Hayden

When encountering a Purple Screen of Death (PSOD) with the error message “NOT_IMPLEMENTED bora/vmkernel/main/world.c:2307” in VMware ESXi environments, this represents a known issue that frequently occurs on HPE server platforms. Fortunately, there’s a clear resolution available.

 

 

1. Root Cause Analysis : ESXi “NOT_IMPLEMENTED bora/vmkernel/main/world.c:2307”

The “NOT_IMPLEMENTED bora/vmkernel/main/world.c:2307” error primarily occurs on HPE Gen10, Gen10 Plus, and Gen11 platforms running VMware ESXi 7.0 and ESXi 8.0 or later versions.

Affected Environment

  • Servers: HPE ProLiant Gen10/Gen10 Plus/Gen11 series
  • Operating System: VMware ESXi 7.0, ESXi 8.0 or later
  • Root Cause: HPE iLO Native driver compatibility issue
Component Details
Affected Platforms HPE Gen10/Gen10 Plus/Gen11
ESXi Versions 7.0, 8.0 or later
Error Type Kernel Panic (PSOD)
Root Cause HPE iLO Native driver compatibility

 

 

2. Primary Resolution – HPE iLO Driver Update

The most effective resolution is updating the HPE iLO Native driver to version 10.8.2 or later.

Driver Update Steps

Step 1: Check Current Driver Version

esxcli software vib list | grep -i ilo

Step 2: Download Latest HPE iLO Native Driver

Step 3: Install Driver

# Enter maintenance mode
vim-cmd hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter

# Install VIB package
esxcli software vib install -v /path/to/hpe-ilo-driver.vib

# Reboot system
reboot

 

 

3. Workaround Solution – Temporary Fix

If immediate driver update isn’t feasible, consider this temporary workaround.

Remove Related Services

As a temporary measure, you can remove HPE AMS, iSUT, and iLORest applications, though this introduces certain functional limitations.

Services to Remove:

  • HPE Agentless Management Service (AMS)
  • HPE Intelligent System Tuning (iSUT)
  • HPE iLORest

Workaround Impact:

  • Limited OS/software/firmware updates via vLCM-HSM
  • Restricted HPE SPP/SSP online update methods
  • Loss of ESXi information visibility in iLO

 

 

4. General ESXi PSOD Troubleshooting

Immediate Actions When PSOD Occurs

Step 1: Collect Screen Information

  • Photograph all error messages on PSOD screen
  • Record backtrace information

Step 2: System Reboot

# Force reboot and set maintenance mode
vim-cmd hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter

Step 3: Collect Core Dump

# Check core dump files
ls -la /vmfs/volumes/*/vmkdump/

 

 

5. Log Analysis & Diagnosis

Essential Log File Review

System Log Verification:

# Check VMkernel logs
tail -f /var/log/vmkernel.log

# Check host logs  
tail -f /var/log/hostd.log

# Check warning logs
tail -f /var/log/vmkwarning.log

Hardware Status Inspection

Memory Testing:

# Check ESXi memory status
esxcli hardware memory get

CPU Status Verification:

# Check CPU information
esxcli hardware cpu list

 

 

6. Prevention & Monitoring

Regular Inspection Items

Inspection Item Frequency Command/Method
Driver Version Monthly esxcli software vib list
Hardware Status Weekly HPE iLO interface check
System Logs Daily /var/log/vmkernel.log review

Monitoring Automation

# Automated health check script
#!/bin/bash
# check_esxi_health.sh
esxcli software vib list | grep -i ilo
esxcli hardware memory get | grep -i error

 

 

7. VMware Support Preparation

Required Information Collection

1. System Information

# ESXi version information
vmware -lv

# Hardware information  
esxcli hardware platform get

2. Log Bundle Generation

# Generate support bundle
vm-support -w /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/

3. Error Reproduction Information

  • Error occurrence timestamp
  • Operations being performed
  • Recent system changes

 

 

The “NOT_IMPLEMENTED bora/vmkernel/main/world.c:2307” error occurring on HPE servers can be resolved by updating the HPE iLO Native driver to version 10.8.2 or later. This is a known compatibility issue, so follow the systematic resolution steps outlined above. If the problem persists after driver updates, consider investigating other hardware components (memory, CPU, storage) as potential causes requiring additional hardware diagnostics. 🙂

 

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