Upgrade Considerations
The following tables list some of the general things to consider before starting an upgrade of vCloud Director components.
Back up the following components of vCloud before making any changes. VMware recommends that all backups occur at the same time and be done while all vCloud components are shut down. This has a major impact on availability, but maintains data consistency between all components in the event of a rollback.
Table 24. Components to Back Up
Component | Backup Considerations | Resources |
VCD Database | Create a full backup of the vCloud Director Database after all cells have been shutdown | Database Administrator |
vCloud Networking and Security Manager Database | Create a full backup of the vCloud Networking and Security Manager Database | vCloud Administrator |
vCenter Chargeback Database | Create a full backup of the vCenter Chargeback Database once all vCenter Chargeback servers have been shutdown | Database Administrator |
VMware strongly recommends that a full virtual machine backup be performed. If this is not possible, take a snapshot while the virtual machine is powered off or while creating a full clone of the virtual machine.
Table 25. Backup or Snapshot Considerations
Virtual Machine | Backup and/or Snapshot Considerations | Resources |
VCD Cells | Suspend VCD scheduler, stop the VCD services and shutdown the cells. Then take a backup and/or snapshot or full clone of the virtual machine. | vCloud Administrator |
vCloud Networking and Security Manager | After creating a full backup of the vCloud Networking and Security Manager Database, shut down the virtual machine then take a backup and/or snapshot or full clone of the virtual machine. | vSphere Administrator |
Chargeback Managers | Shutdown the virtual machines, then take a backup and/or snapshot or full clone of the virtual machine. | vSphere Administrator |
For non vCloud components consider the following guidelines.
Table 26. Non-vCloud Considerations
Component | Consideration | Resources |
Red Hat Patches | Run Red Hat patch updates prior to running the vCloud Director installer. The package dependencies have updates that may be required by vCloud Director 5.1. Do not update kernel or other packages that would bring the system to an unsupported version of RHEL. vCloud Director 5.1 supports the following Red Hat releases:  Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (64 bit) Updates 4,5,6 and 8. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (64 bit) Updates 1 and 2. Only update the packages when necessary as detailed in the vCloud Director Installation and Configuration Guide (https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vcd_pubs.html). | Linux Administrator |
DNS for load balancer VIPs | Consider lowering the TTL (Time to Life) on the DNS for the load balanced VIPs for HTTP and Console Proxy a day or two prior to upgrading. Lowering these allows clients to update their DNS cache quicker when resolving the portal name. Because we are redirecting the DNS name to temporary maintenance pages, then returning to the original pages, a lower TTL prevents the need for users to manually flush their DNS cache for updates. Redirect the DNS prior to upgrading to a custom Maintenance Page on a completely separate web server outside of the vCloud Director cells. Verify that all users are redirected to the Maintenance Page before shutting down cells. | DNS Administrator |