: Critical for hardware stability and performance.
HPE drivers are tied to specific firmware revisions of the underlying hardware (NICs, HBAs, iLO). A new VMware security patch might require a new HPE net-i40en driver. If you apply the pure VMware patch, esxcli will skip the HPE driver update if the version string doesn't match VMware's requirements. This leaves you with a mixed state: a patched kernel running stale, vulnerable drivers.
esxcli system coredump partition list
A mismatched driver-to-firmware ratio is the leading cause of host instability. Always patch your host's firmware (using the HPE Service Pack for ProLiant, or SPP) concurrently with your ESXi hypervisor patching. Leverage the HPE Vibs Repository hpe custom image for esxi patched
Mastering HPE Custom Images for ESXi: Deploying, Patching, and Maintaining Enterprise Hosts
VMware-ESXi-7.0.3-20345678-HPE-703.0.0.10.5.3.8-Nov2024.iso
What are you running (e.g., Gen10, Gen11)? What is your target ESXi version (e.g., 7.0, 8.0)? : Critical for hardware stability and performance
Addressing vulnerabilities identified by VMware and HPE, protecting your infrastructure against emerging threats.
Visit the HPE Support Center to locate the latest custom image for your specific ESXi version (e.g., 7.0 or 8.0).
Never use esxcli software profile update on an HPE custom image unless you fully understand it. It may replace HPE drivers with VMware inbox drivers, breaking hardware management. Always prefer vib update or vLCM with the HPE Add-on. If you apply the pure VMware patch, esxcli
If you answered "Yes" to all four, go ahead and remediate. Your servers—and your Monday morning—will thank you.
reboot