Instructions for uninstalling third-party VIBs from an ESXi host.
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Instructions for uninstalling third-party VIBs from an ESXi host.

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Article ID: 342065

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Remove third-party VIBs from the ESXi host.

Note: You can uninstall both third-party VIBs and VMware VIBs from your ESXi host.

Environment

6.0

6.5

6.7

7.0

8.0

Cause

There are times when it's necessary to uninstall a third-party driver from an ESXi host. This process is straightforward, but it may require rebooting the host depending on the VIB being removed.

Resolution

Steps:

 

  1. Put the host into Maintenance Mode.

    - From the vCenter/ESXi web client interface, right-click on the host and choose "Enter Maintenance Mode."
    - Using ESXCLI
               # vim-cmd hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter / vimsh -n -e /hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter Or esxcli <conn_options> system maintenanceMode set --enable true 
  2. Enable the SSH service and connect to the host via SSH.
  3. Identify the name of the VIB you want to remove. In this example, I used the vmware-fdm VIB.
    # esxcli software vib list

    # esxcli software vib list | grep -i fdm
  4. Execute the following command to uninstall the VIB.
    # esxcli software vib remove --vibname=<name>

    # esxcli software vib remove --vibname=vmware-fdm
  5. The output is similar to:





  6. Reboot the host if "Reboot Required" is set to True.
  7. If a reboot is not necessary, simply exit Maintenance Mode.
    - From the vCenter/ESXi web client interface, right-click on the host and choose "Exit Maintenance Mode."
    - Using ESXCLI
                # vim-cmd /hostsvc/maintenance_mode_exit / vimsh -n -e /hostsvc/maintenance_mode_exit Or esxcli <conn_options> system maintenanceMode set --enable false
  8. Once the host is back online, list the VIB again to confirm that the VIB is no longer loaded.
    esxcli software vib list | grep -i <VIB name>

Additional Information

Impact/Risks:

  • If the removal requires a reboot and the host is part of a VMware HA cluster, be sure to disable HA for that host.
  • Assess whether the update necessitates putting the host in maintenance mode or requires a reboot. If needed, place the host in maintenance mode.


See Determine Whether an Update Requires the Host to Be in Maintenance Mode or to Be Rebooted. See Place a Host in Maintenance Mode.