Frequently Asked Questions about vSphere Releases

What is the vSphere Release Cadence?

The vSphere release cadence is reviewed periodically, and we make changes to the release cadence of vCenter and ESXi to meet customer requirements and react to needs of the industry.

What do we mean by a “release”?

A “release” is a new version of ESXi and vCenter that delivers new features or enhancements, or updated versions of the vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor Cluster and Tanzu Kubernetes Runtimes (TKRs) including the upstream Kubernetes versions and associated components used with Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG).

For ESXi, we plan to continue the existing cadence of delivering new ESXi releases approximately every 6 months. The latest ESXi release, at time of writing this article, being ESXi 8 Update 1.

For vCenter, we have re-evaluated the cadence to plan for new vCenter releases approximately every 3 months. These vCenter releases will be in the form of the familiar Update releases, such as vCenter 8 Update 1, but there also may be releases that introduce new functionality in vCenter patches. vCenter is the release vehicle for updates to the vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor Cluster and components used with Tanzu Kubernetes Grid. Upstream Kubernetes has a release cadence of approximately 3-4 months. For more on upstream Kubernetes release cycle see https://kubernetes.io/releases/release/ .

Where do I download vCenter patches?

All new releases and patches of vCenter have full ISOs available on https://customerconnect.vmware.com/downloads. These ISOs are used to perform major upgrades (from vCenter 7 to vCenter 8), to perform new deployments of vCenter, or to restore from backup. If you need to patch or update vCenter you can do so online from the VAMI if the vCenter has internet connectivity. If you need to patch or update a vCenter that is air-gapped, you must download the specific patch ISO from https://customerconnect.vmware.com/patch. Refer to the Download and Installation section in the appropriate vCenter Update and Patch release notes for more details.

You download and mount this ISO to the vCenter to perform a patch or update. For more on vCenter patching and updating, see the documentation about Patching and Updating vCenter Server 8.0 Deployments.

Where do I download ESXi patches?

All new major releases (i.e., 7.0, 8.0), and Update releases (i.e., 7 U3, 8 U1) have full ISOs available on https://customerconnect.vmware.com/downloads . However, not all patch releases will have full ISOs spun and this sometimes causes confusion and a misunderstanding that a particular patch release is no longer available. Take the example of downloading ESXi 8.0 from https://customerconnect.vmware.com/downloads . We can see that the 8.0.0 ISO and 8.0b ISO are available. But what about the 8.0a release?

The 8.0a release did not have a full ISO spun, and therefore must be downloaded as a patch from https://customerconnect.vmware.com/patch .

Here we can see the patch downloads in Zip format. These formats cannot be used to install a new host, but can be used to patch, update or upgrade an existing ESXi host. Refer to the Patch Download and Installation section in the appropriate ESXi Update and Patch release notes for more details.

These Zip files are what you use to import into vSphere Lifecycle Manager if your vCenter is not connected to the internet and you need to create an offline depot. VMware spins full ISOs for patch releases based on a few criteria such as new partner server qualification, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) consuming an ESXi patch release for a VCF release, or ESXi installer code changes.

Note: You can use vSphere Lifecycle Manager to export ISOs for these releases for your own use to perform new installs if required.

Why do I see a vCenter patch but no corresponding ESXi patch (or vice versa)?

Usually when there are vSphere patches, both vCenter and ESXi have a simultaneous patch release. This is our default release behaviour. However, there are sometimes circumstances that require either a vCenter patch only or either an ESXi patch only to be delivered for a particular patch cycle. The obvious reason might be important security patches that effect only one of the components. For example, vCenter 8.0 U1b was released on June 22, 2023. There was no ESXi patch released alongside the vCenter patch. No ESXi 8.0 U1b.

The next vSphere patches were released on July 27, 2023 and this time there was a patch for both vCenter and ESXi. Bringing both up to version 8.0 U1c.

You might be thinking; "Why did the ESXi patch numbering go from 8.0 U1a to 8.0 U1c, and skip using the letter b?". The reason we skip a patch letter designation is to keep the version number between vCenter and ESXi the same as often as we can. If we chose to use 8.0 U1b for that ESXi patch, we would end up prolonging the versioning mis-match potentially indefinitely.

Why am I seeing vCenter 8 updates in my vCenter 7 environment?

Recently you may have noticed that the vCenter 7 update notification and update planner is displaying updates for vCenter 8. This is by design and expected. The goal is to notify customers that there is also an available major upgrade and supported upgrade path.

For more information, see the KB article 90964.

Why do I see updates available in-product but no release notes?

vCenter and ESXi patches, updates and upgrades are staged and synchronised to a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Sometimes this means that automatic identify new releases are available before the respective release notes are published. This disparity may last a few hours. We always recommend waiting and reviewing release notes and any other release documentation before patching, updating or upgrading any component of vSphere.

Why do I see patch versions on the VMware Interoperability Matrix now?

Interoperability between vCenter and ESXi should not change with patch releases. This means that, typically, the interoperability for vCenter or ESXi 7 U3a-n inherits the existing interoperability defined for vCenter or ESXi 7 U3. However, some other solutions, such as VMware Cloud Foundation, may require specific vSphere patch levels to satisfy interoperability. The VMware Interoperability Matrix is your source of truth. Ensure that you review the information, especially any (i) callout bubbles as these will explain any caveats to the supportability of certain configurations.

Important: Patch granularity data is available in the VMware Interoperability Matrix for vSphere 7 and later. When observing the interoperability between vCenter 7 or vCenter 8 and ESXi 6.x, look at the main update releases only. For example, you will observe that there is interoperability listed between vCenter 7 U3 and ESXi 6.7 releases. However, you will not see data for interoperability between vCenter 7 U3a-z and ESXi 6.7 releases. In these scenarios, the interoperability of vCenter 7 U3 is inherited by all subsequent patch releases of vCenter 7 U3 even if the matrix does not explicitly state so.

Is it supported to have vCenter at a lower update level than ESXi?

See the answer specific to the version of vSphere you are using.

vSphere 8

In vSphere 8, it is not supported to have vCenter at a lower update level than the ESXi hosts it is managing. This means you cannot run with vCenter 8.0 that manages ESXi 8.0 U1 or newer.

vCenter must be updated first, before ESXi hosts are updated.

The VMware Interoperability Matrix is your source of truth. Ensure that you review the information, especially any (i) callout bubbles as these will explain any caveats to the supportability of certain configurations.

Interoperability between vCenter and ESXi should not change with patch releases. This means that the interoperability for vCenter or ESXi 8.0a, 8.0b and 8.0c inherits the existing interoperability defined for vCenter or ESXi 8.0.

vSphere 7

In vSphere 7, it is supported to have vCenter at a lower update level than the ESXi hosts it is managing. This means you can run with vCenter 7 U2 that manages ESXi 7 U3.

Important: You cannot use a vCenter running at a lower major version than the ESXi hosts. For example, you cannot use vCenter 7 to manage ESXi 8 hosts.