Open a web browser and navigate to the HPE Support Center or the HPE Software Depot.
Downloading the HPE Customized VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 ISO is not just an administrative convenience – it is a best practice for any production HPE ProLiant environment. By integrating critical drivers, management agents, and hardware health tools, this image eliminates countless hours of post-install troubleshooting.
Final Checklist:
With the ISO in hand and this guide, you are ready to deploy a stable, fully-supported ESXi 7.0 Update 3 environment on your HPE infrastructure.
External Resources:
Last updated: Q2 2026 – Always check for newer patch builds on HPE’s portal.
VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE Customized ISO Image Download and Installation Guide
VMware ESXi is a popular hypervisor used for creating and managing virtual machines in data centers and cloud environments. HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise) provides customized ISO images for ESXi to ensure compatibility and optimal performance on HPE servers. In this article, we will guide you through the process of downloading and installing VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE customized ISO image.
What is VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3?
VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 is a maintenance release that provides bug fixes, security patches, and performance enhancements to the ESXi 7.0 series. This update includes various improvements to storage, networking, and virtual machine management. It is essential to keep your ESXi hosts up to date with the latest updates to ensure stability, security, and compatibility with other VMware products.
What is HPE Customized ISO Image?
HPE customized ISO images for ESXi are designed to provide a seamless installation experience on HPE servers. These images include:
Benefits of Using HPE Customized ISO Image
Using an HPE customized ISO image for ESXi installation provides several benefits:
Downloading VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE Customized ISO Image
To download the VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE customized ISO image, follow these steps:
Verifying the Integrity of the ISO Image
To ensure the integrity of the downloaded ISO image, follow these steps:
Creating a Bootable USB Drive
To create a bootable USB drive from the ISO image, follow these steps:
Installing VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE Customized ISO Image Open a web browser and navigate to the
To install VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE customized ISO image, follow these steps:
Conclusion
In this article, we guided you through the process of downloading and installing VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE customized ISO image. Using an HPE customized ISO image ensures a seamless installation experience on HPE servers and provides optimized performance and compatibility. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily install ESXi 7.0 Update 3 on your HPE server.
To download and successfully work with the HPE Customized ISO image for VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3, you must navigate the Broadcom Support Portal, as VMware's legacy Customer Connect site has been retired. Using an HPE-specific image is critical for ProLiant and Synergy hardware because it integrates essential drivers for storage and network controllers that are not included in the standard VMware base image. How to Download the HPE Customized ESXi 7.0 U3 ISO
The download process now goes through the Broadcom Support Portal. You will need a registered account with an active entitlement to view and download these files.
Log In: Open the Broadcom Support Portal and sign in with your credentials.
Select Product Area: Use the dropdown next to your username to select VMware Cloud Foundation.
Navigate to Downloads: Click My Downloads on the left menu and search for "VMware vSphere" in the top-right search bar.
Choose Version: Select your entitled version (e.g., VMware vSphere Enterprise) and pick the 7.0 major version from the list.
Locate Custom ISO: Click the Custom ISOs tab. Search for "HPE" to find the specific "HPE Custom Image for VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3".
Download: Click the download link for the install CD ISO and the accompanying readme file. Why You Must Use the HPE Customized Image
Standard VMware ISOs lack the specific VIBs (VMware Installation Bundles) required for HPE-specific hardware features.
Essential Drivers: Includes drivers for new network and storage controllers (like Smart Array) that the generic image cannot recognize during installation.
Hardware Visibility: Allows ESXi to report the status of physical disks and power supplies directly in the vSphere client.
HPE Management Tools: Bundles tools like the HPE Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) and online iLO utilities for better server management.
Intelligent Provisioning: Works seamlessly with HPE's built-in server deployment tools. Implementation and Upgrade Workflow
If you are updating an existing ESXi 7.0 host to Update 3 using the customized ISO, follow these steps:
Feature: HPE Customized ISO Image for VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3
Description: The HPE Customized ISO Image for VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 is a specially designed installation image that allows users to easily deploy and install VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 on HPE servers. This customized ISO image includes HPE-specific drivers, patches, and software packages to ensure optimal performance, compatibility, and support for HPE hardware.
Key Features:
Benefits:
System Requirements:
Download and Installation:
The HPE Customized ISO Image for VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 can be downloaded from the HPE website or the VMware website. To download the image, follow these steps:
Verification and Validation:
To verify the integrity of the downloaded ISO image, users can perform the following steps:
By using the HPE Customized ISO Image for VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3, users can ensure a smooth, efficient, and supported deployment of ESXi on HPE servers.
Downloading and installing the VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE Customized ISO image is a critical step for administrators running VMware on Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) hardware. Using a standard ESXi ISO on HPE servers often leads to missing drivers for essential components like storage controllers and network interfaces.
The following guide outlines how to successfully locate, download, and utilize these images within the current Broadcom support ecosystem. Why You Must Use the HPE Customized ISO
The HPE custom image is based on the standard VMware ESXi ISO but includes integrated drivers for new network and storage controllers found in ProLiant Gen9, Gen10, and Gen11 servers.
Reliability: It is the most reliable way to ensure hardware compatibility and works seamlessly with HPE Intelligent Provisioning.
Management: It includes management software to enable robust server monitoring through tools like ILO.
Integrated Drivers: Drivers for storage and network controllers are not part of the generic VMware image and cannot be inserted during the standard installation process. Where and How to Download the ISO
Following VMware’s acquisition by Broadcom, the download process has moved from the VMware Customer Connect site to the Broadcom Support Portal. Step-by-Step Download Instructions:
Log In: Access the Broadcom Support Portal and sign in with your registered credentials.
Select Division: Click the drop-down menu next to your username and select VMware Cloud Foundation.
Navigate to Downloads: Select My Downloads from the left-hand menu.
Search for Product: Type "VMware vSphere" in the search bar and select the appropriate version (e.g., VMware vSphere - Enterprise). Choose Version: Select the 7.0 major version from the list. Access Custom ISOs: Click on the Custom ISOs tab.
Find HPE Image: Use the search box within the tab to filter for "HPE".
Download: Locate the specific VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 entry and click the download link. You may need to accept the Broadcom EULA to proceed. Current Versions and Support (May 2026) VMware ESXi Images for HPE Servers With the ISO in hand and this guide,
It was a Tuesday—the kind of gray, humming Tuesday that only datacenter engineers truly understand. Alex stared at the blinking amber light on HPE server #47. The host had been gracefully degraded after a failed memory module, but the bigger problem was the software mismatch. VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3c was drifting out of HPE’s support matrix, and auditors were coming next week.
“I need the exact HPE-customized ISO for 7.0 U3,” Alex muttered, pulling up three browser tabs.
Step 1 – The Search Begins First stop: My VMware Portal. The vanilla ISO was there—shiny, generic, and useless for Alex’s environment. HPE’s custom image included critical drivers: smartpqi for the RAID controller, iLO management tools, and the nmlx5-core for the Mellanox NICs. Without those, the host would boot, then PSOD (Purple Screen of Death) the moment storage was accessed.
Step 2 – HPE’s Labyrinth Alex navigated to the HPE Support Center (support.hpe.com). Typed: “VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3” into the search bar. A page loaded—too many results. Then filtered:
There it was: “VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 (HPE Customized Image)”
Release date: March 2023. Build number: 19193900. File name: VMware-ESXi-7.0U3-19193900-HPE-702.0.0.10.5.0.83-Oct2023.iso
Step 3 – The Workaround Glitch The download button was grayed out. “Entitlement required,” the page said. Alex’s heart sank—then remembered: HPE now required an active service contract and a linked VMware account. After a frantic Slack to the procurement team, a contract number was located. Linked. Refreshed. The button turned blue.
Step 4 – The Download Alex clicked. A 580 MB ISO began downloading at 50 Mbps—slow for the datacenter’s pipe, but enough. Meanwhile, a second tab was opened: HPE’s VIB acceptance level documentation. The custom image was “PartnerSupported” – good, that matched the existing cluster’s policy.
Step 5 – Validation & Deployment While the ISO downloaded, Alex ran a checksum:
CertUtil -hashfile VMware-ESXi-7.0U3-19193900-HPE-702.0.0.10.5.0.83-Oct2023.iso SHA256
Compared it to HPE’s published hash. Match. Perfect.
Using HPE iLO 5, Alex mounted the ISO virtually, booted server #47, and installed. Twenty minutes later—green lights across the board. The host rejoined the cluster, vMotion worked, and the storage adapter hummed with the smartpqi driver.
Epilogue The audit passed. Alex learned a mantra that day: “Never trust a generic ISO when hardware is on the line. Always get the HPE custom image—and keep your support contract handy.”
From then on, that exact ISO filename lived on a secure NAS, with a sticky note in the team’s runbook: “ESXi 7.0 U3 HPE custom – works like a charm.”
To download the VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 3 HPE Customized ISO , you must now use the Broadcom Support Portal
following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware. Direct links to specific custom images on the HPE site are no longer available. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Download Instructions : Sign in to the Broadcom Support Portal
. If you don’t have an account, you will need to register and may require a valid support contract for certain downloads. Navigate to Downloads VMware Cloud Foundation from the dropdown menu next to your username, then click My Downloads on the left-hand menu. Search for vSphere
: In the search bar, enter "VMware vSphere" and select the appropriate version (e.g., Enterprise Plus). Find Custom ISOs Select the major version Click on the Custom ISOs Search for "HPE" to filter the list. Select & Download : Locate the specific release, such as the
HPE Custom Image for ESXi 7.0 Update 3 (e.g., Feb 2025 or Sep 2024 versions)
. Accept the EULA and complete any required screening to start the download. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Recent Image Versions (7.0 U3) Release Date ISO File Name Example Build Number VMware-ESXi-7.0.3-24411414-HPE-703.0.0.11.9.0.5-Feb2025.iso VMware-ESXi-7.0.3-23794027-HPE-703.0.0.11.8.0.4-Sep2024.iso VMware-ESXi-7.0.3-23794027-HPE-703.0.0.11.6.0.5-May2024.iso Key Considerations VMware ESXi Images for HPE Servers
SSH into the ESXi host and run:
esxcli software vib list | grep -i hpe
You should see packages like:
Subject: Acquisition and Installation Workflow for HPE Customized ESXi 7.0 Update 3 Target Audience: System Administrators, Infrastructure Engineers, and IT Procurement Date: October 2023 (Revised)