ESXi host upgrade fails when applying patch ISO through ESXi console

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article addresses the scenario where update attempts are rejected because the target ISO build version is lower than the version currently installed on the ESXi host.

When attempting to apply an ESXi patch or update via console, the process fails with an error:

Could not obtain module order from esximage db : Error (see log for more info):
..
On platform esxio, Base Image version 8.0.3-0.79.<buildnumber> does not match the base ESXi package version 8.0.3-0.88.<buildnumber> in ImageProfile (Updated) <profile_name>. Use a depot instead of VIB URLs to perform ESXi patching.

similar to this example image:

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

The ESXi upgrade/patch operation fails because the target ISO/patch build number is lower than the build currently installed on the host.
VMware ESXi does not support downgrading the host version using a patch ISO, as this requires downgrading individual VIBs that are already in use.

Resolution

When experiencing this error, take the following steps to verify that the current version is compatible to be patched using the specific ESXi installer ISO:

1. Confirm the ESXi version currently installed on the server. There are multiple options to verify this:
   1. Run the either of the following commands:

      # esxcli system version get

      # vmware -vl

   2. Or review the host summary page in vSphere Client and look for the Hypervisor: line in the Host Details Tile.
2. Compare the build number received in step 1 against the target/ISO build. If the build number of the target ISO is higher than the one received in step 1, do not proceed with the update using that specific ISO. ESXi does not support downgrades from a newer version to an older one.
3. If the build number of the target ISO is higher than the one found in step 1, refer to Build numbers and versions of VMware ESXi/ESX to find the versions matching the build number received in step 1 and the build number of the target ISO.
4. Review the Broadcom Product Interoperability Matrix to confirm that updating from the currently installed version to the target version is supported. Do not proceed with the update, if it is not supported.
5. Verify if a newer ESXi version is available and confirm if an update to this version is supported.
6. If this is confirmed, verify that the specific hardware platform (server, I/O devices etc.) is supported with this version as per Broadcom Compatibility Guide.
7. Proceed to update to this version instead.

Attention: Before updating ESXi, make sure to update the vCenter Server to ensure that the target setup is supported. Review the following articles for more information:

• vCenter Server version & ESXi Host version recommendations and considerations
• Risks regarding vCenter Server and ESXi version mismatch