With the latest release of v8.0 U3e, VMware/Broadcom made bare metal hypervisor again FREE of charge. A while ago we have reported – Best VMware Alternatives – ESXi FREE is DEAD (this was 12 February 2024) that Broadcom killed the FREE VMware Hypervisor and what alternatives you had to run a FREE hypervisor in your homelab/test environment. Well, it seems that now Broadcom reassessed their initial plans and made the solution free again. However, the damage is already done.
My thoughts on this, back in the day, when they killed the the free offer was like. Yes, we're done. Time to look elsewhere. But now, if you were into a free hypervisor, you might re-consider, right? Right?…
For myself, I'm only running a limited virtual nested labs with VMware Workstation software so I have the luxury to spin whatever virtual environment I like (within the limit of my RAM of course), but homelabbers who has already uninstalled/ripped ESXi from their homelabs and converted all their VMs to alternate hypervisors platforms, I'm not sure they want to go back again. The choice of many has been Proxmox, XCP-NG or other free, opensource platforms that are progressing very fast.
Anyways, the solution can be downloaded again, as a latest version v8.0 U3e – VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0U3e-24677879.x86_64.iso (618.34 MB)
Build Number: 24677879
Quote:
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Intel vRAN Baseband Driver
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Intel Platform Monitoring Technology Driver
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Intel Data Center Graphics Driver
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AMD Instinct MI Series Driver
Update: Question was raised by a fellow IT friend, “How about the patching”? When we know, that the new rules just don't allow anonymous VMware security patches being downloaded, but needs to be associated to a SiteID tightened to the customer's organization. How (if) that going to be managed for ESXi FREE?
Final thoughts
Well, at least you can start with FREE ESXi again, if you want to. However, Broadcom has lost many VMware ESXi fans and believers last year. The Broadcom licensing offerings which forces you to buy 72 cores minimum does not help for SMBs (they looks elsewhere) while bigger groups, bigger compagnies still hesitating.
And the story goes on. Now, someone on Reddit has posted that this 72 cores rule will not be applicable for EU. And just yesterday, things had changed again!
Quote:
Just weeks ago, Broadcom, VMware’s parent company, announced a bombshell: starting April 10, 2025, new VMware licenses would require a minimum of 72 cores per CPU. For many businesses, especially smaller ones, this felt like a punch to the budget. Fast forward to today, and Broadcom has reversed course, keeping the minimum at 16 cores.
Experts says that VMware is the most robust, with more advanced features, with all the fancy stuff. But if you're just a normal business which does not need all that? Then you can go and use an alternative! And there are many more alternatives than there were 10 years ago, believe me. Proxmox to start with. While talking to my hosting provider that I knew, has had some VMware within their datacenters, now they migrated all this to Proxmox, which is good enough.
What else to say? That after over 20 years working in the IT, mostly for SMBs and foundations, the time has come for SMBs, to look elsewhere and find other platform which fits the budget. Because it is what it is, when there is no money, the IT guy must follow, and must do whatever the direction allows them to do (from the financial perspectives), right? -:).
Thanks for reading. and stay tuned for more.
More posts from ESX Virtualization:
- No more FREE licenses of VMware vSphere for vExperts – What’s your options?
- Two New VMware Certified Professional Certifications for VMware administrators: VCP-VVF and VCP-VCF
- Patching ESXi Without Reboot – ESXi Live Patch – Yes, since ESXi 8.0 U3
- Update ESXi Host to the latest ESXi 8.0U3b without vCenter
- Upgrade your VMware VCSA to the latest VCSA 8 U3b – latest security patches and bug fixes
- VMware vSphere 8.0 U2 Released – ESXi 8.0 U2 and VCSA 8.0 U2 How to update
- What’s the purpose of those 17 virtual hard disks within VMware vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) 8.0?
- VMware vSphere 8 Update 2 New Upgrade Process for vCenter Server details
- VMware vSAN 8 Update 2 with many enhancements announced during VMware Explore
- What’s New in VMware Virtual Hardware v21 and vSphere 8 Update 2?
- Homelab v 8.0
- vSphere 8.0 Page
- ESXi 7.x to 8.x upgrade scenarios
- VMware vCenter Server 7.03 U3g – Download and patch
- Upgrade VMware ESXi to 7.0 U3 via command line
- VMware vCenter Server 7.0 U3e released – another maintenance release fixing vSphere with Tanzu
- What is The Difference between VMware vSphere, ESXi and vCenter
Stay tuned through RSS, and social media channels (Twitter, FB, YouTube)
Can you confirm that Hypervisor Feee (alomost zero functional edition) replaced 60 day trial of full functional vSphere in vSphere installer package starting 8.0 U3e ?
I don’t understand what you mean. The free version of ESXi has some APIs deactivated and other limitations we know. This is not replacing anything.
I mean that free version replaced 60 day trial in standard installer ISO. Starting from installer for version 8.0 U3e, if you not provide valid license, VMware vSphere become Free version instead of 60 day full functional trial as before.
I can be mistaken and there are two different installers for 8.0 U3e – one for free version, one for “commercial” version – can you check ?
Ah, ok, I see. The iso has a license file preinstalled, which do not give us a trial. Yes. That’s the case. Previously we could download an ISO which was trial, then turned into FREE version automatically. This is no longer the case. I think you must ask for a trial, before buying.
Then, If I remember right, we still had to get the FREE Serial number from within your VMware account. So we had to actually enter a serial number after the trial version expiry. Btu that was ONLY after the trial expiration. Now we do not have that.
The current iso, however, can be used to install a fully licensed version of ESXi (the full blown version). Simply enter the valid serial.
We’re locked, yes, but have a possibility to play with the ESXi FREE, with limited vCPUs, locked APIs (no backup software), so …
The best is to get a serial. As a vExpert, if you pass VCF exam, you can ask for a lic. There are other ways (you’re VMware partner, you google it…. etc, no advice ofc.).
https://www.vladan.fr/no-more-free-licenses-of-vmware-vsphere-for-vexperts-whats-your-options/
I hope that make sense.
The 72 core minimum PER ORDER Item (New/Renewal) does not apply to EMEA; AMER and APAC only!
It also does not apply for Capacity orders (extending an installed based with addt’l cores)
The 16 core minimum licensing per CPU remains (and has NEVER changed).
Pretending there was a 72 core min licensing per CPU is just plain BS. You can check the facts in the SPD’s on legaldocs.broadcom.com
Got it, thanks for the precision.
Please correct your quote above as well. It still reads as if BC increased the minimum per socket/CPU to 72 and reverted.