ESXi host upgrade fails with error: "Software or system configuration of host <####> is incompatible. Check scan results for details"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• Upgrading ESXi host from 7.x to 8.x fails with ESXi host upgrade fails with "Software or system configuration of host <####>is incompatible. Check scan results for details."
  
  
• Upgrading the Host using a Lifecycle Manager upgrade baseline returns the following error:
  The upgrade has VIBs that are missing dependencies: <VIB_NAME> Remove the VIBs or use Image Builder to create a custom upgrade ISO image that contains the missing dependencies, and try to upgrade again. These VIB(s) on the host do not have the required sha-256 checksum for their payloads: <VIB_NAME>. This will prevent VIB security verification and secure boot from functioning properly. Please remove these VIBs and check with your vendor for a replacement of these VIBs.


• /var/log/vmware/vmware-updatemgr/vum-server/vmware-vum-server.log on the vCenter shows error similar to following : 
  505Z error vmware-vum-server[1755688] [Originator@6876 sub=VciClusterRemediateCheckTask. VciClusterRemediateCheckTask{2077}] [vciClusterRemediateCheckTask 166] Found incompatible software config on host:
<####> , host Id: host-######, error: Fault cause: integrity. fault. HostUpgradeIncompatibleSoftwareConfig 
  
  
• Manually Upgrading the Host via Command line reports below error:
  MISSING_DEPENDENCY_VIBS_ERROR

Environment

• VMware ESXi 7.x
• VMware ESXi 8.x

Cause

The VIB in the error stack is not present in the target upgrade package. 

Resolution

Choose one of the following three options to resolve the VIB dependency conflict:

Option 1: Utilize a Custom OEM Image A custom OEM image may contain the required VIB dependencies within its payload.

1. Procure the correct custom OEM ISO for the specific host hardware.

2. If the dependency error persists when using the custom image, engage the hardware vendor to validate the VIB dependencies included in their release.

Option 2: Remove the Unneeded VIB Prior to Upgrade Before proceeding, ensure the VIB is not actively handling network or storage traffic.

1. Connect to the ESXi host via SSH using root credentials.

2. Validate active network adapters: esxcli network nic list

3. Validate active storage adapters: esxcli storage core adapter list

4. Compare the outputs against the conflicting VIB driver name. Consult the hardware vendor to verify if the VIB can be safely removed from the custom image profile.

5. Identify the exact VIB name: esxcli software vib list | grep <driver_name>

6. If confirmed unused, remove the VIB: esxcli software vib remove -n <name_of_the_vib>

Option 3: Add an Updated VIB to the vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) Image If a supported, updated VIB is available, manually integrate it into the cluster image.

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Lifecycle Manager > Image Depot.

2. Click Import Updates and upload the updated VIB .zip file.

3. Navigate to the target cluster in the vSphere inventory and select the Updates tab.

4. On the Image card, click Edit.

5. In the Components section, click Add Components.

6. Search for the uploaded component, select it, and click Validate to verify dependencies.

7. Click Save.

8. Click Check Compliance to scan the hosts against the updated image.

9. Select the non-compliant hosts and click Remediate to apply the new VIB alongside the upgrade payload.

Additional Information

Note: Performing a manual in-place upgrade of an ESXi host is not a recommended procedure  within VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and vSphere Foundation (VVF) environment. All host lifecycle management (LCM) operations must be orchestrated through SDDC Manager or vLCM cluster images to ensure Bill of Materials (BOM) compliance.