How to check which driver versions will change after an ESXi upgrade

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Before upgrading ESXi, administrators often need to verify whether network or storage adapter driver versions will change as part of the upgrade process.
This article describes how to check — prior to upgrading — which drivers will remain the same and which may be updated automatically, using information from the VMware Compatibility Guide (HCL) and the adapter’s Vendor and Device IDs.

Environment

• VMware ESXi

• Any hardware vendor

• Applies to both VMware depot ZIP upgrades and OEM-customized depot ZIP upgrades

Cause

Driver versions included in ESXi depend on whether they are:

• VMware Inbox drivers – Drivers that are bundled with the ESXi image. Each ESXi release may contain different Inbox driver builds.

• Partner Async drivers – Drivers provided by the hardware vendor that must be manually installed or are sometimes pre-included in OEM customized ISO/depot images.

Because of this, an upgrade may:

• Keep the same driver (if the existing driver is newer than the Inbox version), or

• Automatically update the driver to a newer Inbox version included in the target ESXi image.

Resolution

To determine whether a driver will change after upgrading ESXi, follow these steps:

1. Identify the adapter’s Vendor and Device information
   Refer to Broadcom KB 323110 — Determining Network/Storage Firmware and Driver Version in ESXi. This article explains how to find the following identifiers for each adapter:

   • Vendor ID (VID)

   • Device ID (DID)

   • Sub-Vendor ID (SVID)

   • Sub-Device ID (SDID)

   Record the driver with its version and IDs for both network and storage controllers.

2. Locate the corresponding entry in the VMware Compatibility Guide (HCL)
   Go to the VMware Compatibility Guide – I/O Devices.

   • Select Device Search.

   • Enter the VID and DID (and optionally SVID/SDID for more accurate results).

   • Review the matching results, which list:

     • Supported ESXi versions

     • Driver name and version

     • Driver type (VMware Inbox or Partner Async)

     • Firmware version (if applicable)

3. Compare current and target driver versions

   • Compare these versions with the driver versions listed for the target ESXi release in the HCL.

   • Behavior during upgrade:

     Condition	Expected Result
     Current driver is newer than Inbox version	Driver remains unchanged
     Target ESXi includes a newer Inbox driver	Driver automatically updates to that Inbox version
     OEM-customized depot ZIP used	Driver version depends on the VIBs packaged by the OEM; vendors may include newer driver builds

   • By combining the hardware IDs and the HCL data, it is possible to determine in advance which drivers will remain the same and which will be updated after the ESXi upgrade.
   • If there is any uncertainty or further clarification is required, please contact Broadcom Global Support and open a case for assistance.

Additional Information

 

• VMware upgrades do not downgrade drivers unless explicitly required by dependency checks.

• OEM-customized depots may contain newer or vendor-specific driver versions. Review the release notes or metadata file of the customized image to verify included driver VIBs.