CallManager 10.5 options to migrate from VMware 5.5 to 6.5 host

[glenn.newman]

Our CM is using a 1.x VMWare OVA image.  We see that the requirements for a VMWare 6.5 host are for a 2.x OVA image.  We could do a new server from the latest OVA file and go through backup and recovery procedures to restore to the new server.  Do we need to install the new server with just OS or also with CallManager 10.5?  Is the recovery ISO used for this?

Can we use PCD and do a migration job?  We did this for 9x to 10x and it worked pretty well (there was some artifacts of the temp names of the new servers).  

Thanks,

Glenn

[Jaime Valencia]

CUCM is a OS/app bundle, you do not just install the OS and then CUCM.

No, the recovery ISO has nothing to do with what you're doing.

You would need to install the new server on ESXi 6.5 using OVA 2.0 and then do a DRS restore.

[glenn.newman]

  A few notes on the restore of the publisher.  The recovery (backup and restore) system is on the publisher.  The subscribers were not able to see backup device or history.  The backup device (SFTP connection in our case) had to be defined again on the newly installed publisher.  The publisher then initiated a restore to itself.

Initial restore with everything checked that was backed up from publisher (UCM, ELM, PLM, CDR) failed with error "wrong deployment type".  Just picking the "UCM" option was successful.  Publisher needs reboot after restore of each item.  Install of subscriber failed first time because publisher was doing a reboot during a point when the subscriber needed to contact it.

  I was worried about the publisher synching a blank config to subscribers, but it did not form cluster or dbreplication partner with them before restore.  The subscribers can have replication stopped with "utils dbreplication stop" during the restore.

[Gregory Brunn]

Java can you elaborate on why you need to install the 2.0 ova on the 6.5 host?

Couldn't you use the 2.0 ova on the 5.5 host?

[glenn.newman]

We want to move all of the hosts off of the 5.5 server so that we could upgrade it.

[Chris Deren]

Are you moving to new physical servers or just need to upgrade ESXi on existing servers?

[glenn.newman]

We are moving from one Cisco UCS blade that has ESXi 5.5 to one that has 6.5.  We will upgrade the 5.5 host once all of the vm servers have been migrated.  Just found that there is an issue with processor compatibility for the servers that are left, Presence, Unity and such.  See attachment

https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2109065

https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=1034926&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_KB_1_1&dialogID=637054357&stateId=1%200%20519078698

[Chris Deren]

Correct, not all 10.5 applications are supported on ESXi 6.5, for example IMP is not:

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/uc_system/virtualization/virtualization-cisco-ucm-im-presence.html#v10.5

CUCM and Unity 10.5 appars to be supported on 6.5. So, you may need to consider upgrading CUCM/IMP to 11.5/12 in order to have supported deployment with ESXi 6.5.