ESXi 7.0 Update 3

[PhS-]

As I am writing this, the latest available ESXi build for 7u3  is 

ESXi 7.0 Update 3g - 20328353 relased on  2022/09/01

and HPE is still proposing only  - VMware-ESXi-7.0.3-20036589-HPE-703.0.0.10.10.0.12-Oct2022.iso wich is the ESXi 7.0 Update 3f which they (re)released on 2022-10-20

Beside that  : https://www.hpe.com/us/en/servers/hpe-esxi.html

"Standard VMware ESXi ISO, is the easiest and most reliable way to install ESXi on HPE servers." ...

Do I need to wait on HPE to install 7.0u3f on my servers (HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 Plus v2) ?

Or can I go update them with VMware-ESXi-7.0U3g-20328353-depot.zip from VMware ?

When will HPE publish ESXi 7.0 Update 3f ?

[support_s]

System recommended content:

1. Notice: VMware - Online Firmware Update For HPE NS204i-p Gen10 Plus x2 lanes NVMe PCIe 3 x8 Boot Device With SSDs Attached Is Unsupported on VMware ESXi 7.0

2. Integrated Smart Update Tools 3.0.0 Release Notes for Windows, Linux, and VMware ESXi

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[PhS-]

I come to a forum to "talk" with humans ... my questions are quite precise and clear (I believe) .. 

[RaviTyagi]

Hello,

Greetings of the day,

As per the below-mentioned Link, HPE Custom Image for ESXi 7.0 U3 for Proliant is only available till ESXi 7.0 Update 3f .  
https://customerconnect.vmware.com/en/downloads/details?downloadGroup=OEM-ESXI70U3-HPE&productId=974

You can go ahead and apply ESXi 7.0 Update 3f on your Systems and then perform the patch upgrade using VMware Image ESXi 7.0 Update 3g.

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2008939?lang=en_US

Unfortunately , We do not have the ETA for release of ESXi 7.0 Update 3g Custom HPE Image for Proliant Servers.

Regards,

RRT 

I am an HPE Employee

[PhS-]

Thank you for you reply.... but it does not answer my needs.

Some facts :

 Provider Version  Release date

VMware   7.0U3 f    2022-07-12

VMware   7.0U3 g    2022-09-01

HPE      7.0U3 f    2022-10-20

What takes HPE so long to create and validate a custom image ?

I am also very annoyed by the statement on the web page : 

"Standard VMware ESXi ISO, is the easiest and most reliable way to install ESXi on HPE servers." 

But reading the "Deploying and updating VMware ESXi on HPE servers technical white paper", it is clearly stated that HPE Custom Image is recommended

Because of some specific requierment I need to deploy full images in my environment,

I cannot deploy HPE ESXi 7.0 Update 3f on my Systems and then perform the patch upgrade using VMware Image ESXi 7.0 Update 3g.

I need to deploy directly ESXi 7.0 Update 3f !

[PatrickLong]

I understand your desire to streamline the installation process as much as possible, but I am struggling to understand your comment "I cannot deploy HPE ESXi 7.0 Update 3f on my Systems and then perform the patch upgrade using VMware Image ESXi 7.0 Update 3g."  and I would be interested to know the reason why you cannot patch systems post-install?  I just can't imagine a scenario where you have access to host systems to deploy ESXi 7.0.3f (or 7.0.3g custom image which is what you're asking) either from bare metal or as an image update from previous version, but then NOT subsequently have the SAME level of access to patch that host before releasing it into production?  There are myriad ways to apply the Update 3g package using VUM/vLCM, via CLI pointing to the patch file - either local copy, on shared storage, or on VMware's public-facing repository, etc. 

I do understand it would be more convenient (and I agree) to install once from scratch and be done with it rather than ahve to revisit the host for patching immediately after install, but do you seriously never patch your ESXi systems with new hypervisor/security/driver updates until a full new custom image is released by your hardware vendor?

If you look at the VMware custom images repository for ESXi 7.0.3, NONE of the major vendors released a new custom image imstaller for every single 7.0.3 update that VMware released - it's just not worth the effort for them when the vSphere patching process has been made so easy:

Name Patch Date Build
ESXi 7.0 Update 3g ESXi_7.0.3-0.55.20328353 2022-09-01 20328353
ESXi 7.0 Update 3f ESXi_7.0.3-0.50.20036589 2022-07-12 20036589
ESXi 7.0 Update 3e ESXi_7.0.3-0.40.19898904 2022-06-14 19898904
ESXi 7.0 Update 3d ESXi_7.0.3-0.35.19482537 2022-03-29 19482537

[PhS-]

I am running a Nutanix cluster.

So to update the ESXi you have to use LCM (Lyfe Cycle Manager from Nutanix), which requieres a full ESXi image (not just the updates).

[PhS-]

I have myself build a 7.0U3 g with HPE AddOns (using ESXi image builder ... quiet simple to do so) ... but I need the "blessing" of HPE ... 

Firmware / Drivers version and their interactions with others can be a disaster.