vLCM and Image based update (error: Downgrades of manually added Components) with HPE server

[pirx2020]

Hi,

I'm currently testing HPE OneView with vCenter integration for our HPE Proliant servers. Doing this I stumbled across the new Image based update method. I'm still using Baselines but with OneView and HSM, Image seems the way to go.

Ok, so I connected OV and OV4VC with vCenter, the SPP packages are now visible in vC. Fine. I started to create the first image for a cluster and validation was successful but when I save the image I get this error:

Downgrades of manually added Components

Broadcom Native 12Gbps SAS/PCIe MPT Driver(20.00.00.00),
Broadcom Native MegaRAID SAS(7.720.04.00),
Cisco Ethernet native driver(Cisco_bootbank_nenic_1.0.35.0-1OEM.670.0.0.8169922),
Cisco Fibre Channel native driver(Cisco_bootbank_nfnic_5.0.0.15-1OEM.700.1.0.15843807),
Intel NVME Driver with VMD Technology(iavmd-2.7.2.1001),
Network driver for Intel(R) X722 and E810 based RDMA Adapters(1.3.6.0-1),
VMware Tools Async Release(12.0.6)

in the desired ESXi version are not supported.

There was one more package listed before for the lpfc driver, but I imported it in Lifecycle Manager and added it as additional component to this image and the error for that disappeared. I'd like to do the same for all other manually added components but I don't know where to get the vibs. 

To be clear, I did not install them manually, only the lpfc driver. I guess the vibs are from the HPE custom image used for install. I checked Index of /hpe/oct.20.2022/esxi-700-devicedrivers but I don't see all the vibs there. 

For me it's currently completely unclear how those image based update should work without a lot of effort on my side. What am I missing?

I know this Valid-vLCM-Combos.pdf (hpe.com) page and want to setup the image for 2022.03.1 SPP, as the 2022.09 SPP is not yet supported in OneView.

So my image looks like this

But I get the downgrade errors for ESXi and Vendor addons.

 

One of the newer vibs can be found here https://my.vmware.com/en/web/vmware/downloads/details?downloadGroup=DT-ESXI67-CISCO-NENIC-10350&productId=742. But why do I have to do this manually? How did this vib get installed ESXi? It seems not to be part of the HPE image.

 

 

[pirx2020]

nobody any idea?

[lwyplalk]

did you have luck with fixing this issue?

[scottyg247]

I have exactly the same issue, did anyone find a resolution for this?

[pirx2020]

Yes, it's a bit painful and not obvious but it works. You need to have the HPE AddOn package in vLCM repository and in your image definition. Next you you have to check what errors you get and go to Image -> Component -> Add Components -> Independent Components and Vendor Addon Components. There you have to search for each of the packages that gives you an error and choose the right one (newer). It's not that straight forward as the package names in the error message are not always identical to the package name in that list. I use the filter function to search, but be aware that you can only add one package at at time! This also needs some iterations as once you have covered all errors and save the image new errors appear. It takes a lot of time and sometimes guessing, but it works.

But it's far less elegant than the old baseline updates. And it feels like nobody at VMware is using this as this could be solve much better (show packages with errors and ask if it should be replaced by another package in the repository...).

 

 

 

 

 

[WuGeDe]

I ran into the same problem with that component.
But I WANT to update that component but that image builder says:
"Downgrades of manually added Components HPE Upgrade Component(900.0.2-1) in the desired Addon HPE-Custom-AddOn are not supported."  

The installed component is older then the selected new one because it is for ESXi7 and the new one is the newest for ESXi8.

So I can not upgrade those ESXi from v7 to v8 because I am "downgrading" that hpe-upgrade-component.

I do not know what that image builder is looking for but I assume it is the component name.

Any ideas how to get that new component accepted?

[JediFredi]

Had the same problem,

The only way I could get around this was to put the host into maintenance mode (move all vms etc)

then go to SSH and run:

esxcli software vib remove --vibname=hpe-upgrade

Then reboot the host.

vCenter should now allow you to upgrade the host and it'll install the version you've selected, in my case it was 2.0.21-1 instead of the 900.0.2. 

Hope that helps.

Regards

[JvodQl0D]

Had same issue on Dell/Baseline based hosts.
@pirx2020's solution almost worked for me, but each VIB seems to have some other prerequisite.
I ultimately found it much easier to:
1) backup host configurations via PowerCLI (Get-VMHostFirmware)
2) "install" (not update) custom ISO,
3) set basic networking via console, (screenshot all your original network settings if needed)
4) restore configurations via PowerCLI (Set-VMHostFirmware). 
5) re-apply licenses
Will need to manually "reconnect" hosts after basic network, then again after restored config.
Set update-images in the process.