VMware vSphere 5.1 has finally been announced, with general availability on September 11

Posted by Paul Braren on Aug 28 2012 in
  • ESXi
  • Virtualization

    • Ran through the streets from my distant hotel, missed breakfast, and made it for the keynote here in San Francisco on this sunny Monday morning. Yes, the the announcement of vSphere 5.1 was made, with very little mention of the new features. What's unclear is what can be said about any beta testing folks have been doing, but I should have clarity on that soon.

    Meanwhile here's an excellent article that pulls together a lot of information known so far, enjoy!

    vSphere 5.1 Announced!,  Hersey Cartwright, August 28, 2012
    www.vhersey.com/2012/08/vsphere-5-1-announced

    Here's Duncan Epping's excellent list of resources:

    FYI, Duncan Epping is aware that yellow-bricks.com is down, due to high traffic. I got to meet him today briefly, right after this fun panel:
    vmwaretips.com/wp/2012/07/23/vmworld-2012-ask-the-expert-vbloggers

    Here's the view from the front row, Chad Sakac, Frank Denneman, Duncan Epping, Scott Lowe, a customer, and moderator Rick Scherer, with hundreds in attendance behind us:

    vmware-blogger-panel

    And here's a panaramic look, click for a more immersive view:

    panaramic-thumbnail

    Aug. 28 2012 Update:

    Pricing and Availability 
    VMware vSphere 5.1 and VMware vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1 are expected to be generally available on September 11, 2012.

    Source: www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/vmw-vmworld-smb-082712.html

    Sep. 11 2012 Update:
    Download now generally available:
    TinkerTry.com/esxi-5-1-download 

    VCP logo TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here. IT Professional offering part-time consulting.

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    Necessity to sunset SuperServer Bundles

    SuperServers 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.