Software Update: VMware vSphere 6.5 Update 1

Virtualization has gained a prominent place in recent years. Well-known names include Xen and VMware. VMware released vSphere 6.5 Update 1 some time ago, which we still think is worth mentioning here. VMware’s complete platform is called vSphere and consists of several components, such as vCenter Server, which can manage a complete virtual environment, and of course the hypervisor ESXi, on which virtual machines can do their work. The announcement of this release looks like this:

VMware Announces General Availability or vSphere 6.5 Update 1

VMware is excited to announce the general availability of vSphere 6.5 Update 1. This is the first major update to the well-received vSphere 6.5 that was released in November of 2016. With this update release, VMware builds upon the already robust industry-leading virtualization platform and further improves the IT experience for its customers. vSphere 6.5 has now been running in production environments for over 8 months and many of the discovered issues have been fixed in patches and subsequently rolled into this release. Many customers, including ACI Specialty Benefits, have already benefited from upgrading to vSphere 6.5 to help address the challenges of digital transformation. For customers who have yet to upgrade, vSphere 6.5 Update 1 serves as a validation milestone signaling to them product stability and that now is the right time to upgrade. For others, it will correspond with their natural upgrade cycle. Regardless of the reason, if you are not yet on vSphere 6.5, you are missing out!

vSphere 6.5 focuses on 4 areas of innovation directly targeted at the challenges customers face as they digitally transform their businesses.

• Simplified customer experience – Re-architected vCenter Server Appliance, streamlined HTML5-based GUI, and simple rest-based APIs for automation.
• Comprehensive Built in Security – Policy-driven security at scale to secure data, infrastructure, and access.
• Universal App Platform – A single platform to support any application, anywhere.
• Proactive Data Center Management – ​​Predictive analytics to address potential issues before they become serious problem.

A recap of key capabilities offered in vSphere 6.5 can be found here.

vSphere 6.5 Update 1 further refines vSphere 6.5 while also adding key additional support and enhancements including:

• vSphere Client Now Supports 90% of General Workflows
  The HTML5-based vSphere Client now can support up to 90% of general workflows. This is welcomed news as VMware pushes towards 100% parity between the various clients.
• vCenter Server Foundation Now Support 4 Hosts
  In discussions with customers with smaller environments, VMware has received feedback that 3 host environments were too small in many cases. If VMware vCenter Server Foundation could just support 1 additional host that would make all the difference. This is why with vSphere 6.5 Update 1 VMware is now increasing the number of hosts that vCenter Server Foundation will support from 3 host to 4.
• vSphere Support and Interoperability Across Ecosystems
  VMware prides itself on having one of the broadest ecosystems across any industry. As with any new product, at initial release, some partners were not ready with compatible versions of their products. Many of these incompatibilities are now a thing of the past, as we have worked with our partners to test and ensure interoperability. Furthermore, the ecosystem is also expanding as we forge new alliances to add vendor support for things such as Security Key Management and Proactive HA, to name a few.
• vSphere 6.5 General Support Has Been Extended
  VMware understands that upgrading infrastructure can be a lengthy process. One consideration for whether or not to upgrade is how long the new product will be supported. VMware wants to make the customer’s decision to upgrade easier by extending general support for vSphere 6.5 for a full 5 years. This means that support for vSphere 6.5 will now end November 15, 2021.
• Upgrade from vSphere 6.0 Update 3 Now Supported
  Customers who are on vSphere 6.0 Update 3 now have a supported upgrade path to vSphere 6.5.

Preparing for the future

vSphere 6.5 Update 1, not only advances your IT initiatives today, but it also prepares your company for the future. Customer interest for VMware Cloud on AWS has been soaring since it was announced just prior to VMworld EMEA. While customers can’t use the product until it is generally available, they can take steps today to prepare their environment in anticipation for its availability. To take full advantage of VMware Cloud on AWS and VMware’s cross-cloud architecture, customers will have to have vSphere 6.5 in their on-premises environment. So, while getting ready for VMware Cloud on AWS, why not prepare your on-prem environment today?

For more details on vSphere 6.5 and its capabilities, please visit the vSphere 6.5 Blog Series.