The new version of VMware Cloud Director Availability makes it possible to migrate outdated versions of vCenter Server and ESXi to the cloud.
VMware recently launched Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1. The new version assists organizations with legacy versions of vCenter Server and ESXi in migrating to VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Director.
“Due to various reasons, a considerable number of organizations still rely on legacy VMware vCenter Server versions in their data centers even though they have been out of support for a long time”, technical product manager Nikolay Patrikov said. “With VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1, there is now a simple migration path to the cloud for workloads operated by old vCenter Server versions.”
VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1
The migration path is suitable for ESXi and vCenter 5.5 U3, 6.0 U2 and 6.0 U3. Workloads can be migrated to VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Director. A supported version of vCenter Server must be running in the desired cloud environment.
Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1 assists the migration, but VMware provides little to no support. The versions of ESXi and vCenter are outdated and no longer supported. That remains the case during a migration.
“Enabling migration from legacy vCenter Server versions does not mean the support of these versions is extended”, Patrikov said. “Supporting it is best effort, and any vCenter and ESXi bugs affecting the migration process will not be addressed and fixed.”
In addition, it’s impossible to restore migrated workloads with disaster recovery solutions. In that respect, the process comes with risks. It’s always a good idea to backup an outdated environment prior to the migration.
Availability
Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1 is available for on-premises and cloud. VMware shared the download links on its website. The same page covers instructions on deploying the software and migration path.
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