VMware has announced a major upgrade for its vSphere Foundation suite.
The virtualization pioneer and Broadcom division announced this week that it has opened the beta for version 9 of the bundle. The Register has more. The update is intended for organizations that do not need a complete private cloud, but want software-defined compute and storage options to run VMs and containers.
To make this possible, vSphere Foundation includes the vSphere server virtualization suite, vCenter (the virtual machine manager), vSphere Kubernetes Services and the VSAN virtual storage tool.
More updates probably on the way
The smaller VMware packages, such as vSphere Enterprise Plus and vSphere Standard, do not contain virtual storage or native container support. So far, there are no indications that a beta upgrade will be available for these packages in the near future, but updates are likely on the way. VMware is already working on version 9 of its high-end product and the core hypervisor and other components, which will also be usable in the smaller suites.
No details are yet available about new functions in the vSphere Foundation beta. However, the editors of The Register suspect that the upgrade will contain similar improvements to version 9 of VMware’s flagship Cloud Foundation, including improved lifecycle management and better rollout tools.
Stronger hybrid cloud capabilities
It also seems likely that hybrid cloud capabilities will be strengthened. Although Cloud Foundation remains VMware’s most important product, many large companies also have smaller locations where it is not feasible to run the full suite. Better integration of vSphere Foundation with Cloud Foundation – possibly with shared public cloud resources – could facilitate implementations at remote locations or in branch offices. It would also help VMware stay ahead of competitors in hyper-converged infrastructures.
It is advisable to sign up for the beta if you are still using vSphere or VSAN 7.x, because support for these products will end in October – something that VMware customers have recently been(once again) reminded of.
Tip: Broadcom raises minimum requirement for VMware licenses: from 16 to 72 cores