TLDR - To get downloading, the main VMware download page with all the stuff to sift through is here, with guidances on what exact files to get from where detailed below! If you're more of a YouTube watcher and you want to see what the ugprades to 7.0 are like, here's the article featuring informal videos that should help build your confidence!
vSphere 6.7 was first made available to download back on April 17 of 2018. Last month on March 10, VMware made their big vSphere 7 announcement. And now today, just shy of 2 years later, the hypervisor formerly known as vSphere Heaven is now Generally Available, time to start downloading those bits to your home lab!
Folks new to VMware sometimes get tripped up when trying to find the actual files they'll need to get started. Note that the fresh install full downloads do require you to use your MY VMware account, with free sign-up and 60 day trials, with information about potentially avoiding all that for existing vSphere 7.0 non-production labs here, which I've already tested!
Warning - vSphere 7.0 is a major new release, and requires new license keys, and some preparation. If you have a vSphere 6.x license key in your lab that is working now, after the upgrade to 7.0, you'll be starting your 60 day trial, during which time you'll want to apply your license keys from any one of the 4 options listed below.
This is a significant upgrade from 6.7. That means you must do your homework including checking whether your VM backup solution supports vSphere 7 yet. Likely that will take at least a month or two. While solutions such as Veeam Backup & Replication V10 actually works with vSphere 7 already, it's not supported until their testing of the GA bits are completed and listed here, usually within 90 days.
You really need to review this readme first, it covers both VCSA and ESXi:
You will find all kinds of details in these articles, including dependencies and warnings.
So if you're going forward with lab testing this anyway, but you don't have a VMware support, then you absolutely must back up everything first!
License keys for vSphere 7 are another topic for another day, but one place that you can get 365 days of them for nearly every product VMware makes is the VMUG Advantage EVALExperience program, using TINKERTRY to get $20 off your $200 purchase. Absolutely worth every penny!
Note, VCSA 6.7 was 3.41 GB, but vSphere 7 is now 6.42 GB, with a lot of increased functionality. Keep in mind this is a heckuva lot smaller than installing Windows Server and SQL Server used to be, with this Photon OS based slim Linux variant only including the code that's actually needed.
To get started with your lab testing, jump to the appropriate download section:
If you get a sad-trombone moment and are faced with an issue with accessing the downloads such as Your evaluation has expired
Consider requesting a new vSphere 7 trial here: my.vmware.com/en/web/vmware/evalcenter?p=vsphere-eval
Log in to the download page at: vexpert.vmware.com/my/downloads
then search for 7.0.0 at top right to find all new vSphere related downloads, or just search for each of these file names below:
The VCSA 7 appliance download you'll likely want is called ESXI700/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-7.0.0-15843807.x86_64.iso.gz, but Windows users will also need something like 7-zip to extract the iso from the fully-downloaded gz file.
The generic (non Dell or HP) ESXi download you'll likely want for most home labs is called VMware-VCSA-all-7.0.0-15952498.iso.gzType "7.0.0" in the search box at top right
EVALExperience is just one of many benefits to the VMUG Advantage program, click the image to read about many others.
This is the VMUG Advantage download site for existing members, and here is the sign-up site, taking roughly one business day to process your payment and give you access to the downloads. Sorry weekend impulse tinkerers, next time, place your order on Thursday morning, OK?
Apr 07 2020 Update - They're here! The EVALExperience VCSA and ESXi 7.0 bits are now available for download using the direct link below. I've recorded video of the ordering and downloading process on Apr 7 2020, to be published shortly.
Your existing membership is your only cost, there is no additional cost for downloading any of the code you find in your portal. You'll now see a confirmation screen with the 2 license keys that you'll need to use in your lab once your installation is completed during the 60 day trial.
Keys were provided in STEP 4 above, but they can easily be retrieved any time by going in to your VMUG Advantage Order History, then clicking on the View Details button.
License keys and a button to re-download at a later date.
How to download your vSphere 7 [VCSA/ESXi] files and license keys from VMUG Advantage EVALExperience
Not having access to VMware vSphere's best features that vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) enables are pretty severe restrictions these days, here's a good article Nakivo wrote about the limitations in Free VMware ESXi 6.7. I know some just have one system, or multiple systems they're cool with managing via the ESXi Host Client.
What I have little sympathy for are folks trying to get away with using this free version for a production environment. I actually talked to a bank once who was doing exactly that. Sigh.
At right, you can see I'm getting my bits at roughly 6 Mbps. Why so slow? Well, Cox Communications is having some trouble keeping up with so many folks working from home during this COVID-19 pandemic, you can see Task Manager throughput shows speeds are all over the place. But even on a good day, the Akamai CDN delivering the bits rate-limits each download, at least in my Northeastern US location. If I download 2 files at once, the total is roughly double. My internet connection is actually rated for Gigabit (1000 Mbps) down and 37 Mpbs up, and during normal months I can get a speedtest.dslreports.com rating through my router of 594 Mbps down and 38 Mbps up on my Arris/Motorola DOCIS 3.1 cable modem.
Xeon D-1500 series and Xeon D-2100 series testing underway.
Of course, I've already tested this new release briefly, and plan to do a more thourough test on my Xeon D-1500 8 and 12 core SuperServer Bundles, on a prototype Xeon D-1500 system, and on a test (unavailable in US) GIGABYTE Server Xeon D-2123IT system.
I also plan to resume doing Folding@home Coronavirus/COVID-19 workloads as soon as I'm done with upgrading my home lab cluster to vSphere 7, check out how the new easy-to-download-and-install VM that requires zero Linux skills!
I am still considering re-doing my popular How to build your awesome virtualization home lab with VMware vSphere 6.0 (ESXi & VCSA), especially now that I've found an insanely fast and affordable Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite that does the forward and reverse lookup and FQDN that VCSA loves, with lovely names instead of ugly IPs for everything, and no certificate errors. This router also avoids that clumsy hosts-file-editing stuff and kludgey router domain name hoops I resorted to jumping through last time around. Setting expectations properly, I need to disclose that finding the time and the support to undertake such a large effort is going to be a challenge. A lot has changed in vSphere in the 4 years since I created that video, and during that same time I've changed day jobs 3 times too! If you have a keen interest in seeing such a step-by-step networking and vSphere deployment walk through, please:
How to install VMware ESXi 7.0 Hypervisor onto a USB flash drive
How to seamlessly update VMware vCenter Server Appliance/VCSA from 6.7 to 7.0, no IP or dns change!
Step-by-step video showing me upgrading my SYS-5028D-TN4T Bundle based on the Xeon D-1541, going from 6.7U3 to 7.0 in my home lab.
How to update any 6.x VMware ESXi Hypervisor to 7.0 using ESXCLI for easy download and install
USB Image Tool for Windows easily backs up and restores complete VMware ESXi installed on USB or SD
vSphere Online Launch Event Apr 02 2020 - It was streamed live at 11am Eastern time, but playback is available at the same URL. Apparently this was live streamed, so I couldn't help but notice that the folks in a studio together weren't 6' from each other or wearing masks.
Move this VMUGAdvantage section down to here below the now-updated article above, now that it was released to VMUG Advantage subscribers today!
Apr 04 2020 5:10pm ET - ETA for vSphere 7 is "Coming Soon..." so TinkerTry instructions will have to wait until after that happens. The amazingly affordable VMUG Advantage EVALExperience gets you 365 day licenses for your non-production home lab, and has its bits lovingly refreshed every 3 months or so by a volunteer. I sent an email off to the whole crew at EVALExperience on April 2nd release morning and immediately received this reply:
"The magic elves are hard at work behind the scenes already!!!"
Currently, it seems this isn't available yet, detailed in my twitter thread. Alternatively, try the Product Evaluation Center for VMware vSphere 7.0 to request the ability to "Explore vSphere for free for 60 Days" giving you some time to decide whether you like ESXi 7.0, and to figure out what type of licenses you want to apply. It's the same bits, just different capabilities.
These systems still work great for many even 9+ years later, mine included, even with (unsupported) vSphere 8 and Windows 11 Version 21H2. But unless you added the optional TPM module, it may be the end of the line as far as repurposing them for running the latest Windows 11 Version 24H2 and beyond.
After 6 successful years testing then shipping well over 1,000 Xeon D Bundles, Wiredzone had to stop SuperServer bundles in mid-2021 due to cost, supply, and logistics challenges. Bare bones system sales continued for years longer.
What's next in 2025? I don't yet have my answer for my home lab, especially now that VCF certification is required to keep non-production home lab licenses going, even as a vExpert and VMUG Advantage EVALExperience customer.
As for a SuperServer follow-on, the Xeon D-1700/2700 (Ice Lake D) was a minor refresh for 2023, with Xeon D-1800/2800 (Granite Rapids D) refresh slightly better in 2024, and hopefully Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-D) much better in 2025 featuring PCIe Gen5, MCRDIMMs, and 100GbE networking, wow! Feb. 27 2025 update update looks promising, but pricey. Infortunately, it's become clear to me that Supermicro is less focuses on the mini-tower form factor these days.
As for the CPU industry, it's unfortunate that Pat Gelsinger was apparently ousted from Intel's helm in these challenging times, but I'm also grateful to have had the honor of working at VMware when he was the CIO there. I'll leave it at that, given the whole Broadcom thing.
These systems still work great for many even 9+ years later, mine included, even with (unsupported) vSphere 8 and Windows 11 Version 21H2. But unless you added the optional TPM module, it may be the end of the line as far as repurposing them for running the latest Windows 11 Version 24H2 and beyond.