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The 3530C 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA) hardware (SKU# 777454-B21) went End of Life (EoL) on December 1, 2020, was Discontinued (DSC) on August 31, 2022, and was Obsolete (OBS) on September 30, 2022. The software support for this HBA as part of an SSP inadvertently ended without prior notice in 2022. Beginning with the HPE Synergy Service Pack (SSP) 2023.08.02 (August 2023), ESXi 7.0 U3 support is reintroduced for the 3530C 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA). If customers use vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) and use the non-3530C-specific Vendor Addon, the FC volumes will be inaccessible on any compute module with a 3530C HBA. And if the customer uses vLCM and uses the Addon provided in any HPE SSP version 2022.08.01 and higher as a Firmware and Driver Addon, again - the FC volumes will be inaccessible on any compute module with a 3530C HBA. To successfully upgrade the 3530C HBA drivers using vLCM, select the ESXi 7.0U3 base image and then only select the Vendor Addon specifically with the 3530C listed in its title. Using any other Vendor Addon or using any Firmware and Driver Addons provided with the HPE SSP will cause the FC volumes to be inaccessible. In addition to the vLCM tool doing upgrades, HPE OneView also has the ability to upgrade both firmware and drivers for Synergy modules. For the 3530C 16G HBA, HPE OneView must be used only to upgrade its firmware. If HPE OneView is mistakenly used to upgrade the 3530C HBA drivers, it will not succeed, and the FC volumes will be inaccessible. 2023.08.02
Any HPE Synergy Compute Module running VMware ESXi 7.0 U3, and configured with an HPE Synergy 3530C 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (777454-B21).
The in-box driver from VMware’s ESXi 7.0U3 must be used to support the 3530C 16G HBA. If you have a 3530C 16G HBA you MUST use the “in-box” driver that is provided with VMware ESXi 7.0U3 by using the vLCM tool and only selecting the Vendor Addon specifically with the 3530C listed in its title. For pairings between VMware Base Image and HPE Addon and HPE SSP, refer to the correct table in https://vibsdepot.hpe.com/synergy/Valid-vLCM-Combos-Synergy.pdf . See exact vLCM screen capture vLCM example below. If you have a 5330C 32G HBA you MUST use the “out-of-box” driver that is provided as part of the Vendor Addon specifically without the 3530C listed in its title. For pairings between VMware Base Image and HPE Addon and HPE SSP, refer to the correct table in https://vibsdepot.hpe.com/synergy/Valid-vLCM-Combos-Synergy.pdf . NOTE: The HPE Synergy 3530C 16G HBA is only supported on Gen10 Compute Modules. . NOTE: The HPE Synergy Gen10 Compute Modules support the 3530C 16G HBA -or- the 5330C 32G HBA, but they do not support both of these HBAs simultaneously on a single compute module. NOTE: The 2 drivers (in-box and out-of-box) still have the same name; HOWEVER, the out-of-box driver will not work for the 3530C 16G HBA and if it is used then the FC volumes will be inaccessible. Should that result, there is a detailed recovery method in this Customer Advisory (add link here) . Details describing a VMware update about the OS support of the 3530C 16G HBA are listed here: VMware OS support (hpe.com) Additionally, the OS Support Tool documents this scenario. https://techhub.hpe.com/eginfolib/synergy/sw_release_info/ESXi_V70_U3_Aug23.html Viewing the ESXi 7.0U3 Aug 2023 Custom ISO page, it is detailed that you cannot use the lpfc driver included in both the custom ISO or in the Add-On associated with 2023.08.01. Support comes with the 7.0 U3 in-box lpfc driver and the FW version 12.8.528.38 which is included in the 2023.06.01 Emulex FW component (CP057017) included in the 2023.08.01 SSP. That FW component delivers 12.8 based firmware for the 16GB Emulex card. A different component delivers 14.2 based firmware for the 32GB Emulex card. In HPE OneView, users have the option to update drivers or firmware or both for Synergy modules. For the 3530C HBA, HPE OneView should only be used to update the firmware. If HPE OneView is used to update the driver for 3530C HBA for ESXi 7.0U3, OV will use the out-of-box driver and will cause the FC volumes on that 3530C HBA to be inaccessible. Should that result, there is a detailed recovery method in this Customer Advisory (add link here) . The HPE Synergy Service Pack (SSP) supports VMware LifeCycle Manager (vLCM) with this VMware Base OS Image starting with OV4VC version 11.1.0. For vLCM, using the Vmware Base OS Image with the HPE Custom AddOn for Synergy is supported. For more information, see https://vibsdepot.hpe.com/synergy/Valid-vLCM-Combos-Synergy.pdf . NOTE: All other supported operating system versions (RHEL, SLES, and Windows) in the SSP 2023.08.01 (August 2023) and all future SSPs supporting the 3530C 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA) - will continue to use the out-of-box drivers provided with the SSP. STEPS If your compute module has the 3530C 16G HBA: 1) Use vLCM tool from VMware to upgrade ESXi 7.0U3 by selecting the desired base and use vLCM to upgrade the driver by selecting the Vendor Addon specifically with the 3530C listed in its title and do NOT select any other Vendor Addons and do NOT select any upgrades for Firmware and Drivers inside the vLCM tool. For pairings between VMware Base Image and HPE Addon and HPE SSP, refer to the correct table in https://vibsdepot.hpe.com/synergy/Valid-vLCM-Combos-Synergy.pdf . 2) Use HPE OneView from HPE to upgrade the firmware on the 3530C 16G HBA and do NOT use HPE OneView to update the driver for that HBA. To install only the firmware using HPE OneView, in the Installation Method field, select Firmware only using Smart Update Tools, and in the Activate firmware field, select Immediately. For additional detail refer to Document - Server Profile Template settings | HPE OneView for VMware vCenter 11.4.0 User Guide RECEIVE PROACTIVE UPDATES : Receive support alerts (such as Customer Advisories), as well as updates on drivers, software, firmware, and customer replaceable components, proactively in your e-mail through HPE Support Alerts. Sign up for Support Alerts at the following URL: HPE Email Preference Center NAVIGATION TIP: For hints on navigating HPE.com to locate the latest drivers, patches and other support software downloads, refer to the Navigation Tips document. SEARCH TIP: For hints on locating similar documents on HPE.com, refer to the Search Tips document.