I own 3 HP Proliant DL380 g7 + 4 HP proliant DL 380 G8 machines I am using the normal vmware version (5.5) withouth the custom HP images. Now i found out a way to install these custom images via vmupdate; http://www.ivobeerens.nl/2012/07/17/add-hp-drivers-vib-to-vmware-update-manager-vum/
ESXi ISO, based on the standard VMware, is the easiest and most reliable way to install ESXi on HPE servers. It includes all of the required drivers and management software to run ESXi on HPE servers, and works seamlessly with Intelligent Provisioning.
First, download the VMware ESXi 6.7 ISO file to your computer and then follow the steps below to install VMware ESXi 6.7 on a physical server or virtual machine. Boot your system with the VMware ESXi 6.7 ISO file. On the VMware ESXi Boot screen, press Enter on the ESXi-6.7.0-8169922-standard installer option.
AND http://www.viktorious.nl/2012/07/17/updating-your-hp-drivers-with-vmware-update-manager/ I installed the custom images/patches to my normal vmware (5.5). But my questions are: 1) How to determine if the custom HP image is running ? 2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of such images ? 3) can i restore a normal virtual machine (only vmware 5.5) to a customized (HP) host ?
4) Will it make a difference in performance ? 5) How is the recovery process in case of a failure ? 6) What do I need to do more than install the custom HP image ?