VMWare ESXi 7.0U3p Cisco Custom Image

[Kevin Hom]

Does anyone know with Boardcom acquiring VMWare, will Cisco still come out with the latest ESxi 7.0U3p, that contain the security fix for ESXi 7.0U3o?

Thanks,

[Jonathan Schulenberg]

You only need the OEM-specific ISO at initial install. Use the most recent one posted and the update to the latest version from there with the generic package.

[riaan.vanniekerk]

To expand on what Jonathan has said:

The latest 7.0 U3 custom ISOs are under Custom ISOs). Install any new UCS server with this ISO. For servers that have already been installed (new or otherwise)

1. Update to the latest version (7.3 U3q) non-custom offline bundle, unless you have a good reason to update to an older version.
2. (optional) If you are running newer firmware than what is indicated on the custom ISO name (4.2.2 in this case),
   1. install the vendor add-on that matches your firmware (if one is available, (under OEM Addons) e.g. Cisco_UCS_Addon_ESXi_70U3o_22348816_4.3.2-a.1_depot.zip, or
   2. install the latest drivers certified against your server firmware version if there is no vendor add-on that matches your firmware (we had to do the latter where we were still running server firmware 4.2.3).

There is one exception, where Cisco update their custom ISOs and custom offline bundles fairly regularly, those being for HyperFlex, e.g.

• HX-ESXi-7.0U3-23307199-Cisco-Custom-7.3.0.18-install-only.iso
• HX-ESXi-7.0U3-23307199-Cisco-Custom-7.3.0.18-upgrade-bundle.zip

available here. These should only be used on HyperFlex deployments. 

[Kevin Hom]

Hi Riaan,

Thanks for going into detail about this question.

I am currently running VMware-ESXi-7.0.3o-22348816-Custom-Cisco-4.3.2-a.1.iso.  Wil I be able to just update to the (7.3 U3q) non-custom offline bundle?  I'm not familiar with VMware product, can you provide me the link to the non-custom update like the one you provide for the Custom ISO?  If not too much trouble, do you steps on how to get it installed?

I notice you mentioned Add-on as optional.  I have never installed any add-on before.  Will there be any issue no dealing with it as I move forward?

Thank you very much!

[riaan.vanniekerk]

> Wil I be able to just update to the (7.3 U3q) non-custom offline bundle? 

Correct. The packages in the offline bundle should not clash with those that were installed with the custom ISO or upgraded with a custom offline bundle previously, since the custom varian contain newer versions of enic/fnic/etc than what is shipped in the uncustomised ISO. 

> can you provide me the link to the non-custom update like the one you provide for the Custom ISO?

The easiest way to find the download, is from the Release Notes page, e.g. VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3q, specifically the Patch Download and Installation section.

>I notice you mentioned Add-on as optional.  I have never installed any add-on before.  Will there be any issue no dealing with it as I move forward?

The vendor add-ons were introduced in vSphere 7.0 with vLCM (vSphere Lifecycle Manager). These add-ons can be downloaded on the Broadcom support portal, but are also provided by VMware via the same repositories that provide ESXi updates. Think of them as the difference between the non-customised versus the vendor customised ISO or offline bundle.

E.g. VMware-ESXi-7.0.3o-22348816.iso + Cisco_UCS_Addon_ESXi_70U3o_22348816_4.3.2-a.1_depot.zip

= VMware-ESXi-7.0.3o-22348816-Custom-Cisco-4.3.2-a.1.iso

By separating the base ESXi OS packages from the vendor-specific add-ons, you have much greater flexibility to mix and match.

1. An ESXi version that meets your requirements in terms of stability and security
2. Vendor-specific packages that match a specific underlying UCS firmware level, e.g. 4.3.2. 

without having to wait for the vendor to release a customised ISO or offline bundle that matches the ESXi build and UCS firmware version you are looking for.