | Update Manager *5 | Offline Upgrade from Service Console *6 |
| ESX 2.x | ESX 3.0.x | x | x | ||||
| ESX 3.0.x | ESX 3.0.3, 3.0.3 U1, 3.5, 3.5 U1 – U5 | x | x | ||||
| ESX 3.0.2 | ESX 4.0 | x | x | ||||
| ESX 3.0.3 | ESX 3.5, 3.5 U1 – U5 | x | x | x | |||
| ESX 3.0.3 | ESX 4.0 | x | x | x | |||
| ESX 3.5 | ESX 3.5 U1 – U5 | x | x | x | x | ||
| ESX 3.5 | ESX 4.1 | x | x | ||||
| ESXi 3.5 | ESXi 3.5 U1 – U5 | x | x | x | |||
| ESX 3.5 | ESX 4.0 | x | x | x | |||
| ESXi 3.5 | ESXi 4.0 | x | x | ||||
| ESXi 3.5 | ESXi 4.1 | x | |||||
| ESX 4.0 | ESX 4.0 U1 – U2 | x | x | x | |||
| ESX 4.0 | ESX 4.1 | x | x | x | x | ||
| ESXi 4.0 | ESXi 4.0 U1 – U2 | x | x | x | |||
| ESXi 4.0 | ESXi 4.1 | x | x |
For more information about upgrading using:
- *1 *4 The CD-ROM Installation Wizard, see the vSphere Upgrade Guide
- *2 The esxupdate command from the Service Console, see About the esxupdate Utility in the ESX 4 Patch Management Guide
- *3 The vSphere Remote CLI, see Updating ESXi Hosts by Using Update Manager, VMware Infrastructure Update and the Remote CLI (1006089).
- *5 Update Manager, see the VMware vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide
- *6 The Offline Upgrade option, see Performing an offline upgrade from ESX 3.x to ESX 4.x (1009440)
Note: The Host Update Utility replaced Infrastructure Update and is available when you install the vSphere Client. It is a tool for upgrading ESX/ESXi hosts from 3.x to 4.0.x and for patching ESXi hosts only. Patching ESX with this utility is not supported. Also, as of vSphere 4.1 the Host Update Utility has been discontinued.
Disclaimer.
The information in this article is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights. This article does not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my employer. It is solely my opinion.
