Download VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5 Hypervisor

Posted by Paul Braren on Sep 20 2013 (updated on Sep 22 2013) in
  • ESXi
  • Virtualization

    • With the 5.5 code now announced and generally available, the article below is largely superseded by the simpler, newer, shinier article:
    Download all the VMware vSphere 5.5 pieces to get your home lab started

    Original article appears below, with timeline of URL publication status appended below. Here's a short, easily shared link to this page, bit.ly/downloadesxi55

    All the bits are the same, regardless of the source. Licensing is where things differ.

    If you have a VMware Account and license keys:

    Start here:
    my.vmware.com/web/vmware/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere_hypervisor_esxi/5_5

    You may encounter the unfortunate "Unable to Complete Your Request We cannot complete your request at this time. We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible" error..

    Unable-to-Complete-Your-Request

    Here's another URL that leads you to all the ESXi versions:
    www.vmware.com/go/download-vspherehypervisor

    once you choose 5.5 in the drop down menu, you get to the same place however.
    [These issues went away Sunday Sep 22, 2013, once VMware brought the links back online]

    Grab that VCSA (VMware vCenter Server Appliance) too, you're going to need it! Look for the 4 "VMware vCenter Server Appliance" files here:
    my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=VC550&productId=352&rPId=4260

    If you're looking for the free VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5 Hypervisor:

    This general link that's worked for a long time doesn't seem to link to a helpful page at the moment:
    www.vmware.com/go/get-free-esxi‎

    You might also try this link:
    my.vmware.com/group/vmware/evalcenter?p=free-esxi5&lp=default

    Grab that VCSA (VMware vCenter Server Appliance) too, you're going to need it! Look for the 4 "VMware vCenter Server Appliance" files here:
    my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=VC550&productId=352&rPId=4260

    If you're looking to sign up to receive a 60-day evaluation of vSphere 5.5, including ESXi 5.5:

    Visit either
    [www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/features-esxi-hypervisor]( http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/features-esxi-hypervisor)
    [www.vmware.com/go/evaluate-vsphere-en]( http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/features-esxi-hypervisor)
    then fill out the form, which it confirms. Not sure when those requests will get filled.
    [turns out, at 2:05pm ET on Sep 22, an email went out inviting folks who signed up to download]

    Register-to-be-notified
    Register to be notified
    Once-authenticated-sign-up-is-free-click-on-the-Download-Free-Trial-button
    Once authenticated [sign-up is free], click on the ‘Download Free Trial’ button.png
    THANK-YOU-FOR-REGISTERING1
    “Thank you for registering” confirms your request, note the indications that it’s 5.5.

    If you're just looking for VMware vSphere Client 5.5 installer:

    If the above links all fail, and you just want a piece of the new code, there is one link that works fine, the vSphere Client public download URL that requires no authentication. Explanation and screenshots right on TinkerTry.com, over here.

    Changelog:

    Sep 20 2013 02:37am ET - The download URLs for VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) have gone live! RTM (Release to Manufacture), GA (Generally Available), whatever you want to call it. So the release is apparently happening, despite no new press release, so far.

    5.5-redirects-to-5.1-now

    Sep 20 2013 12:42pm ET - The first obviously 5.5 related URL below no longer shows a drop down menu for 5.5, reverting to 5.1 as the latest available. This is a step backward from earlier today, so apparently VMware just isn't quite ready yet.

    Follow @tinkererguy on Twitter and I'll do my best to notify you, once I've achieved download success, although I will be on a plane to Indianapolis shortly. All information that appears below is subject to change at any time, to give you the latest links that work. Please visit again later for the latest info, or follow @tinkererguy to get alerted to updated info.

    Sep 22 2013 02:22pm ET - You heard it here first, by commenter Joey y DiJulio below:

    Ladies and gentlemen... Start your emgines! Its working... YAY!!!!

    Thank you Joey, your comment seemed particularly appropriate, as I'm sitting in Indianapolis Airport right near a race car. Go go downloads! If you're looking for a short URL version of this page to share:
    bit.ly/downloadesxi55

    gets you to:
    VMware-VMvisor-Installer-5.5.0-1331820.x86_64.iso
    which means my recent YouTube video about 62TB virtual drives was of the RTM code.

    Sep 22 2013 03:06 pm ET - Duncan Epping's Yellow Bricks list of links:
    yellow-bricks.com/2013/09/22/start-engines-time-download-vsphere-5-5

    TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here, not my employer's.

    Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2024, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.

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    After 6 successful years testing then shipping well over 1,000 Xeon D Bundles, Wiredzone had to stop selling them in mid-2021 due to cost, supply, and logistics challenges. So far, Xeon D-1700/2700 (Ice Lake D) was a minor refresh for 2023, with Xeon D-1800/2800 (Granite Rapids D) refresh looking a little better for 2024. More cores, but still just PCIe Gen4 and DDR4. Looking ahead, I'm glad it's Pat Gelsinger at Intel's helm. I'm also grateful to have had the honor of working at VMware when Pat was the CIO there. I'll leave it at that, given the whole Broadcom thing.

    Easily update VMware ESXi at TinkerTry.com/easy-update-to-latest-esxi