vCenter VCSA migration to new hardware

Hello,

This is Vladimir M with Zerto Support.

Here is a KB on how to perform a vCenter server change: https://www.zerto.com/myzerto/knowledge-base/upgradingreplacing-a-vcenter-without-affecting-zerto-virtual-replication/

Overall, you’ll need to preserve the vCenter database since that is where all the MoRef IDs are located and being used by Zerto. To obtain steps on how to save the database and move it to the new vCenter, please reach out to VMware for further assistance on that operation.

Hello,

This is Iris with Zerto Support.

I understand you’d like to upgrade hardware for your hosts. You will need to unregister your vCenter server from the host and register it back without making any changes on the vCenter DB. The moref id change on the vCenter server won’t impact on the Zerto replication if the vCenter Server IP address is not changed. But during vCenter offline, you would receive alert messages from ZVM which points out that the ZVM is disconnected from vCenter.

If you also need to unregister hosts from vCenter and re-register them back, please check the following content.

When a host is re-registered back to the vCenter, not only the host but also all VMs (including VRA) on the host would have a new moref ID. (For more information about moref ID change: https://www.virtuallyghetto.com/2011/11/when-do-vsphere-morefs-change.html)
Zerto uses VMware moref ID to track all the objects in the vCenter. If a new moref ID is added into a vCenter inventory, Zerto would consider it as a new object.
To prevent the impact on Zerto replication, you should avoid upgrading your hosts all in once.
We would like to suggest that you do the following:
NOTE: If your hosts are on version 6.5.0 update 3, Zerto must be on version 6.5u4p1, 7.0u2p1 or 7.5
For more information, please refer to Interoperability Matrix: http://s3.amazonaws.com/zertodownload_docs/Latest/Zerto%20Virtual%20Replication%20Operability%20Matrix.pdf?cb=1570581463

For Protection Site:
1.On the hosts to be upgraded first, migrate all VMs protected by Zerto to other hosts(hosts which will be upgraded in the next round).
2.To verify that all the VMs are moved, please check ZVM GUI, “setup” tab.
Please refer to the screenshot: https://gyazo.com/c5a07a3db9aee151af251071c385eca9
3.Export VRA setting, please click the “Export” Button from the “setup” tab.
Please refer to the screenshot: https://gyazo.com/f457ebc91ce9b3c8d4508eadf42cb94e
4.Delete the VRA on that host (Zerto won’t recognize the VRA after the host re-registered because of the change of Moref ID).
5.Host Upgrade Procedure
6.Install a new VRA on the host (For VRA IP, network, and storage information, please refer to the VRA setting export file).
7.To balance the workload for VRAs, please migrate all VMs back to the original hosts.

For DR Site
1.Change VM Recovery VRA. Please go to the “setup” tab and click on the “Change VM Recovery VRA” or “Evacuate Host”.
Please refer to the screenshot: https://gyazo.com/fb56ae5a86905911598a3524ec68d88a
For more information on how to perform “change VM recovery VRA”, please refer to page 279 from http://s3.amazonaws.com/zertodownload_docs/Latest/Zerto%20Virtual%20Manager%20vSphere%20Administration%20Guide.pdf?cb=1570580432
2.To verify that all the VMs are moved, please check ZVM GUI, “setup” tab.
Please refer to the screenshot: https://gyazo.com/c5a07a3db9aee151af251071c385eca9
3.Export VRA setting, please click the “Export” Button from the “setup” tab.
Please refer to the screenshot: https://gyazo.com/f457ebc91ce9b3c8d4508eadf42cb94e
4.Delete the VRA on that host (Zerto won’t recognize the VRA after the host re-registered because of the change of Moref ID).
5.Host Upgrade Procedure
6.Install a new VRA on the host (For VRA IP, network, and storage information, please refer to the VPG setting export file).
7.To balance the workload for VRAs, please preform step 1, to move VPG back to the original VRAs.
If you have any further questions, please post reply here.
Thanks.