This marks a significant policy reversal after Broadcom discontinued the free ESXi offering following its acquisition of VMware, a move that had pushed many users toward alternative virtualization platforms. Broadcom has officially reintroduced the free version of VMware ESXi with the release of ESXi 8.0 Update 3e (Build 24674464) on April 10, 2025. This unexpected reversal by Broadcom may represent an effort to rebuild relationships with the VMware community and maintain ESXi’s position in the competitive virtualization market, particularly as alternatives like Proxmox have gained popularity as a free option during ESXi’s absence. As one solution architect commented, “the trust was broken” between Broadcom and the VMware community, raising questions about how many users will migrate back to ESXi. Unlike the previous free ESXi versions that required users to register for a license key, ESXi 8.0 Update 3e comes with a built-in license. As noted by VMware experts, “it doesn’t run without a license for 60 days in evaluation mode now it has an ESXi free license”. The announcement was quietly made in the official release notes: “Broadcom makes available the VMware vSphere Hypervisor version 8, an entry-level hypervisor. However, the same limitations apply as before – users cannot add the free version to the VMware vCenter Server or use third-party backup products like Veeam Backup and Replication4. Most notably, ESXi 8.0 Update 3e supports the Communication Device Class Network Control Model (CDC-NCM) in the ESXi USB driver, enhancing compatibility with HPE Gen12 iLO Virtual NIC and improving interoperability with various HPE management tools. According to an analysis by industry expert David Pasek, the update includes 34 fixes in the storage category, 12 fixes in compute, 7 fixes in networking, 6 fixes in manageability, and 2 fixes in security. Those interested in trying ESXi 8.0 Update 3e can download it directly from the Broadcom Support Portal. The complete release notes are available on the Broadcom website for users who want to review all changes and improvements in detail.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:25:14 +0000