For those who use vSphere, what version and what license level?

tux-box1

Dabbler
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
18
Hello, just want to hear from those who are actually using vSphere what version are you using(5.5+) and what licence level are you on(std, entp, entp+)
I have the essentials 6+ license and from what I can tell PCI-Passthrough and SR-IOV are locked behind a license wall.
I've checked the "free" version and they have even less features.
thanks.
 

olddog9

Dabbler
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Apr 23, 2021
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28

Patrick M. Hausen

Hall of Famer
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Nov 25, 2013
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7,737
I use the free license with ESXi 7 and PCI passthrough is available and works. I am more concerned that they do not support LACP outside of "distributed vswitch".
 

jgreco

Resident Grinch
Joined
May 29, 2011
Messages
18,681
Be aware that SR-IOV and PCI passthru are two very different things. SR-IOV allows you to pass through virtual functions of virtualization-capable hardware, so that a network card like the Intel X710 can offer up VF's to each of several VM's so that it looks and feels like they have a PCI passthru style directly attached hardware device. PCI passthru just removes the PCI device from ESXi and actually hands it to a single VM. One of these is clearly much greater than the other; PCI passthru has generally been available on the free hypervisor platform.

The normal way for home labbers to get access to SR-IOV is to sign up with VMUG Advantage EvalExperience, which is a ~$200 annual program to get evaluation versions of most of VMware's products for use in your home lab for training/learning purposes.
 

tux-box1

Dabbler
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
18
Be aware that SR-IOV and PCI passthru are two very different things. SR-IOV allows you to pass through virtual functions of virtualization-capable hardware, so that a network card like the Intel X710 can offer up VF's to each of several VM's so that it looks and feels like they have a PCI passthru style directly attached hardware device. PCI passthru just removes the PCI device from ESXi and actually hands it to a single VM. One of these is clearly much greater than the other; PCI passthru has generally been available on the free hypervisor platform.

The normal way for home labbers to get access to SR-IOV is to sign up with VMUG Advantage EvalExperience, which is a ~$200 annual program to get evaluation versions of most of VMware's products for use in your home lab for training/learning purposes.
I'll have to look in to that.
I wanted to ask as the support for my essentials license is up for renewal, the vmWare rep I've been talking to has been .... elusive.
 

IOSonic

Explorer
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
54
I was up until recently using 7.0 Enterprise at work. If you are looking for a full license, consider getting your company to get you a VMUG advantage membership for a year ($150-200, IIRC). You can download 1-year trial licenses for everything you want to play with -- vCenter, NSX, Horizons...all the things.
 
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