Are you looking for a robust VMware backup solution? Try Vinchin Backup & Recovery!↘ Download Free Trial Following technological developments, companies use the virtual machine more and more. VMware ESXi, a famous bare metal product for virtualization, is beneficial for you to utilize the hardware resources of a host.
ESXi can help you utilize the hardware resources of a host, but you might also have some issues like compatibility problems or a patch that you regret installing. Of course, you can reload your host to solve those issues, but it will take a long time. There is another way you can choose and that is downgrading to the previous ESXi version, which will take less time. In this post, you will know when you can downgrade the ESXi host and how to do it.
When do you need to downgrade the ESXi version?
From the introduction mentioned before, ESXi downgrading is often needed when you are not satisfied with the current ESXi version. There are some situations when you need to roll back the ESXi version:
1. When you upgrade your ESXi host but find there are compatibility issues with it, you only can roll back to the previous one.
2. There is a patch installed in your IT environment and it causes some issues.
3. When you find a failure during ESXi upgrade and then you can roll back to the previous ESXi version to try again.
4. When the ESXi host has some issues, for saving time, you can downgrade the previous ESXi version.
5. If there are some bugs to fix, you can roll back to the previous ESXi version.
What are the preconditions for reverting to the previous ESXi version?
Before downgrading to the previous ESXi version, you need to make sure that the current ESXi version is upgraded by the methods below:
1. Be sure that the ESXi has VIB installation or removal.
2. Be sure that the ESXi has profile installation or removal.
3. The ESXi host was updated by using VMware Update Manager.
4. The ESXi host was updated from ISO.
Notes: Please remember to back up your configuration data before you do any changes.
How to downgrade the VMware ESXi version?
If you get some issues on your ESXi host and you want to solve it by rolling back your host version, please check the steps below:
Find the console of the ESXi host > press Ctrl+Alt+F2 to get the screen of Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) > press F12 to view the rollback options > press F11 to reboot > press the SHIFT+R key when the hypervisor is loading > press Y to rollback when you see a warning about reverting and the ESXi version to replace the current one > press Enter to boot or you can wait for the countdown.
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For the VMware vSphere environment, you can revert to the previous ESXi host version to help you figure out some problems such as compatibility, supportability, failed upgrades, and so on. Data backup can protect your system during the process.
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Sum up
You can downgrade your ESXi version by the steps mentioned in this post to fix host issues like compatibility, patch installation, or bugs. It is also a way for saving time compared with reloading the host.
Vinchin Backup & Recovery can help you back up your VM data safely, preventing data loss and helping your business go well. For more information about us, you can try our free trial.
