VMware vSAN 6.6 | 18 April 2017 | ISO Build 5310538
Check for additions and updates to these release notes.
This vSAN release is a big deal, with so many improvements. Behind the scenes, I've been working on NVMe pass through ideas for my home lab, and/or saving up for a proper vSAN. I'm also looking forward to hearing more about Intel 3D XPoint/Optane speeds with vSAN in the months ahead, and look forward to VMworld 2017, assuming I find a way to get there.
Meanwhile, step one was to get my home lab in order for vSAN 6.6. What better way than to get it downloaded and installed on day 1 of release? I recorded the whole upgrade to vSphere 6.5.0d process, so you can follow along.
Apr 18 2017 by Swaroop Dutta at VMware Blogs | Virtual Blocks
Don't forget to check out the deeply technical overview by Jeff Hunter and others over at StorageHub.
If you are already at vCenter/VCSA 6.5 and ESXi 6.5, then you can get vSAN bits today by simply installing or upgrading to vCenter/VCSA 6.5.0d and ESXi 6.5.0d. Details appear below for both new installs and upgrade.
vSAN Prerequisites
You will need the right hardware for the best experience, especially if you're expecting resilience and performance. Not just on the VCG (VMware Compatibility Guide) aka HCL, but also on the VMware Compatibility Guide for vSAN, featuring a caching layer made from SSDs of the proper write endurance pair ed with PLP/Supercapacitors, typically found in enterprise (costlier) flash storage devices
You will need a vSAN license key
Licensing was discussed recently here, with VMware EVALExperience being by far the most affordable way to dip your toes into to a 3 node hybrid vSAN, albeit a bit behind on version. I'm hoping for updates to that program soon, stay tuned.
VCSA baby! (NOT vCenter)
My focus and yours should be on VCSA going forward, not the old school vCenter installed on Windows. That is why TinkerTry how-to guides generally don't include vCenter on Windows. I'm all in with HMTL5 UIs, and enjoy the ease-of-install, ease-of-update, and speed of this Photon OS-based appliance. See for yourself in the update videos.
What are you still reading this for? Roll up your sleeves, backup your VCSA and ESX, and get upgrading! Then come back and let us know how it went by dropping comments below the articles.
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.