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VMware ESXi 8.0 Update 3e now available as a Free Hypervisor

Broadcom have made VMware ESXi free available as a hypervisor. But it’s only for ESXi 8.0 Update 3e->. There is currently no plan for VMware ESXi 9 to make this free.

Features included in the free version:

  • Run unlimited VMs within hardware limits
  • Up to 2 physical CPUs supported per host
  • 8 vCPUs per virtual machine
  • Access to vSphere Host Client for web-based host management
  • Basic hardware health and logging

Limitations in the free license:

  • Cannot be managed by vCenter
  • No access to vMotion, DRS, HA, VADP-based backups
  • Usage of API’s to manage hosts is not supported, and may only provide read-only information.
  • No official Broadcom support 

How to download Free ESXi 8.0 Update 3e:

  1. Log in to Broadcom Support Portal
  2. Go to My Downloads
  3. Click on the box that says “Free Software Downloads available HERE”
  4. Search for “VMware vSphere Hypervisor”
  5. Click “I agree to the Terms and Conditions ” and download the ISO
  6. Once installed, the free license is embedded in the software download itself — no separate key required. 

Source

https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/399823/vmware-esxi-80-update-3e-now-available-a.html

VMware vSphere 9

In this blogpost I will as a VMware vExpert cover whats new in VMware vSphere 9

VMware vSphere 9 was released, June 17 2025 as part of VMware vSphere Foundation 9 and VMware Cloud Foundation 9

Build number: 24957454

Components of VMware vSphere 9

  • VMware vSphere ESXi9
  • VMware vCenter 9

Versions of VMware vSphere 9

  • VMware vSphere Foundation 9
  • VMware Cloud Foundation 9

Upgrade path for VMware vSphere 9

Streamlined Upgrade Path: vSphere 9.0 supports direct upgrades from vSphere 8.0, enabling smoother transitions for recent versions.
Compatibility Requirements: vCenter 9.0 requires ESX 8.0 or later, dropping support for ESX 7.0 and earlier versions.
Lifecycle Management Shift: Traditional VMware Update Manager is replaced by image-based lifecycle management for all clusters and hosts.

Key New Features in vSphere 9.0

1. Memory Tiering over NVMe
vSphere 9 introduces NVMe Memory Tiering, allowing local NVMe devices to serve as a secondary memory tier. This can expand effective host memory capacity and improve VM density without requiring more DRAM. 

2. Virtual Hardware Version 22

  • Updated VM hardware version that enables support for up to 960 vCPUs and larger memory limits (e.g., ~16 TB).
  • Improved device support (NVMe, PCI passthrough, graphics).
    This unlocks greater performance and scalability for heavy workloads. 

3. Enhanced Storage Support

  • Native support for 4K SSDs on compatible hardware.
  • Write Zeroes support and namespace write protection for virtual NVMe devices, which improve performance and storage efficiency. 

4. Lifecycle Management Upgrades

  • vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) enhancements, including mixed-hardware clusters and composite cluster images.
  • Traditional baselines-based patching is replaced by image-based lifecycle workflows. 

5. vMotion & Cluster Improvements

  • Optimizations for vMotion (including better performance for GPU-enabled workloads).
  • Improvements to managing clusters and lifecycle across hosts. 

6. Kubernetes & Modern Workloads Support

  • Enhanced support and tooling for integrating Kubernetes workloads via Supervisor services (especially in vSphere Foundation / Cloud Foundation contexts).
  • Live VM customization APIs and enhanced automation. 

7. API & Developer Experience Enhancements

  • Open API 3.0 and a more unified SDK for automation across vCenter, vSAN, and core APIs.
  • Simplified automation and scripting using consistent API sets. 

8. Security & Compliance Improvements

  • Enhanced support for modern security standards including TLS 1.3 and vTPM support.
  • Namespace write protection and disk protections for virtual storage. 

9. Changes in Deprecated/Removed Features
vSphere 9 also marks the deprecation or removal of certain legacy features such as Auto Deploy, Host Profiles, baselines (in favor of vLCM), and parts of older management tooling — signaling VMware’s shift toward more modern infrastructure management. 

Source

https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/vsphere/vsphere/9-0/release-notes.html

VMware Horizon 8 (2309)

VMware have released a new version of VMware Horizon 8 (2309), and this release is general available from 26th October 2023. This is a major release, so I hope you like this article I put together. VMware have made some huge improvements in this release, which customers/partners are going to benefit from. Lets dig into what is new.

What is new in VMware Horizon 8 (2309)

VMware Horizon 8 2309 provides the following new features and enhancements

  • VMware Horizon Connection Server
  • VMware Horizon Agent for Linux
  • VMware Horizon Agent for Windows
  • VMware Horizon GPO Bundle
  • VMware Dynamic Environment Manager 2309
  • VMware Unified Access Gateway 2309
  • VMware App Volume 2309
  • VMware Horizon Clients 2309 for Android, Linux, iOS, Mac, Windows, HTML Access
  • VMware Horizon Cloud services 2309

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VMware Horizon 8 (2306)

VMware have released a new version of VMware Horizon 8 (2306), and this release is general available from 6th July 2023. This is a major release, so I hope you like this article I put together. VMware have made some huge improvements in this release, which customers/partners are going to benefit from. Lets dig into what is new.

What is new in VMware Horizon 8 (2306)

VMware Horizon 8 2306 provides the following new features and enhancements
  • VMware Horizon Connection Server
  • VMware Horizon Agent for Linux
  • VMware Horizon Agent for Windows
  • VMware Horizon GPO Bundle
  • VMware Dynamic Environment Manager 2306
  • VMware Unified Access Gateway 2306
  • VMware App Volume 2306
  • VMware Horizon Clients 2306 for Android, Linux, iOS, Mac, Windows, HTML Access
  • VMware Horizon Cloud services 2306

Continue reading

VMware Horizon 8 (2303)

VMware have released a new version of VMware Horizon 8 (2303), and this release is general available from March 2023. This is a major release, so I hope you like this article I put together. VMware have made some huge improvements in this release, which customers/partners are going to benefit from. Lets dig into what is new.

What is new in VMware Horizon 8 (2303)

VMware Horizon 8 2303 provides the following new features and enhancements
  • VMware Horizon Connection Server
  • VMware Horizon Agent for Linux
  • VMware Horizon Agent for Windows
  • VMware Horizon GPO Bundle
  • VMware Dynamic Environment Manager 2303
  • VMware Unified Access Gateway 2303
  • VMware App Volume 2303
  • VMware Horizon Clients 2303 for Android, Linux, iOS, Mac, Windows, HTML Access
  • VMware Horizon Cloud services 2303

Continue reading