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Intel NUC - Blank Manufacturer and Model in ESXi Summary Tab

Intel does not preconfigure SMBios information for their NUCs. When you install VMware ESXi, Manufacturer and Model information in the Summary tab are missing. Intel provides a tool for system integrators that allows customizing the BIOS.

The Intel Integrator Toolkit (ITK) is a UEFI command line tool that works with 5th 6th and 7th Gen Intel NUCs.

  1. Download the Intel Integrator Toolkit. The ITK is also included in the "BIOS and driver updates" page from your NUC.
  2. Unzip the contents of this download package. The file contains Intel's default splash screens, a User Guide and the ITK itself (ITK6.efi).
  3. Copy the ITK6.efi program to an FAT32-formatted USB drive.
  4. Connect the USB drive to the NUC and power it on.
  5. Press F2 during boot to enter BIOS Setup.
  6. Go to Advanced -> Boot -> Boot Configuration.
  7. In the Boot Devices pane, enable Internal UEFI Shell
  8. Press F10 to save and exit BIOS Setup.
  9. You should find yourself in the EFI Shell with a yellow prompt now.
  10. Enter fs0: to switch to the flash drive
    Shell > fs0:
  11. Change System and Chassis information to match your NUC, in this Example I'm using an Intel NUC7i3BNH:
    fs0:\> ITK6.efi –s –t system –f manufacturer –v Intel
    fs0:\> ITK6.efi –s –t system –f product -v NUC7i3BNH
    fs0:\> ITK6.efi –s –t chassis –f manufacturer –v Intel
  12. Verify your settings:
    fs0:\> ITK6.efi -s -p
    Integrator Toolkit (ITK) v6.1.4
    Copyright (c) Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
    
    System Information:
      Manufacturer: Intel
      Product Name: NUC7i3BNH
      Version: 
      Serial Number:
      SKU Number:
      Family:
    
    Chassis Information:
      Manufacturer: Intel
      Version:
      Serial Number:
      Asset Tag:
      Type: 1
    
    OEM-specific Information:
      OEM String 1:
      OEM String 2:
      OEM String 3:
  13. Use exit to close UEFI Shell
    fs0:\> exit
  14. Disable Internal UEFI Shell in the BIOS.

 

4 thoughts on “Intel NUC - Blank Manufacturer and Model in ESXi Summary Tab”

  1. Is the Thunderbolt port are fully compatible and working ? .. as detected properly..
    Like to plug external hdd or external gpu.. and then passthrouh..

  2. Just to add - in my case inserting 64GB USB drive did not work, so had to insert a smaller one (16GB). Also, sometimes the USB drive will be mapped not as fs0, but for example fs3 (depending on the number of drives in your NUC and their partitioning). After booting into the Internal UEFI Shell, there is mapping information displayed, so check where you USB drive is.

    BTW: great blog, thanks :-)

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