VMware GSX 3 User Manual

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VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

The following sections describe how to prepare for your upgrade:

There are a few steps you should take — before you remove an already installed 
version of GSX Server and install the new version of GSX Server — to ensure the best 
possible upgrade experience. 

Shut Down and Power Off All Virtual Machines
If you plan to use virtual machines created under an earlier version of GSX Server, be 
sure they have been shut down completely before you remove the release you used 
to create them. 

If any virtual machine is suspended, resume it in the earlier release, shut down the 
guest operating system, then power off the virtual machine. 

Note:  If you attempt to resume a virtual machine that was suspended under a 
different VMware product or a different version of GSX Server, a message appears, 
giving you the choice of discarding or keeping the file that stores the suspended state. 
To recover the suspended state, you must click Keep, then resume the virtual 
machine under the correct VMware product. If you click Discard, you can power on 
normally, but the suspended state is lost.

Make Sure All Disks Are in the Same Mode
If you have an existing virtual machine with one or more virtual disks, and all the disks 
use persistent or undoable mode, upgrading is straightforward.

If you have an existing virtual machine with one or more virtual disks, and all the disks 
use nonpersistent mode, you need to take a few special steps when you upgrade 
VMware Tools. For details, see 

If you plan to use an existing virtual machine that has disks in undoable mode, 
commit or discard any changes to the virtual disks before you remove the release you 
used to create them. 

Resume or power on the virtual machine in the earlier release, shut down the guest 
operating system, power off the virtual machine and either commit or discard 
changes to the disk in undoable mode when prompted.