Supported ESXi offline bundle versions on preGen9 servers

[SprinkleJames]

Hello,

I noticed the June 2019 preGen9 ESXi 6.5 U3 image includes the ESXi offline bundle version 2.6.2. I'm curious about a few things:

1. For a Gen8 server, would installation of a later version of the ESXi offline bundle be supported? e.g., the current 11.4.5 version.
2. Why does the HPE ESXi image contain such an old version, from 15 May 2017?

[AmRa]

Greetings,

Please find the answer of your question.

>> For a Gen8 server, would installation of a later version of the ESXi offline bundle be supported? e.g., the current 11.4.5 version.

No, the installation of a later version of the ESXi offline bundle is not supported on Gen8/Pre-Gen9 servers.

For more information, please refer SPP HPE Custom Image vibsdepot mapping for Pre-Gen9 document.

http://vibsdepot.hpe.com/mapping/SPP-HPE_Custom-Image-vibsdepot-mapping-pre-Gen9.pdf

>> Why does the HPE ESXi image contain such an old version, from 15 May 2017?

As per customer experiences, feedback and reported issues, there was no major changes reported in ESXi offline bundle, hence June 2019 preGen9 ESXi 6.5 U3 image still contain old ESXi offline bundle.

[SprinkleJames]

Thanks for your reply, @AmRa.

I presume the same goes for the other bundles, such as the Agentless Management Service and the ESXi Utilities?

A HPE support engineer asked me install the latest version of the AMS bundle (11.4.5) as part of troubleshooting an issue. It did not resolve the issue, so should I now uninstall the component vibs and reinstall the supported bundle version?