A simple tip for improving your ESXi host compatibility.

Hello everyone! Now that we have all enjoyed an extensive holiday break (hopefully), I wanted to kick off the week with a trick to help reduce some possible stress and improve coherence concerning the consumer ESXi host .

Why can’t I see my data?

As our dutiful readers are aware of by now, Quantum offers a free version of vmPRO called vmPRO Standard Edition. What might be a sticky issue for some out there is exactly how it allows a more efficient integration between the storage and virtual infrastructure. In the last week, I was fortunate enough to receive enough insight from our clients regarding this compatibility hiccup that stems from using the free version of ESXi as a hosting product. Once we got down to the bases, this problem is easily solved by what license key you currently possess within the software defined data center.

See, no one wants to be that kid. Let’s distress and address what license from VMware is needed.

What product release of ESXi do I need?

First of all, I would like to point out that really only the bare minimum is needed as far as license keys go with your VMware infrastructure.  Should you be license free at the moment, here is a helpful link to check out the different editions within VMware’s vSphere portfolio.

http://www.vmware.com/products/datacenter-virtualization/vsphere/co...

Now, since the Sphere is designed to accommodate both API and SDK environments, multipathing software features available integrate far more easily with a third party vendor (such as the crew here at Quantum) once the license is procured.

Another helpful tip about vmPRO Standard Edition is that this data isn’t lost once integrated with your current ESXi just because you may have the free version; rather, you have a sorted pocket of downloaded data available once the proper license is assimilated with the data center.

For those out there who desire a more finite compatibility chart to compare to their current environment, might I suggest the link below to assist with that process?

http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php

As previously mentioned, this post stemmed from several questions last week and I hope this provides a more streamlined solution to any inquiries into the vmPRO integration with current virtual infrastructure and storage centers.

So, with this simple fix in mind . . .

 Download available at: www.quantum.com/freevmpro

See you next week for more tips and tricks!