Guidance on Validating Driver and Firmware Compatibility for Lenovo ThinkSystem Adapters on ESXi 7.0 U3

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Users may encounter scenarios where driver bundles for Broadcom network adapters are listed under VMware ESXi 8.x download sections while the Broadcom Compatibility Guide (BCG) lists the driver as supported for ESXi 7.0 U3. This article outlines the procedure to validate these components and ensure compatibility between driver versions, firmware, and ESXi releases.

Environment

• VMware ESXi 7.0 U3
• Lenovo ThinkSystem (SR950 or similar hardware)
• Broadcom/QLogic Network and HBA Adapters

 

Cause

Drivers or component bundles may be categorized in the Broadcom Support Portal (BSP) under the latest major release (e.g., ESXi 8.x) even when the contained driver is backward compatible with ESXi 7.x. Relying solely on portal folder hierarchy without verifying the driver version string against the Broadcom Compatibility Guide (BCG) leads to deployment confusion.

Resolution

To ensure a stable system configuration, follow these validation steps:

1. Identify Required Versions: Visit the Broadcom Compatibility Guide to identify the mandatory driver/firmware combination for the specific adapter model and ESXi version.
2. Verify Bundle Content: When a bundle (e.g., 233.0.256.0-1OEM) is found in the ESXi 8.x section, extract the manifest or consult the release notes to confirm the contained driver version matches the BCG recommendation for ESXi 7.0 U3.
3. Confirm Firmware Alignment: Ensure firmware is updated to the level required by the BCG. Interoperability between older drivers (e.g., 232.0.154.0-1OEM) and newer firmware (e.g., 233.1.181.0) is not validated and can result in link instability or degraded performance.
4. Reference Known Issues: Check for known adapter defects. For QLogic QLE2740 adapters, driver 5.3.84.0-1OEM is the mandatory recommendation for firmware 9.15.01 to prevent known PSOD conditions associated with earlier driver versions (see KB 401980).

Additional Information

When searching the BCP for the 233.0.156.0-1OEM driver for ESXi 7.x use the search term "bcm57xxx"