Cisco Firmware Confirmation for ESXi 9.0.x Custom Images
Article ID: 442436
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
When downloading the Cisco Custom Image for ESXi 9.0.x from the Broadcom Support Portal, users may notice that the ISO filename no longer includes specific Cisco firmware version metadata. In previous versions (e.g., ESXi 8.0.x), the filename explicitly listed the Cisco firmware version the image was tested and built on (e.g., VMware-ESXi-8.0.x-Build-Rollup-Cisco-Custom-Firmware-X.X.X.iso).
Environment
ESXi 9.0
ESX 9.1
Cause
Starting with the release of ESXi 9.0, Broadcom and Cisco transitioned to a new software delivery model for hardware-specific assets.
• Broadcom no longer builds, names, or publishes the Cisco UCS OEM Add-ons or Cisco Custom ISO images.
• These assets are now managed, validated, and distributed exclusively by Cisco.
• Because Broadcom is no longer the builder of these binaries, the legacy Broadcom naming conventions (which included firmware versions) are no longer applied to the files hosted on the Broadcom portal.
Resolution
To obtain confirmed firmware compatibility details or download official Cisco-validated binaries for ESXi 9.0, please use the following Cisco-managed resources:
- Cisco Software Download Portal: Access the Cisco Software Download site or Cisco Intersight. Cisco provides the full build specifications, including the tested firmware bundles, within the release notes for each 9.0 custom image.
- Cisco Reference Documentation: Refer to the official Cisco guide: Installing VMware ESXi 9 with Latest Cisco Drivers. This document contains repository URLs and specific driver/firmware compatibility matrices for ESXi 9.x.
- Manual Image Creation (vLCM): If a specific combination of Cisco drivers and firmware is required for your environment, use vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) or PowerCLI to create a custom image. This is done by combining the base VMware ESXi 9.0 image with the Cisco-provided offline bundles (VIBs/Components) available from Cisco's portal.
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