Error: "Device is incompatible with the driver/firmware in cluster's image" after ESXi 8.0 Update 3k

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

After upgrading ESXi hosts to version 8.0 Update 3k, vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) displays a compliance warning: "Device is incompatible with the driver/firmware in cluster's image." This warning typically appears when hardware devices, such as Solidigm P5520 NVMe SSDs, are updated to a newer inbox driver version (e.g., 1.2.4.16-1vmw) that is not explicitly mapped in the current vendor-provided add-on or hardware compatibility metadata.

• vLCM reports a compliance warning for storage devices.
• The driver version for the affected device is higher than the version baseline in the vendor image.
• The device is correctly listed as supported in the Broadcom vSAN Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).

Environment

• ESXi 8.0u3i and above

Cause

The warning is triggered by a metadata mismatch. The newer inbox driver version introduced in ESXi 8.0 Update 3i is functionally correct and certified, but the static Vendor Add-on metadata (e.g., Cisco UCS) has not been updated to reflect this newer driver as the validated baseline.

Resolution

1. Verify the device status in the Broadcom Compatibility Guide.
2. Run the following command on the ESXi host to verify the controller's PCI IDs: esxcli storage core nvme device list
3. Cross-reference the Vendor ID (VID) and Device ID (DID) against the official HCL.
4. If the device and driver combination is listed as compatible in the vSAN HCL, the vLCM warning is a metadata discrepancy and can be safely ignored.
5. Contact the hardware vendor (e.g., Cisco) to inquire about the release schedule for an updated Vendor Add-on that includes the newer driver/firmware metadata for the ESXi 8.0 Update 3k baseline.

Additional Information

• NVMe Implementation within a vSphere Environment
• How to check HCL support for NVMe devices