PartnerSupported "MEL" vibs preventing ESXi 7.x to 8.x upgrade

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

In vCenter, when running pre-checks for a baseline-managed ESXi host to 8.0 U3 with HPE Synergy add-ons, the following error is thrown:

   - "Remove the VIBs or use Image Builder to create a custom upgrade ISO image that contains the missing dependencies, and try to upgrade again."

   - The upgrade has VIBs that are missing dependencies:

            MEL_bootbank_nmst_4.25.0.703-1OEM.703.0.0.18644231

            MEL_bootbank_mft-oem_4.25.0.703-0

            MEL_bootbank_

 

Upgrading with the offline zip bundle via command line results in similar errors thrown, referencing the VIBs and dependency issues.

Environment

ESXi 7.x

vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

The mft and mft-oem VIBs are no longer included in HPE custom Synergy ESXi 8.0 U3 releases. Search for "8.0 U3 Nov 2024" in HPE's ESXi release document, here.

Resolution

To clear the pre-check warning and proceed with the update, the VIBs must be removed, and then the custom upgrade image (and subequent patches) must be applied.