With the release of of VCF 5.1.1 I wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here

Please note that some of the components within the VCF will still need additional upgrading. Please read the release notes for additional details.

We can start by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the VCF version -> Download now. If you do not see the newest releases go to Administration -> Online Depot and add a VMware Customer Connect account that has access to perform downloads.

The image shows a VMware Cloud Foundation update screen with version details, download options, and a note about downloading all dependent bundles.

The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the cloud foundation version we’re upgrading to and click on Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 5.1.1

UI shows VMware Cloud Foundation Update 5.1.1, with options to schedule 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 5.1.1 in progress: SDDC Manager, common appliance platform, services, deployment drift, post validation.

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

VMware Cloud Foundation Update Status shows progress of 5.1.1.0 upgrade, finished in 38 minutes 51 seconds.

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

Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 4.1.2.3. The release notes can be found here.

We can also download it directly from the workload domain by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Download now

Upgrading VCF 5.1.0 to 5.1.1.0, showing 1 of 4 bundles applied, with options to plan, view, or download.

Once the download is complete we can proceed with updating the NSX components by clicking on the update now

Update now button visible for NSX-T Data Center 4.1.2.3 upgrade.

Make the proper selection and click next

Upgrade NSX Edge clusters, then click Next.

Make the proper selection and click next

Host Clusters upgrade selection screen; enable host cluster selection toggle; warning about workload domain upgrades; next step button visible.

Make the proper selection and click next

Upgrade Options screen for NSX Edge and Host Clusters; select upgrade methods, then click Next.

Review the options and click on Finish

Review page for NSX Edge and Host Clusters upgrade options; click Finish to proceed.

The upgrade will go thought upgrading the NSX edges. We can view the upgrade status by clicking on view status

In-Progress Updates show NSX-T Data Center 4.1.2.3 upgrade details. Click “View Status” to monitor.

Once the upgrade is complete we can proceed with the vCenter Upgrade. VCF 5.1.1 comes with vCenter Server 8.0 Updated 2b. The release notes can be found here. We can go to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on Download now.

Upgrading VCF 5.x to VCF 5.1.1, showing available updates for vCenter Server 8.0 Update 2b.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

UI shows upgrade options for VCF 5.1.0 to 5.1.1, with 2/4 bundles applied.

Confirm that we have a backup

Backup confirmation for vCenter Server upgrade. Choose “CONFIRM” if ready.

We can follow the status of the upgrade by clicking on the view status tab

Upgrade status shown for VMware Software Update 5.1.1.0.

Here we can see the different components that are getting upgraded

The image shows a vCenter Server upgrade process with steps like Pre-validation, Upgrade, and Post-validation.

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.

UI shows upgrade details for VMware ESXi 8.0, download options available.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

Upgrade screen shows 3/4 bundles applied, with options to schedule or update now.

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

Upgrading VCF 5.x to 5.1.1: Select clusters for upgrade using the wizard.

We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade, quick boot and the ability to evacuate offline VMs part of the maintenance. Click Next

Upgrade Options screen for VCF 5.x to 5.1.1 upgrade, showing checkboxes for sequential upgrade, quick boot, and evacuating offline VMs.

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

Review page showing upgrade options and a warning about ESXi relicensing.

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

UI shows In-Progress Updates for VMware Software Update 5.1.1.0.

And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can follow the same steps for the other domains

Upgrading VMware ESXi hosts in progress.

Don’t forget to clean up the download bundles by following the steps from my other blog here