Component Downgrade Error During ESXi Host Upgrade Using Lifecycle Manager

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to upgrade an ESXi host using vSphere Lifecycle Manager, the pre-check operation fails with an "unknown error." Investigation reveals the actual error message indicates a component downgrade issue: "The operation cannot continue due to downgrade of the following Components: [component name]."

When you add a downgraded driver from add components section, you will get an error while saving the image that "A component downgrade was found"

Environment

- VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0 and later
- vCenter Server 7.0 and later
- Using vSphere Lifecycle Manager for host updates
- Pre-check validation fails during host upgrade attempt
- Error message indicates a component downgrade would occur
- Issue may affect some hosts in a cluster while others upgrade successfully
- Upgrade process cannot proceed until resolved

Cause

The vSphere Lifecycle Manager includes protection mechanisms that prevent inadvertent downgrades of hardware-specific components (such as drivers and firmware). When the target ESXi version would result in a component version lower than what is currently installed, this protection triggers and blocks the upgrade.

This can occur when:
1. Custom hardware drivers have been manually installed on the host
2. Different hosts in the same cluster have different component versions
3. The upgrade baseline contains older component versions than what is currently installed

Resolution

1. Identify the specific component causing the downgrade error:
   1. Review the vSphere Lifecycle Manager logs
      • /var/log/vmware/vlcm/vlcm.log
   2. Note the exact component name from the error message
      
      
2. Document current component versions:
   1. Connect to the ESXi host through SSH or ESXi shell
   2. Run `esxcli software component list` to view installed components
   3. Record the version of the problematic component
      
      
3. Contact the hardware vendor's support to:
   1. Review current component versions
   2. Determine the correct component version compatible with target ESXi version
   3. Obtain guidance on the proper upgrade path
      
      
4. Based on vendor guidance:
   1. Update component to recommended version
   2. Or remove custom component if no longer needed
   3. Or obtain an updated component package compatible with target ESXi version
      
      
5. After implementing vendor recommendations:
   1.  Retry the ESXi upgrade process
   2. Verify pre-check validation completes successfully
   3. Proceed with host upgrade if all checks pass

Additional Information

- VMware Lifecycle Manager prevents component downgrades to maintain system stability
- Component version mismatches between hosts in a cluster can cause inconsistent upgrade behavior
- Always verify hardware compatibility with target ESXi version before attempting upgrades