VIB INT_bootbank_IntelOptanePMemMgmt_02.00.00-3885 Prevents ESXi Upgrade to 8.0

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to upgrade an ESXi host from version 7.0.x to 8.0.x using the esxcli command, the following error message is displayed:

ERROR: esximage.Errors.DependencyError: On platform embeddedEsx, VIB INT_bootbank_IntelOptanePMemMgmt_02.00.00-3885 requires esx-version << 8.0.0, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the ImageProfile

Environment

ESXi 7.0

Cause

The VIB INT_bootbank_IntelOptanePMemMgmt_02.00.00-3885 explicitly requires an ESXi version lower than 8.0.0, which blocks the upgrade process.

Resolution

1. Verify the VIB and Kernel Module Status
   Run the following commands to confirm whether the VIB is installed and whether its kernel module is loaded:

    

   esxcli software vib list | grep IntelOptanePMemMgmt vmkload_mod -l | grep -i "int"

2. Remove the VIB
   If the VIB is installed, safely remove it by running:

    

   esxcli software vib remove -n IntelOptanePMemMgmt

3. Proceed with the Upgrade
   Once the VIB has been removed, re-run the ESXi upgrade process. It should complete successfully.

Note:
If you require Intel Optane Persistent Memory functionality in the future, verify compatibility with ESXi 8.0 before re-installing the VIB.

Additional Information

 

• For Lenovo servers, refer to Lenovo Press LP1225 to verify whether the ESXi host is utilizing Intel Optane Persistent Memory.

• See VMware KB articles on vSphere/vSAN support for Intel Optane Persistent Memory (PMem) for the latest compatibility updates.