"Unable to determine compliance because the firmware version cannot be read from the device. Manually verify firmware compliance."

Products

• VMware vSAN

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• On the vSphere Client > vSAN Cluster > Updates > Hardware Compatibility section the below warnings and errors are seen:

  

  "Firmware information is unavailable without a Hardware Support Manager configured as part of the cluster's image. Firmware compatibility must be verified manually."

  "Unable to determine compliance because the firmware version cannot be read from the device. Manually verify firmware compliance."

• The below warning may also be seen:

  

  "Device is incompatible with the driver/firmware in cluster's image."

Environment

VMware vSAN 7.x

VMware vSAN 8.x

Cause

• These errors are seen when there is no HSM plug-in (Hardware Support Manager) configured in the environment.

• The HSM plug-in allows streamlined hardware management and support, enabling enhanced compatibility checks and firmware updates within the vSphere environment.

• vLCM (vSphere Lifecycle Manager) cannot determine and update the hardware's firmware on its own, it requires a HSM plug-in in-order to perform this task.

• The HSM inspects the hosts in the cluster to determine their current I/O device controllers and firmware and during the compatibility check it verifies if the firmware in the image is compatible with the hardware.

Resolution

Since there is no HSM plug-in configured, manual check of the hardware's current driver and firmware must be performed against the Broadcom Hardware Compatibility List.

Additional Information

If HSM is configured and these warnings are seen, refer ESXi Upgrade Pre-Check Error: 'Error on Fetching Device Firmware Data, Device Compatibility Must Be Verified Manually'.

More information regarding Firmware Updates with vSphere Lifecycle Manager.