Updating System Center VMM 2008 R2 to System Center VMM 2012

I though I would do a quick blog to recount my adventures with “Updating System Center VMM 2008 R2 to System Center VMM 2012”.

The big problem I had here is that our existing System Center VMM 2008 R2 was running on SQL Server 2005 Express.

Here are the links for – System Requirements for System Center 2012 – Virtual Machine Manager

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg610592.aspx

Most particularly – System Requirements: VMM Database

http://technet.microsoft.com/library/gg610574.aspx

One of the other Pre-requisites is to update WAIK –

The Windows® Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows® 7

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=5753

So – on to the install;

Upon running the setup.exe on the install media, the following screen appears….

Click on Install

The installer detects there is a version of VMM already installed an asks if you want to upgrade.

You are then told which features will be upgraded. Click Next.

Input your Name and Organisation, then input your Product Key – you can copy and paste the Key this time!

Tick to agree the License terms and click Next.

Choose whether you want to participate in the CEIP.

Select an install location.

This is what happens if you have not installed the WAIK for Windows 7 – here is the URL again – http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=5753

Enter the Database details on this screen.

I then got this message because I was running SQL Express 2005!

In order to perform the upgrade I followed the instructions on JonJor’s Blog;

http://blogs.technet.com/b/jonjor/archive/2011/12/01/upgrade-to-2012-when-using-sql-express-in-scvmm-2008-r2-sp1.aspx

I found these instructions very clear and easy to follow

The only step I performed differently was to install SQL 2008R2 with a named instance of MICROSOFT$VMM$.

Once this was done I re-started the install progress and performed all of the above steps – AGAIN!

Except this time I got the following screen;

This time I selected the Server Name, the Instance name and selected the existing VirtualManagerDB.

This next message was to inform me that the existing database would be upgraded.

This next screen configures the Service Account, for HA you will need to use a domain account. You can also store the encryption Keys in Active Directory, again for HA.

This screen sets the ports used for the various management functions.

This screen will let you configure the self-service portal if it is to be installed / upgraded. We use the self-service portal to allow some of our departments the ability to start-up and shutdown some legacy servers.

This next screen detects that there is an existing VMM Library and allows you to re-use it.

Next I got a Compatibility Report detailing a few warning. The important bit here is the additional tasks which need to be carried out after the upgrades;

http://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh430997.aspx

The important things in here for me were to check the template configurations.

This next screen is an Installation Summary detailing the upgrade process.

The installation is then carried out.

Once the upgrade is complete you can tick to open the VMM console straight away and check your VM’s, Hosts and templates and all associated settings.

There is an interesting Technet article here;

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg671825.aspx

Detailing What’s New in VMM 2012.

All in all another fairly straightforward upgrade, apart from the SQL Server upgrade.

Hope this helps someone.