vSAN build recommendation engine may recommend an unsupported upgrade path
Article ID: 315530
Updated On:
Products
VMware vSAN
Issue/Introduction
Symptoms:
The vSAN build recommendation engine may recommend an update to an unsupported ESXi version under certain circumstances. Instead of supporting the highest supported build version for a server model as certified on the VMware hardware compatibility list, it will recommend a higher ESXi version that is not supported on the platform.
The vSAN build recommendation engine may recommend an update to an unsupported ESXi version under certain circumstances. Instead of supporting the highest supported build version for a server model as certified on the VMware hardware compatibility list, it will recommend a higher ESXi version that is not supported on the platform.
Environment
VMware vSAN 6.7.x
VMware vSAN 6.5.x
VMware vSAN 6.5.x
Cause
The vSAN build recommendation engine leverages the VMware Update Manager (VUM), the vSAN hardware compatibility list (HCL), and the vSAN release catalog to provide upgrade baselines for individual vSAN clusters. The vSAN HCL does not cover all hardware components in a server. The only components that are being taken into consideration for the compatibility check are:
- Storage Controllers
Other components, such as the NICs, CPUs, or server itself, are not being evaluated against the VMware VSAN HCL.
- Storage Controllers
Other components, such as the NICs, CPUs, or server itself, are not being evaluated against the VMware VSAN HCL.
Resolution
For clusters that contain hardware that is not fully supported for the latest release of ESXi, the hardware has to be checked manually against the VMware HCL before proceeding with an upgrade.
If it has been determined that the cluster is not compatible with the latest version of ESXi and VMware vCenter 6.7U3 or higher is used, then it is possible to set the baseline preference to "Include patches and updates for current ESXi versions". That setting will result in the build recommendation engine only recommending patches and updates to the installed ESXi version but not any upgrades to a newer ESXi version.
Workaround:
If the vCenter is not on version 6.7U3 or higher, then an update of the vCenter to 6.7U3 or higher can be performed to be able to set baseline preferences for the cluster.
If an update/upgrade of the vCenter is not possible, then the vSAN cluster has to be updated by creating a custom VMware Update Manager baseline or by patching the hosts manually.
If it has been determined that the cluster is not compatible with the latest version of ESXi and VMware vCenter 6.7U3 or higher is used, then it is possible to set the baseline preference to "Include patches and updates for current ESXi versions". That setting will result in the build recommendation engine only recommending patches and updates to the installed ESXi version but not any upgrades to a newer ESXi version.
Workaround:
If the vCenter is not on version 6.7U3 or higher, then an update of the vCenter to 6.7U3 or higher can be performed to be able to set baseline preferences for the cluster.
If an update/upgrade of the vCenter is not possible, then the vSAN cluster has to be updated by creating a custom VMware Update Manager baseline or by patching the hosts manually.
Additional Information
Impact/Risks:
As controllers may be certified for multiple ESXi versions and being sold in multiple platforms, it can lead to hardware compositions where a subset of the components is certified but others aren't.
Example 1:
A cluster contains CPUs that are not supported for the latest version of ESXi, whereas the storage controller is fully supported for the latest version.
-> As the vSAN build recommendation engine will only check the compatibility of the storage controller, this will result in an upgrade baseline to the latest version. If this baseline is applied, it will result in an unsupported configuration and potentially a host that will not boot ESXi.
Example 2:
A host contains multiple storage controllers, of which not all are used for vSAN, and not all controllers are on the vSAN HCL.
-> The vSAN build recommendation engine will recommend the upgrade because the new state is no worse than the current state. For more information, please see
vSAN Build Recommendations for vSphere Update Manager
As controllers may be certified for multiple ESXi versions and being sold in multiple platforms, it can lead to hardware compositions where a subset of the components is certified but others aren't.
Example 1:
A cluster contains CPUs that are not supported for the latest version of ESXi, whereas the storage controller is fully supported for the latest version.
-> As the vSAN build recommendation engine will only check the compatibility of the storage controller, this will result in an upgrade baseline to the latest version. If this baseline is applied, it will result in an unsupported configuration and potentially a host that will not boot ESXi.
Example 2:
A host contains multiple storage controllers, of which not all are used for vSAN, and not all controllers are on the vSAN HCL.
-> The vSAN build recommendation engine will recommend the upgrade because the new state is no worse than the current state. For more information, please see
vSAN Build Recommendations for vSphere Update Manager
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