VMware ESXi 8.0 and Workstation 17 for Load Balancing

VMware Workstation versions supported by RELIANOID ADC Load Balancer

Some good news about that is that RELIANOID is not only ready for VMware Workstation 17 and ESXi 8.0! RELIANOID ADC Load Balancer supports the versions VMware Workstation 10 / ESXi 5.5 (released Aug 22, 2013), VMware Workstation 11 / ESXi 6.0 (released Jul 30, 2014), VMware Workstation 12 / ESXi 6.5 (released Jul 22, 2015), VMware Workstation 14 / ESXi 6.7 (released Jul 27, 2017), VMware Workstation 15 / ESXi 7.0 (released Sep 25, 2018), VMware Workstation 16 / ESXi 7.0 (released Jan 28, 2020), VMware Workstation 17 / ESXi 8.0 (released May 10, 2023). When deploying a subversion it can be used the nearest previous version. For example, to deploy the appliance into VMware ESXi 7.0 U1 it is recommended to use the template for VMware ESXi 7.0 .

What’s new on VMware Workstation 17

Here are the most important changes in VMware Workstation 17 to take the most of your load balancer:

Auto Start Virtual Machine: You can now configure local virtual machines to start automatically when the host machine boots up. This feature can be useful for ensuring that specific VMs are always available without manual intervention.
New Virtual Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0: VMware Workstation Pro now offers a virtual Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 device, supporting Windows 11 and other operating systems that require TPM support. This enhances security for VMs running on the workstation.
New Full or Fast Encryption Features: Users can now choose between Full (security) and Fast (performance) options for encryption. This flexibility allows you to balance security and performance according to your specific needs.
Improved Graphics Support: OpenGL 4.3: VMware Workstation Pro now supports OpenGL 4.3 for virtual machines. This can lead to better graphics performance and compatibility for VMs, especially for applications that rely on OpenGL.
Support for WDDM 1.2: Workstation Pro now supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) version 1.2 for virtual machines. This can improve graphics rendering and performance for Windows-based VMs.
No Longer Supports Mapping or Mounting Virtual Disks to Host Drives: A notable change is that the option to map or mount a virtual disk to a drive on the host system is no longer available in Workstation Pro. This might impact how you manage virtual disks and their interaction with the host OS.

These changes focus on improving security, graphics performance, and ease of use in VMware Workstation 17. For a detailed list of changes in VMware Workstation 17, please refer to the official WMware Workstation 17.

What’s new on VMware ESXi 8.0 Update 2

In terms of networking, the most important changes are:

In-Band Error-Correcting Code (IB ECC) Support: ESXi 8.0 Update 2 introduces support for In-Band Error-Correcting Code (IB ECC) on hardware platforms that support this option. This feature allows you to perform data integrity checks without the need for actual ECC-type DDR memory, which can improve networking reliability.
Mellanox (nmlx5) Driver Update: The nmlx5 driver now supports NVIDIA ConnectX-7 SmartNIC and offers improved performance. It includes support for up to 8 Mellanox uplinks per ESXi host, offload support for up to 200G speeds, and various hardware offloads for better networking efficiency.
Marvell (qedentv) Driver Update: The qedentv driver has been updated to support NetQ Receive-Side Scaling (RSS) and Hardware Large Receive Offload (HW LRO). These enhancements aim to improve networking performance, scalability, and efficiency.
IPv6 Driver Enhancements: ESXi drivers have been enhanced to add offload capabilities for better performance with IPv6, especially when used as an overlay network protocol.

In terms of Memory management:

Virtual Hardware Version 21: vSphere 8.0 Update 2 introduces virtual hardware version 21, which enhances support for the latest guest operating systems. It also increases maximums for vGPU (up to 16 vGPU devices per VM) and vNVMe (up to 256 vNVMe disks per VM). This allows for more memory and storage capacity within virtual machines.

In terms of CPU Performance:

Enhanced ESXi CPU Scheduler: VMware has made performance enhancements in the ESXi CPU scheduler specifically designed for newer generation systems with high core count CPUs, such as Intel Sapphire Rapids, which can have up to 60 cores per socket. These enhancements aim to optimize CPU performance on such hardware configurations.

These updates in ESXi 8.0 Update 2 contribute to improved networking reliability, memory capacity, and CPU performance, making it a more robust and capable virtualization platform.

Don’t miss it and try RELIANOID ADC Load Balancer for VMware Workstation 17 today!