“Host not compatible with the image” error when upgrading ESXi 8.0 U3e(24677879) to 8.0 U3f or later

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to patch an ESXi Host from version 8.0 U3e (build 24677879) to 8.0 U3f or later using Lifecycle Manager (LCM), the operation fails during image compliance checks. The error message displayed is:

Host not compatible with the image

• Additional details under the red information icon in the Software Compliance section may include:

  • Downgrades of manually added Components in the desired ESXi version are not supported.

  • Downgrades of ESXi components <Component name(s)> are not supported.
    

• Even after editing the image and selecting components with higher versions, the same error persists.

Environment

vSphere ESXi 8.0 u3e (24677879)

Cause

The ESXi host, running version 8.0 U3e (24677879), is a free edition of VMware ESXi intended solely for home labs and testing environments. It cannot be managed by vCenter, which will cause LCM upgrades to fail.

Resolution

As patching via LCM is not supported for the free edition of ESXi 8.0 U3e, the recommended approach is to Reinstall the ESXi host using a supported version listed in the Build numbers and versions of VMware ESXi/ESX.

Additional Information

VMware ESXi 8.0 Update 3e now available as a Free Hypervisor