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Homelab - Will ESXi 7.0 run on Intel NUC?

esxi-on-5th-gen-NUC5i3MYHEVMware vSphere ESXi 7.0 is here and while you might want to wait before you upgrade your production, it's time to explore the new features in your Homelab. I've received questions on whether it is safe to upgrade and some folks are already having trouble with the upgrade.

First of all, short answer:
Yes - ESXi 7.0 will run on 5th - 10th Gen NUCs.

Long answer...

Important information before upgrading to vSphere 7.0

If your Homelab runs one of the following products, please consider that the following products are not yet compatible with vSphere 7.0 in any version. If you use these components, either wait until they are supported or remove them:

[Update: Meanwhile, support for many products has been added. See Interop Lister for vCenter 7 for a full list of compatible product versions.]

  • ESXi 5.x
  • ESXi 6.0
  • VMware Integrated OpenStack (VIO)
  • VMware NSX for vSphere
  • VMware NSX-T Data Center
  • VMware Pulse IoT Center
  • VMware vCloud Director
  • VMware vRealize Configuration Manager
  • VMware vRealize Operations Manager
  • vSphere Integrated Containers

ESXi 7.0 on 5-9th Gen Intel NUC

The ESXi 7.0 stock image can be installed without any issues on 5th Gen6th Gen, 7th Gen, 8th Gen and 9th Gen NUCs. Drivers for all onboard NICs (I218-LM, I219-LM, I219-V and I210-AT) are available in the stock image. Drivers for NVMe devices and any SATA AHCI controllers are also available without any customizations.

ESXi 7.0 on 10th Gen Frost Canyon Intel NUC

If you try to install ESXi 7.0, the installer fails with a "No Network Adapters" error. If you upgrade to the latest Image Profile ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard, ESXi fails to recognize the network adapter after reboot. To install or upgrade to ESXi 7.0 you need a customized image.

The following commands can be used to create a working ESXi 7.0 Image to be used with Intel's 10th Gen Frost Canyon NUC. See ESXi on 10th Gen Intel NUC (Comet Lake - Frost Canyon) for further information about the updated NE1000 driver required to create the image. It's the same driver for ESXi 6.7 and 7.0.

Download: ESXi670-NE1000-32543355-offline_bundle-15486963.zip

Add-EsxSoftwareDepot https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard" -ExportToBundle -filepath ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard.zip
Remove-EsxSoftwareDepot https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot .\ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard.zip
Add-EsxSoftwareDepot .\ESXi670-NE1000-32543355-offline_bundle-15486963.zip
New-EsxImageProfile -CloneProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard" -name "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC" -Vendor "virten.net"
Remove-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC" -SoftwarePackage "ne1000"
Add-EsxSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC" -SoftwarePackage "ne1000 0.8.4-3vmw.670.3.99.32543355"
Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC" -ExportToIso -filepath ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC.iso
Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC" -ExportToBundle -filepath ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC.zip

Use ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC.iso to install or ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-NUC.zip to upgrade.

Upgrade to ESXi 7.0

Upgrade a running installation to ESXi 7.0 is very simple. Download the Offline Bundle, copy it to the datastore and run the following command:

# esxcli software profile update -d /vmfs/volumes/[DATASTORE]/VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip -p ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard

If your ESXi host is connected to the internet, you can also download and install it directly:

# esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r httpClient
# esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard -d https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
# esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e false -r httpClient

Update Error when running USB NIC Fling

When you have the USB NIC Fling installed, the update fails with the following error message:

[DependencyError]
VIB VMW_bootbank_vmkusb-nic-fling_2.1-4vmw.670.2.48.33242987 requires vmkapi_incompat_2_5_0_0, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the ImageProfile.
Please refer to the log file for more details.

The driver used in ESXi 6.7 is not compatible with ESXi 7.0. Luckily, a new driver is already available:

Download: USB Network Native Driver for ESXi

To update, use the "profile install" command with "--ok-to-remove". The will remove all packages that are not part of standard ESXi 7.0 and install the NIC Adapter right after:

# esxcli software profile install -p ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard -d /VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip --ok-to-remove
# esxcli software vib install -d /ESXi700-VMKUSB-NIC-FLING-34491022-component-15873236.zip
# reboot

Update Error when running NSX

When you have NSX installed, the update fails with the following error message:

[DependencyError]
VIB VMware_bootbank_nsx-esx-datapath_2.5.0.0.0-6.7.14663999 requires esx-base << 7.0, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the ImageProfile.
Please refer to the log file for more details.

Currently, there is no supported NSX-T or NSX-V version for vSphere 7.0. You have to wait until supported NSX versions are available and update NSX prior to vSphere 7. If you still want to install ESXi 7.0 you have to remove all NSX packages. I highly recommend to use the NSX Manager and disable NSX for the host as it's not just removing VIBs. It is possible to do a "profile install" with "--ok-to-remove" but this might result in networking issues after a reboot.

[Update 2020-04-07: NSX-T 3.0 with vSphere 7.0 support has been released today. You have to upgrade NSX-T to the latest version prior to upgrade vCenter and ESXi Hosts.]

Upgrade Free ESXi 7.0

Like in previous versions, you have to register for a free license key:

57 thoughts on “Homelab - Will ESXi 7.0 run on Intel NUC?”

  1. >Unfortunately, the free ESXi license for vSphere 7.0 is not yet available.

    Does it mean that the free licence upgraders have 2 month evaluation time and we do not know what happens after that?

    1. VMware is already working on providing the Free ESXi license. It just does not work yet. I'm sure that there will be a license before the 60-day evaluation runs out.

  2. esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard -d https://hostupdate.vmw
    are.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml
    Got no data from process: LANG=en_US.UTF-8 /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli-software profile.update -d "https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml" -p "ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard"

  3. esxcli software profile update -d /vmfs/volumes/[committed for privacy]/VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip -p ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-s
    tandard
    [MetadataDownloadError]
    Could not download from depot at zip:/vmfs/volumes/[ommited-for-privacy]/VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip?index.xml, skipping (('zip:/vmfs/volumes/[ommited-for-privacy]1/VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip?index.xml', '', 'Error extracting index.xml from /vmfs/volumes/[ommited-for-privacy]/VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip: File is not a zip file'))

    Both offline and online no luck :-(

  4. I had problems with the online update, but succeeded with the offline.

    uploaded the "VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip" to my ESXI host manually.

    esxcli software profile update -d /vmfs/volumes/5e7e795d-1e685fa4-9a66-a0369f2a78e2/iso/VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-depot.zip -p ESXi-7.0.0-15843807-standard

  5. I wanted to upgrade my homelab on a HP Z220 with Intel Xeon E3-1280 v2 from ESXi 6.7 U3 to ESXi 7.0. There's a message that the HP NC360T PCI-Express Dual-Port NIC isn't supported. For the CPU there's only a warning that in future releases the CPU won't be supported any more. Because of the error message regarding the NIC I canceled the update.

    Is there someone who can confirm that the NC360T isn't working with ESXi 7.0? Then ESXi 6.7 U3 is the last version of long lasting and exciting life with VMware ESXi.

  6. What about NICs like HP NC360T and ESXi 7.0? With ESXi 6.7 U3 they are working finde. At the start of the upgrade to ESXi 7.0 these cards are shown as unsupported.

    1. There is no indication that the NC360T does not work with ESXi 7.0. The Adapter was also unsupported in 6.7. It should work with the ne1000 driver, so you don't have to worry about vmklinux depreciation in vSphere 7.0.

  7. Hello,
    I am trying to use this drive: XPG SX8200 Pro 2TB 3D NAND NVMe Gen3x4 PCIe M.2 2280 Solid State Drive with both ESXi 6.7 and 7.0

    On both installs the Nuc sees the drive but ESX does not. I just got the machine today and I have no idea what to do or how to troubleshoot it.

    Please help!

  8. I just wanted to add I have this nuk: NUC8i7HVK

    So NUC8i7HVK with XPG SX8200 Pro 2TB 3D NAND NVMe Gen3x4 PCIe M.2 2280 Solid State Drive and the drive does not get seen by either ESX 6.7 or 7.0 however the Nuk does see it in the bios.

  9. Be warned: I successfully upgraded my nuc7i3 and nuc7i5 boxes only to find none of the VMs are bootable. Error is:

    The virtual machine feature mask incorrectly requires 'cpuid.stibp' = '1'

    Something to do with Spectre microcode but I've yet to get to the bottom of it.

  10. Thanks for the write up, been a great help in getting it up and going on the 10th gen i7.

    One other issue I'm seeing it looks like the Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU isn't supported as pass through to a VM, it only passes it through as a normal VGA adapter.

    Any ideas on how to get this working?

  11. [2020-06-13 13:05:35,970 root ERROR] update failed: [DependencyError]
    VIB Realtek_bootbank_r8152_2.06.0-4 requires com.vmware.driverAPI-9.2.3.0, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the ImageProfile.
    VIB Realtek_bootbank_r8152_2.06.0-4 requires vmkapi_2_3_0_0, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the ImageProfile.
    Please refer to the log file for more details.

    Getting this error when updating from offline/online method. Any ideas on how I can fix this error to upgrade to 7.0? I have a NUC8i7BEH running ESXi 6.7u3

  12. Tried to create ISO for esxi 7.0, getting dependency error while adding drivers to esxi image using Power cli.
    Error is as

    Add-EsxSoftwarePackage : VIB Intel_bootbank_net-igb_5.2.7-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820
    requires vmkapi_2_2_0_0, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the
    ImageProfile.
    Add-EsxSoftwarePackage : VIB Intel_bootbank_net-igb_5.2.7-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820
    requires com.vmware.driverAPI-9.2.2.0, but the requirement cannot be satisfied
    within the ImageProfile.

    1. Is there a reason why you want to add this very old driver?
      Does the native igb driver not work? (igbn 0.1.1.0-6vmw.700.1.0.15843807 is bundled with ESXi 7.0)

      You simply can't use vmklinux or vmkapi<2.2 in vSphere 7. There is no fix. You need another driver.

  13. Im trying to upgrade my ESXi 6.7 to 7.0. Downloaded the latest offline bundle from vmware site. Uploaded relevant package file onto data-storage. Ran command below to start the upgrade, but it throws me some error messages. See below:

    [root@esxi6:~] esxcli software profile update -d /vmfs/volumes/tank/VMware-ESXi-7.0.0-16324942-depot.zip -p ESXi-7.0.0-16324942-
    standard
    [InstallationError]
    ('VMW_bootbank_brcmnvmefc_12.4.293.2-3vmw.700.1.25.16324942', 'Could not find a trusted signer.')
    vibs = VMW_bootbank_brcmnvmefc_12.4.293.2-3vmw.700.1.25.16324942
    Please refer to the log file for more details.

  14. Thank you for info and downloaded "ESXi670-NE1000-32543355-offline_bundle-15486963.zip" but its driver still missing Intel Ethernet Connection (11) I219-V (PCIID 80860d4D) even though customized the ISO installation. It still show no ethernet adaptor, when VMware will release new driver for Intel Ethernet Connection (11) I219-V.

    Finger cross!!!

  15. Hi,
    I had a problem installing ESXI - no network adapter. Your website helped to solve my problem - thanks!
    I have: Intel Ethernet Connection (11) I219-V, I used the image 6.7.0-20200804001 where I added VIBA with the network: Intel-NUC-ne1000_0.8.4-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922-offline_bundle-16654787
    Everything works! thanks ;)

  16. Just in case someone wants to know eSXI 7.0.0.b seems to be running fine on a 4th gen Intel NUC (D54250WYK1) without any tinkering or additional drivers.

    1. I tried installing for the first time too with the 7.0U1 on a NUC7PJYH1 - no network drivers this time... I wonder what changed from when OP tested...

      1. NUC7PJYH1 is a very special NUC from the "Pentium" Series. It's not a good system to run ESXi. I'm usually talking about "i" Series NUCs, without explicitly saying it. Sorry for the confusion.
        Check my NUC Model Lineup for a full list of recommended NUCs for ESXi.

        1. Thanks for clarifying! It wasn't one I sought out to purchase, kinda just fell in my lap and thought I might be able to purpose it for some labs. Probably just best to run as a bare metal server with some docker containers.

        2. Thanks for clarifying! This one just fell in my lap and figured I could use it for labbing stuff. Was hoping to get the added convenience of snapshots with ESXi when I mess things up but looks like I'll be running baremetal style.

        3. Why are the NUC7PJYH versions "not a good system"? Been running Esxi 6.x on one for a 2 years and it works well. Just upgraded to 7 which was not as straightforward but still worked. They are cheap, support AES, have more cores than the i3's and work with 32Gb.

  17. I went for the Intel NUC10i7FNH NUC 10 and I'm using ESX7.0.1. So far so peachy, I did get an error code thing from the onboard Thunderbolt Controller, so I had to go into BIOS to disable that - but aside from that it installed the first time with out an issue.

  18. I managed to install esxi as well but for some reason it doesn't recognize my Sata 2.5 SSD? Are there any additional steps that need to be done?
    host: NUC10i7FNH
    ssd: samsung 870

  19. Im trying to update from the free ESXi 6.7.0 Update 3 (Build 17167734) to ESXi-7.0.0-16324942.
    When trying to upgrade with the offline bundle via cli, i get this:

    [DependencyError]
    VIB VFrontDe_bootbank_sata-xahci_1.28-1 requires sata-ahci, but the requirement cannot be satisfied within the ImageProfile.

    Anybody got an idea whats going on? (Sorry pretty new to this...)

    1. You have to remove the sata-xahci driver. The driver is obsolete (No longer needed) since ESXi 6.5 and deprecated (Does not work) in 7.0. Actually, the driver doesn't do anything since ESXi 6.5. Your devices will work with vanilla (unmodified) ESXi.
      Remove it (esxcli software vib remove), reboot, and install the update.

        1. Thank you so much Florian Grehl and shadeless. I had the exact same problem and you guys helped me out. I really appreciate it!

          I had this driver installed since ESXi 5.5.0.

  20. Hi, I tried to get vsphere 6.7 / 7.0.1 running on my nuc 10th gen. I was able to install vsphere esxi and create a vmfs data store on the NVMe SSD.
    But for some reason, I get an error creating an vmfs on the sata ssd.
    nmp_ThrottleLogForDevice:3802: Cmd 0x2a (0x459a40fbd1c0, 2098546) to dev "t10.ATA_____Samsung_SSD_860_EVO_1TB_________________S3Z9NB0N308314L_____" on path "vmhba0:C0:T2:L0" Failed: H:0x0 D:0x2 P:0x0 Valid sens$

    Can you confirm, that an SSD on the SATA port works with 7.0.1 in your config? Samsung EVO 860 SSD attached to the port is brand new and should not have hardware issues.

    Thanks & Regards
    Maurice

    1. I have exactly the same problem with Samsung SSD 870. I thought replacing it with 860 EVO, but it seems it does not matter after what you have written.

      I checked my 870 SSD. Windows handles it without a problem. No errors, bad sectors etc.

      Samsung 970 NVMe works perfectly on ESXi though.

      1. Meanwhile I replaced the 2.5 ssd with a crucial, which works absolutely fine. So somehow an issue with Samsung evo 860 ssd. Booting with Ubuntu seems to work with Samsung ssd, but I decided to replace Samsung with a crucial solid drive.

    2. I have the same issue with a NUC10, ESXi 7.0.1c and my good old Samsung EVO 840 SSD. It initially created a datastore but then it wasn't behaving. Now it creates a partition but not the datastore.
      Is there any way to have the SSD to work? Or is it just not supported yet?

    3. Same issue here too with NUC10, ESXi 7.0.1c and a Samsung EVO 840 SSD.
      Initially managed to create a datastore, but it never worked properly, returning 500 errors and so. Now it creates the partition but not the datastore.

      Is there any way to have the 2.5" SSD to work?
      Thanks

    1. Hi! I just installed ESX 7.0U2a on my Intel NUC 10 on a USB device. The NUC came with Windows 10 pre-installed on the SPCC M.2 PCIe SSD. ESX does not recognize or detect this SSD and I want to use it as a VM datastore. Compatibility issue? Any tips or ideas?

      I also tried this article but no luck.
      https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2013188

      Thanks in advance!

  21. Had the same issue with the NIC others have mentioned with ESXi 7.0 not being compatible with my NUC7PJYHN2 which has a Realtek 8111H-CG:

    "Driver not supported in vSphere 7

    Unfortunately the driver is not supported anymore in vSphere 7 due to legacy VMKlinux drivers no longer being supported. Trying to add the drivers to custom image will fail"

    Obviously there are workarounds with a USB NIC but not compatible out of the box, unfortunately.

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