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Dell customized ISO version against VMware standard image
The Dell customized ISO is essentially the VMware ISO with the Dell drivers installed to it, this is clear to me. I noticed that current latest custom Dell image A10 for ESXi 7.03 is based on build "20842708" which is ESXi 7.0 Update 3i. What if we go with VMware standard ISO 7.0 Upadate 3k, which is build "21313628" ? Basically I suppose we will deploy same driver/firmware versions similar to what you can find in latest Dell custom image for build "20842708". Does it mean that if we go this way, we are in a not-validated, not-tested situation from VMware ESXi point of view (from driver/OS perspective) ? Can anyone clarify ?
DELL-Erman O
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April 4th, 2023 06:00
Hello, in generic you are correct, the Dell custom ISO for ESXi is essentially a VMware ISO with additional Dell drivers installed. I think If you choose to use the VMware standard ISO instead of the Dell custom ISO, you can still install the required Dell drivers separately, but it is not officially verified or supported by Dell.
The ISO customized by Dell is designed to ensure compatibility and stability with Dell hardware, and has been rigorously tested and verified by Dell and VMware. By using Dell's custom ISO, you can rest assured that the drivers and firmware have been tested and verified by Dell and VMware. On the other hand, if you choose to use the VMware default ISO and manually install the Dell drivers, you may experience compatibility or stability issues that have not been tested or verified by Dell or VMware. Also, if you have trouble installing ESXi.
pfen09
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April 10th, 2023 12:00
This is exactly what I was on here looking for. Thanks for explaining this. If I could follow up with three more questions.
1. If we use vmware's version, that goes past the dell custom iso version, will Dell help troubleshoot issues on their server?
2. Maybe I don't understand the process, but from vmware's website, using Dell's custom iso, from version 7.0U3g and 7.0U3l, there was not an update for several months. Is this typical? How often does dell come up with these updates?
3. If there is a critical update to vmware, where it's considered critical, do we go ahead and upgrade through vmware through lifecycle manager? Does dell recommend waiting till their next custom iso comes out? Or patching the critical vulnerability?
Thanks!
DELL-Chris H
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April 10th, 2023 12:00
Pfen09,
Let me see if I can answer those for you.
#1 We will support the hardware regardless of the version.
#2 There is a delay from release date of the Vmware version to the release of the Dell version, this is due to testing and creating the ISO.
#3 Once the OS is installed you can update normally via either site. The Dell ISO is mostly to ease OS install and should be updated if anything Urgent is released.
Hope this helps.
pfen09
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April 11th, 2023 07:00
Thanks, Chris for the clarification. Your response triggered two more questions I thought of while reading:
1. Is there a way to get an alert when dell releases a new esxi version? I know it's on vmware's site when it's released, so maybe I need to look there.
2. Assuming you recommend upgrading vCenter Server using dell's custom iso, is that just for vCenters that are installed on a dell server? For example, our vcenter is installed on a dell server, but we have other server, like HP servers, in our environment. You recommend running the vCenter update through Dell's custom iso?
DELL-Chris H
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April 11th, 2023 07:00
Pfen09,
1. I don't believe there is a way of being notified of the release of an ISO, I know with updates you can, but I will have to look into if any of our tools do that for the ISO.
2. The ESXi custom ISOs are the base ESXi ISO, with the Dell drivers needed for the specific server embedded, so you could technically use the ISO on other platforms, but the drivers wouldn't be correct for that hardware.