Upgrading vCloud Automation Center

Generally there are three ways to update vCloud Automation Center:

1. Use VMware online repository – automatic update via management GUI
2. Download ZIP update packages from VMware public repository and create your own repository
3. Download update ISO and run update from mounted ISO to appliances

High level overview on update process.

1. Stop service on vCloud Automation Center appliance – if you have than one – stop it on all vCAC instances
2. Take a snapshot of all service in vCAC  deployment + backup of DB
3. Stop IaaS services on Windows server
4. Update Identity Appliance and reboot after update
5. Update vCloud Automation Center Appliance and reboot after update
6. Install updates on IaaS Windows server and reboot server after update
7. Verify portal functionality

Upgrading vCloud Automation Center to version 6.0.1 is supported only from vCAC version 6.0. Upgrade from vCloud Automation Center 5.2 is not supported.

Shut down vCloud Automation Center appliance services

1. Log in to the virtual appliance using SSH.
2. type: service vcac-server stop
3. Repeat these steps for each vCloud Automation Center 6.0 virtual appliance.

login as: root
VMware vCloud Automation Center Appliance
root@vca01.lab.local's password:
Last login: Tue Feb 18 21:21:17 2014 from jmp01.lab.local
vca01:~ # service vcac-server stop
Stopping tcServer
Instance is running as PID=3193, shutting down...
Instance is running PID=3193, sleeping for up to 60 seconds waiting for shutdown
Instance shut down gracefully
vca01:~ #

Shut down services on Windows IaaS server

1. Log in to your IaaS Windows machine
2. Select Start > Administrative Tools > Services
3. Stop the following services:

• VMware vCloud Automation Center (manager service)
• VMware DEM-Orchestrator
• VMware DEM-Workers (all)
• VMware vCloud Automation Center Agents (all)

stopped IaaS services

Install Update for the vCloud Identity appliance

• Log in to vCAC Identity appliance management gui https://va-hostname.domain.name:5480 in my example would be https://via01.lab.local:5480
• Go to Update tab –>Status and click on Check for updates button

• 

  check for updates on Identity appliance

• Click Install updates
• After upgrade reboot vCloud Identity appliance
• Verify if update was successfully applied by log in to Web GUI and check build version

patches applied successfully

Installing patches\updates on vCloud Automation Center Appliance.

Before you start upgrade of vCAC appliance make sure Identity Appliance is up and running.

• Log in to vCAC Appliance management Web GUI https://va-hostname.domain.name:5480 in my example would be https://vca01.lab.local:5480
• Go to Update tab –>Status and click on Check for updates button

vCAC update

• Click Install updates
• After upgrade reboot vCloud Automation Center appliance
• verify if patches were installed and services are started after appliance reboot

Install updates on Windows IaaS box

• Create a backup of vCAC DB
• Create a snapshot of IaaS Windows box
• Download  vCAC-IaaS-6.0-SP1.exe file, from the IaaS download site, in my example would be https://vca01.lab.local:5480/installer/ to Windows IaaS box
• make sure that IaaS services are stopped
• Right-click vCAC-IaaS-6.0-SP1.exe and select Run as Administrator.
• On detected components provide credentials for Model manager and info to SQL server where vCAC DB is running.

Update vCAC IaaS components

• When the IaaS update finishes, navigate to the Services tab and start the following services:
  • VMware vCloud Automation Center (manager service)
  • VMware DEM-Orchestrator
  • VMware DEM-Workers (all)
  • VMware vCloud Automation Center Agents (all)

• Reboot IaaS server.

Log in to vCAC portal as a Tenant Admin and verify functionality after update