Upgrade SLES11 Xen DomU to SLES12

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service Pack 3 (SLES 11 SP3)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service Pack 4 (SLES 11 SP4)

Situation

Existing Xen DomU with SLES11 SP3 or SP4 needs to be upgraded to SLES12. Creating a new guest and selecting the existing Xen block device fails when attempting the upgrade.

Resolution

A down-server upgrade is required to migrate an SLE system from SLES11 to SLES12.

On a SLES11 Dom0, the virt-manager GUI application has the means to upgrade an existing DomU system.

This feature was removed from the virt-manager GUI on SLES12 but the dialog is still accessible by running the "vm-install" command on the Dom0. If running a SLES12 Xen, please proceed to step 2 after launching this dialog.

1. Select "New" at the top left corner of the Virtual Machine Manager

2. Choose "I need to upgrade an existing operating system" from the given options.

3. After selecting the DomU on the next screen and choosing the SLES12 installation media, select the "Upgrade" button.

4. (if needed) If the Xen guest is still powered on, the following dialogue box will be presented:

Once the guest is shut off, the upgrade can then be started by selecting the "Upgrade" button again.

Disclaimer

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