This technical note describes the command-line deployment and upgrade processes of the VMware vCenter Server Appliance. The vCenter Server Appliance is a preconfigured Linux-based virtual machine that is optimized for running vCenter Server.
The command-line installer is intended for advanced users who are familiar with vSphere. The main purpose of the command-line installer is to enable automation and prevent user input errors.
You can use the vCenter Server Appliance command-line installer, which is integrated with the VMware OVF Tool, to deploy and upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance.
The command-line deployment process includes downloading the installer ISO file, preparing a deployment template that is a JSON configuration file, and running the deployment command.
The command-line upgrade process includes downloading the installer ISO file, preparing an upgrade template that is a JSON configuration file, and running the upgrade command. The upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance is a migration of the old version to the latest version, which results in the deployment of a new vCenter Server Appliance.
The installer ISO file contains deployment and upgrade templates of JSON files that contain the minimum configuration parameters required for the different use cases.
More information about upgrading your ESXi host and vCenter to Update 1 can be found here: vSphere Upgrade Guide - Update 1 ESXi 6.0 vCenter Server 6.0
