Broadcom is discontinuing VMware's free type-1 hypervisor ESXi, too

[Alfonso Maruccia]

In context: After completing the VMware acquisition in 2023, Broadcom is actively attempting to transition most of the virtualization business into a subscription-only model. Now, it's time for the free vSphere hypervisor to vanish, with no VMware-branded substitute product in sight.

Broadcom has announced the end of general availability (EOGA) for ESXi versions 7.x and 8.x, the free edition of the enterprise-class hypervisor included in the VMware vSphere cloud virtualization platform. The VMware vSphere hypervisor is no longer available for download on the VMware website, and, unfortunately, there is no equivalent tool offered through VMware's channels.

The EOGA for ESXi is a significant development for "homelab" enthusiasts who relied on the free hypervisor for their small virtualization setups. ESXi, a type-1 hypervisor developed by VMware, was designed for deploying and serving virtual computers. It was a bare-metal product that included its own kernel and specialized "vmkernel" components to communicate with hardware components beyond memory and CPU native management.

According to a January blog post by Rick Walsworth, director of product marketing for VMware's cloud infrastructure team, the discontinuation of the free bare-metal hypervisor is part of the company's ongoing effort to "streamline and simplify its portfolio." In the future, VMware will primarily offer subscription-based virtualization solutions, and many of the previously licensed products will not be available for purchase as standalone offerings.

Users interested in virtualization setups now have two subscription choices: VMware Cloud Foundation or VMware vSphere Foundation. VMware Cloud Foundation is a new solution that includes vSphere, vSAN, and NSX with the full Aria management suite. VMware vSphere Foundation is a data center-focused solution with Tanzu Kubernetes Grid in addition to Aria features.

Furthermore, VMware add-on services provide additional features for storage, security, disaster recovery, and "generative AI." Existing customers who previously purchased EOGA products will continue to receive support from VMware, but they will not be offered a renewal option for the same service.

The discontinuation of ESXi and other standalone VMware products – except for the desktop (type-2) Workstation hypervisor line, at least for now – is not being well-received by many VMware-focused internet communities. It's seen as another nail in the coffin for VMware's overall business, with one user stating that the company will likely be replaced by something else in 10 years, despite being one of the leading companies for virtualization solutions.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101870-broadcom-discontinuing-vmware-free-type-1-hypervisor-esxi.html

 

[yRaz]

So I have no idea how many Linux users read this website, but this was a reason it was popular and now they're trying to extract money from people who are smart enough(or smarter) to work for them. As a hobby, it was wonderful that this was effectively free and I could learn on my own. It being free brought people into the ecosystem that could learn it and go on to use it into a commercial setting.

People who daily windows don't need a hypervisor with tons of features. This targets people who daily Linux and that's just a horrible group to target with monetization.

 

[axiomatic13]

Naaah, I just switched my whole companies VM's from ESXi to Proxmox. ovftool for the win!

 

[bviktor]

Good for them. Now fewer people will learn this in their spare time for free, to be then become a professional in VMware.

No one was stupid enough to use the free version in production, so this will mean ZERO increase in revenue for these greedy clowns.

 

[Burty117]

What a dumb move, as bviktor said above me, this won’t actually bring in any extra money, just annoy the whole community.

I can see Proxmox development accelerating with VMwares death.

This is hard to watch though, essentially speed running the death of VMware.

 

[Darkk]

Naaah, I just switched my whole companies VM's from ESXi to Proxmox. ovftool for the win!

Yep. I did the same thing for our servers at work. The ovftool provided by vmware worked like a champ!

 

[VariableSpike]

So not only is this not going to being in any more revenue as most people using free VMWare were normally using it to learn or test before then paying to use it in some way as part of a commercial use in the professional role etc., it also means people won't be learning esxi and will very likely move to proxmox instead for their own personal use, which then gives impetus to switch at work and deprive vmware of money, so a net loss overall, congrats broadcom.....

 

[OortCloud]

Subscription-based products. The new blight on the already heavily pock-marked landscape of modern life. Like 99.99999% of people we don't want subscription based products, we want to pay for them once and be done. It's fine to have subscriptions for systems which offer changing libraries of product, like Netflix, Game Pass, Spotify etc, but that is very different to paying a monthly fee for your OS or Virtualisation Software. In this case, it is obviously just a cash-grab and attempt to rinse your customers by getting more money from them in the long-term. These products are no different than they were 20 years ago and they didn't need a subscription back then, so they don't need one now.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

Big corp takes over small company, has no idea of the incracies of how it works and ruins it.