Events that are system-altering and require advance preparation by the administrator are:

• Adding or removing a high availability (HA) system. See Adding a High Availability System for Version 2.5 and Later.

• Updating the system to a later version (by using an ISO update file).

• Upgrading the system by deploying a parallel system and transferring the original system data to the upgraded system (by using an OVA file). See Upgrading the System.

• Expanding the system to a larger size. See Expanding Your System.

Note

Because these procedures require exclusive access to the system, users cannot access the system for meetings. Be sure to schedule this procedure during a time that will be least disruptive to your users. Be sure to coordinate with other system administrators before starting a system-altering procedure. Other system administrators should not access the system during this procedure. If they do so, their changes are not saved, and the result can be unpredictable.

Backups are not required for these actions. If you do not need to create backups of your virtual machines, then you do not need to complete this procedure. However, as a best practice, we recommend creating a backup. For complete details on this backup, see Creating a Backup by Using VMware vCenter, the VMware Data Recovery Administration Guide, or the vSphere Data Protection Administration Guide.