With the release of of VCF 4.2 i wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

In order to get to 4.2.0.0 we have to upgrade to 4.1.0.1. We can do so by going to Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now

Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.1.0.1 via Repository > Bundle management > Download now.

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.1.0.1. The release notes can be found here

UI shows VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.1.0.1 with options to Schedule Update or Update Now.

Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components

Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.1.0.1; components queued for update.

Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen

Upgrade status displayed, update applied, finish button available.

Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager versions i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.

Next is the 4.2.0.0 update. Repository -> Bundle management -> Download now. In my case i already had it downloaded so the next step is to apply the upgrade by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.2.0.0. The release notes can be found here

Scheduled update details for VMware Cloud Foundation 4.2.0.0 are shown, including release notes link.

Once the upgrade starts we can follow its progress

Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.2.0.0, progress shown: SDDC Manager updating, others queued.

Once the upgrade is completed we can click finish and go to the next step

VMware Cloud Foundation Update Status shows upgrade applied, finish button.

Again i would recommend clearing the cache since we changed sddc-manager versions.

Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. The release notes can be found here. Click on Download Now

VMware Software Update 4.1.0.1 released Nov 24, 2020, 361 MB. Contains critical security fixes.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

VMware Software Update 4.1.0.1 released Nov 24, 2020. Contains critical security fixes.

If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific cluster(s) we want to upgrade.

Select Clusters step shows options to upgrade all or specific clusters in VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.2.0.0.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade as well as quick boot

Upgrade Options step in VCF upgrade wizard. Select ‘Enable sequential cluster upgrade’ or ‘Enable Quick Boot’.

We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task

Reviewing upgrade options for VCF clusters, all selected, sequential upgrade disabled, quick boot disabled.

Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status

Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.2.0.0: In-Progress Updates show Domain Level Upgrade status.

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can get back to the Update/Patches page

The next update is the configuration drift bundle. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Download now. You will notice a new drop down that allows us to pick the Cloud Foundation version.

Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.2.0.0: Select Cloud Foundation 4.2.0.0, then download configuration drift bundle.

Once the download is complete click on update now

UI shows Cloud Foundation 4.2.0.0 update details, includes “Schedule Update” and “Update Now” buttons.

Once the upgrade started i got redirected to the Update status page.

Update status page shows 0/1 resources updated, with a cancel button.

Considering the update is only 219 MB the upgrade went through pretty quickly. Once its completed we can click finish to get back to the main sddc manager page

VMware Cloud Foundation Update 4.2.0.0 completed in 1 min 54 sec. Click Finish to return to main SDDC Manager page.

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 3.1.0. The release notes can be found here. We can go to inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Download now.

UI shows Cloud Foundation 4.2.0.0 update, download options available.

Once the download is complete click on Update Now

Update Now button available for VMware Cloud Foundation 4.2.0.0 upgrade.

We can view the status and the steps by clicking on View Status.

Upgrading to VMware 4.2.0.0 in progress. Click View Status for updates.

Once the upgrade is complete we are redirected back to the available updates page showing that the vCenter server is next

Upgrading VCF 4.1.0.0 to 4.2.0.0: Available updates page shows vCenter server next.

Click on Download now and wait for the download to complete. Once the download is complete click on update now

Select Cloud Foundation version, then click Schedule Update or Update Now.

We can view the task by clicking on View Status

Upgrading VCF 4.2.0.0 in progress, showing update details and status.

Next are the the additional domains that we might have where we can follow the same instructions as above. The process will be allot quicker because the upgrades are already downloaded

If no additional upgrades are needed we can clean up the downloads by following the instructions on my other post here