What is supported with NetApp HCI and VMware ESXi version 8.0 and beyond?
Applies to
- NetApp HCI
- VMware ESXi 8.0+
- VMware vSphere 8.0+
Answer
Support
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NetApp currently provides limited support for running VMware ESXi 8.0 on HCI Compute nodes.
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NetApp HCI compute hardware has been qualified to work with VMware ESXi 8.0 as detailed below. The servers compatible with ESXi 8 have been listed in the VMware Compatibility Guide.
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The following matrix lists the last verified versions of ESXi, BIOS and NIC firmware tested by NetApp for NetApp HCI Compute nodes. NetApp does not plan to certify any newer versions at this point of time.
Compute Node |
BIOS Version |
ESXi Version |
Firmware Version |
H410C |
NATP3.10 |
ESXi 8.0 |
14.29.1016 |
H610C |
BIOS 3B07 |
ESXi 8.0 |
14.29.1016 |
H615C |
BIOS 3B12 |
ESXi 8.0 |
14.29.1016 |
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BIOS, ESXi and NIC Firmware versions beyond those outlined in the matrix above may have to be downloaded from respective vendor sources and applied manually.
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For NetApp HCI compute nodes that are running newer versions of BIOS, ESXi or NIC firmware than those outlined in the matrix above, NetApp will provide hardware failure support only.
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NetApp Hybrid Cloud Control (HCC) and SolidFire Active IQ reporting may be impacted by upgrading to vSphere 8.0+. NetApp is not planning any future update to address this.
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NetApp vCenter Plugin (VCP): The latest NetApp vCenter Plugin (VCP v5.2) is currently supported with VMware ESXi 8.0U1.
Upgrading
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Customers can upgrade to ESXi 8.0 on H410C, H610C and H615C compute nodes, but it will be a manual process and the official VMware documentation should be followed to install ESXi 8.0.
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NetApp Deployment Engine (NDE) does not support vSphere 8 and there are no plans to update NDE going forward.
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Once at vSphere version 8.0+, NDE Scale cannot be used to add or remove nodes from the HCI cluster. It is customer’s responsibility to configure ESXi after physical replacement and add it to the cluster.
Additional Information