Cisco UCS OEM Add-ons and Custom ISOs missing in VCF 9.0/ESXi 9.0

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Cisco-specific custom ESXi ISOs and OEM Add-ons are no longer visible in the Broadcom portal tabs for VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 or ESXi 9.0. Additionally, Cisco custom ISO filenames no longer include the specific Cisco firmware version or build metadata previously found in ESXi 7.x or 8.x images.

Environment

• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 9.0.x
• Cisco UCS Hardware

 

Cause

Starting with the release of ESX 9.0, Broadcom and Cisco transitioned the delivery model for hardware-specific software. Broadcom no longer builds or publishes the Cisco UCS Add-on for ESXi or the Cisco custom ISO image for ESXi. These assets are now managed and distributed directly by Cisco.

Resolution

To obtain the necessary drivers, firmware confirmation, and software for ESX 9.0 on Cisco UCS, follow these steps:

1. Source from Cisco: Download the ESX 9.0 Cisco Custom ISO or required drivers directly from the Cisco Software Download portal or via Cisco Intersight. Build-specific firmware details are contained within the Cisco release notes.
2. Manual Image Creation: If a specific ISO is required for VCF imaging, use vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) or PowerCLI to create a custom image by combining the base ESXi 9.0 image with Cisco-provided offline bundles (VIBs/Components).
3. Consult Cisco Documentation: Refer to the Cisco guide: Installing VMware ESX 9 with Latest Cisco Drivers for specific repository URLs and installation workflows.

Additional Information

Fixed in ESXi 9.0.0.0 and higher. See Download Broadcom products and software for steps to download base releases.