If your ESXi host is unsupported, manually upgrade your ESXi host to the supported version.
Prerequisites
Verify that the ESXi host is supported. See Supported Hypervisor Upgrade Path.
Procedure
- ♦ Upgrade the ESXi host using one of the following options.
- Perform the upgrade from the ESXi CLI:
- Place your ESXi host in maintenance mode.
- Run the following command from the ESXi CLI:
esxcli software profile update --depot <path-to-depot-file> ESXi-X.X.X-XXXXXX-standard --allow-downgrades --no-sig-check
- Download the NSX kernel module for VMware ESXi x.x.
- Install the NSX kernel module.
esxcli software vib install -d <path_to_kernel_module_file> --no-sig-check
- Reboot the ESXi host.
- Move your ESXi host out of maintenance mode.
- Upgrade ESXi in an offline environment using vSphere Update Manager:
- Upgrade to a supported version of vCenter Server.
- Log in to the upgraded vCenter Server.
- Download and add the supported ESXi software depot to the image builder inventory.
- Download and add the NSX kernel module for VMware ESXi x.x to the image builder inventory.
- Create a customized software depot, create a new image profile, and select the packages from the software depots that you added to the image builder inventory.
- Export the image to ISO.
- Upload the installation ISO image to the vSphere Update Manager repository.
- Create a baseline based on the uploaded ISO image in vSphere Update Manager, and attach it to a cluster.
- Start the remediate process and wait for the upgrade process to complete.
- Run the remediate process again if you see any upgrade failures.
- Perform the upgrade using a baseline group:
- Upgrade to the supported version of vCenter Server.
- Log in to the upgraded vCenter Server.
- In the lifecycle manager, upload the ESXi x.x installation ISO and import the NSX kernel modules for VMware ESXi x.x .
- Create an upgrade baseline using the imported ESXi x.x installation ISO
- Create an extension baseline using the uploaded NSX kernel modules.
- Create a baseline group using the baselines you created in the preceding steps.
- Attach the baseline group to a cluster. Ensure the vmknics on the hosts have been configured. If the vmknics are configured to use DHCP, make sure the DHCP server is running.
- Start the remediate process and wait for the upgrade process to complete.
- Run the remediate process again if you see any upgrade failures.
- Perform the upgrade from the ESXi CLI: