Upgrade guidelines for Lenovo ThinkAgile VX630 V3 nodes with VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.3

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When you upgrade Lenovo ThinkAgile VX630 V3 nodes to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 5.2.3, the environment must align with a specific Lenovo Best Recipe to maintain vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) compliance and hardware stability. VCF 5.2.3 includes ESXi 8.0 Update 3, which requires a corresponding firmware/driver stack validated by Lenovo.

• SDDC Manager upgrade pre-checks may fail with the error Solution specification incompatibility.
• vLCM reports the cluster is Non-Compliant when you use the default VCF image.
• You may see hardware compatibility warnings regarding third-party VIBs or unsupported firmware versions.

Environment

• Software: VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2.x / 5.2.3
• Compute: ESXi 8.0 Update 3
• Hardware: Lenovo ThinkAgile VX630 V3 (and other VX-series V3 nodes)
• Management: vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM), SDDC Manager

Cause

This is a consultative alignment requirement. You must manage hardware-specific firmware and drivers via a Lenovo-provided Cluster Image JSON to satisfy vLCM desired state requirements for VCF 5.2.3.

Resolution

To ensure a supported upgrade path, follow the steps below to align the hardware with the Lenovo Best Recipe:

1. Identify the Best Recipe: Navigate to the Lenovo ThinkAgile VX Best Recipe Portal. Select the recipe that supports ESXi 8.0 Update 3 (typically Release 25.x or later).
2. Download the Cluster Image JSON: Obtain the specific Cluster Image JSON file for the VX630 V3 from the Lenovo support site for the selected recipe.
3. Update vLCM Desired State: In the vSphere Client, navigate to the cluster Updates tab. Use the Manage > Settings > Edit option to import the Lenovo JSON file. This defines the required firmware, drivers, and addons for the target state.
4. Refresh SDDC Manager Compatibility Data (Workaround): If SDDC Manager continues to report version incompatibility despite correct alignment, refresh the VMware Verification Service (VVS) data manually on the SDDC Manager appliance:

   curl -k https://localhost/vvs/compatibility-data > /home/vcf/VmwareCompatibilityData.json

5. Run Pre-checks: Execute the SDDC Manager Upgrade Pre-checks. Ensure all hardware and vLCM checks return a Passed status before you initiate the upgrade.

Note for VCF Divisions: As VCF 5.2.3 is officially Post-GA, please refer to the Broadcom Product Downloads page to obtain the latest VCF bundles and documentation.

Additional Information

Additional Information

• Contact Broadcom Support
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