Downloading NSX VIB bundles for ESXi hosts from NSX Manager Appliances

Products

• VMware NSX
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This KB will provide two methods to download/extract an NSX VIB bundle that can be manually installed on an ESXi host. 

Environment

VMware NSX

VMware NSX-T Data Center

Resolution

There are two methods to generate NSX VIBs for a specific ESXi versions:

Method 1: Download the VIBs from the Broadcom Support Portal

• Leverage the following KB on how to Download Broadcom Products. 
• Find the NSX VIB bundle by searching for "NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi X.X" and download the VIB bundle for the current ESXi version. 
  • Note: The VIB bundle is specific to NSX version, not ESXi version. If an ESXi host is running 7.0 P09 the VIB bundle "NSX Kernel Module for VMware ESXi 7.0" should be downloaded.
• Once the VIB bundle is downloaded, the following process can be used to manually install the kernel modules on an ESXi host:
  • NSX-T Data Center
  • VMware NSX

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Method 2: Generate the VIB bundle directly from an NSX Manager

• SSH as root into any NSX Manager.
• cd into the /repository directory and run ll to list the NSX versions.

Example Screenshot:

• cd into the current NSX version directory, followed by /HostComponents and run another ll. 

Example Screenshot:

• cd into the esxXX directory (depending on the current ESXi version) and run ll to list the VIBs for the specific ESXi version. 
  • Note: In this example, the ESXi hosts are running 7.0 P09

Example Screenshot:

• Run pwd to output the current path. Copy the path and use it to create the URL in the next step. 

Example Screenshot:

• Build the URL and paste into any Web Browser to download the NSX VIB bundle.  
  • Example URL: https://<manager_IP/FQDN>/repository/3.2.4.0.0.23653566/HostComponents/esx70/nsx-lcp-3.2.4.0.0.23653567-esx70.zip

• Download the VIB bundle directly onto the ESXi host by running the below wget command:
  •  wget --no-check-certificate https://<manager_IP/FQDN>/repository/3.2.4.0.0.23653566/HostComponents/esx70/nsx-lcp-3.2.4.0.0.23653567-esx70.zip
• Once completed, follow the standard instructions to install VIBs manually on an ESXi host:
  • • NSX-T Data Center
    • VMware NSX

Additional Information

If the Search Function on the Broadcom Product Download portal does not yield any results, you may need to drill down to the NSX product download page manually. That is where the Kernel Module download is currently posted.