With the release of VCF 5.2 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 -> Updates -> Plan Upgrade. Select VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.0.0 -> Confirm

Plan Upgrade for VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.0.0 showing upgrade summary and options to confirm or cancel.

After we wait a couple of minutes we can click on Download Now to download the new update bundle.

The screenshot shows a step in upgrading VMware Cloud Foundation, with a notice to download the latest update bundle.

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 next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Updates -> Update Now

The image shows the “Updates” tab in VCF 5.1.0, highlighting available upgrades to 5.2.0.

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

Upgrading VMware Cloud Foundation 5.x to 5.2.0.0 in progress.

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

The image shows the completion of an upgrade wizard step for VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.0.0.

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 4.2.0.0. 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 -> Updates -> Download now

Upgrading VCF 5.x to 5.2: Progress shows 1/4 steps done.

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

Updating NSX Data Center 4.2 to 5.2 via a wizard with 1 of 4 steps completed.

Make the proper selection and click next

Select NSX Edge clusters to upgrade; click Next.

Make the proper selection and click next

Host Cluster selection screen for upgrading VCF 5.x to 5.2.

Make the proper selection and click next

Upgrade Options screen for VCF 5.x to 5.2 upgrade, showing sequential upgrade options.

Review the options and click on Finish

Reviewing upgrade options for NSX Edge and Host Clusters, then click Finish.

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

In-Progress Updates showing upgrade details for NSX-T Data Center 4.1.2.3.

Once the upgrade is complete we can proceed with the vCenter Upgrade. VCF 5.2 comes with vCenter Server 8.0 Updated 3. The release notes can be found here. We can go to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Updates -> Under Available updates click on Download now.

Upgrading to VCF 5.2: Downloading vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

Upgrading to VCF 5.2.0, 1/4 steps done, progress bar shows 1 of 4.

Confirm that we have a backup

Backup confirmation for vCenter Server upgrade; click ‘CONFIRM’ if ready.

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

The image shows an in-progress update for VMware Software Update 5.2.0.0, with a link to release notes and a view status button.

Here we can see the different components that are getting upgraded

Upgrading vCenter Server in progress, showing various stages like pre-validation and unstage.

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.

Progress bar shows 2 of 4 steps done for VMware Software Update 5.2.0.

Once the download is complete we can click on Update now

Update progress shows 2/4 steps complete for VCF 5.2.0 upgrade.

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 5.2: Select Clusters step; enable cluster-level selection for specific upgrades.

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 in VCF upgrade wizard, showing checkboxes for sequential cluster upgrade, quick boot, and VM migration.

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

Reviewing upgrade options for VCF 5.x to 5.2, showing selected clusters and upgrade settings.

Once submitted we can view additional details by clicking on View Status

In-Progress Updates show VMware Software Update 5.1.0, with a domain-level upgrade in progress.

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

Upgrading ESXi hosts in progress for VCF 5.x to 5.2.

If applicable apply any configuration updates

Configuration updates for VCF 5.x to 5.2 upgrade are available.

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