Comments on: VMware ESX 3.5 U2 Validated via SVVP

By: VMware ESX 3.5 update 2 (ESX 3.5u2) is the first hypervisor to be listed under Microsoft Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP). | TechHead.co.uk

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:57:34 +0000

[...] Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP) has been pretty well covered so far by others such as Scott Lowe and vinf.net though this blog posting is from the angle of the Microsoft Virtualization [...]

By: Bert Bouwhuis

Bert Bouwhuis — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:28:33 +0000

Apparently, this http://windowsservercatalog.com/results.aspx?&bCatID=1521&cpID=0&avc=0&ava=0&avq=0&OR=1&PGS=25&ready=0 is the place where validated hypervisors are listed. The list not only includes ESX, but also Cisco Virtual Blades, as indicated by Chris Wolf (http://www.chriswolf.com/?p=189 ).

By: Microsoft now Officially support many of their products under ESX 3.5u2 « Virtualization, Windows, Infrastructure and all that “stuff” in-between

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:27:45 +0000

[...] noted here and here, VMWare have had ESX 3.5u2 certified under Microsoft’s SVVP programme, this is [...]

By: Setting VMware ESX vSwitch Load Balancing Policy via CLI - blog.scottlowe.org - The weblog of an IT pro specializing in virtualization, storage, and servers

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:14:48 +0000

[...] VMware ESX 3.5 U2 (which users should be using if at all possible, now that it’s validated by Microsoft), the command to do this is [...]

By: Bert Bouwhuis

Bert Bouwhuis — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:26:50 +0000

Mike, Scott is right and it looks like Patrick has clarified things.

Funny though that Patrck in his previous post on this item stated “First, ESX Server must go through and pass the validation test. Once validated, they’ll be added to KB article 944987, where we list ‘support partners for non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software.’ Today only Novell is listed, and that’s due to the broader technical collaboration agreement in place between the companies.” (see http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/archive/2008/08/19/Thoughts-on-today_2700_s-virtualization-licensing-and-support-news.aspx somewhere near the end).

Until now, the KB 944987 article hasn’t been updated and is still only listing Novell…

By: slowe

slowe — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:03:34 +0000

Mike, as I understood it Bert’s main concern was the wording. Was this the “official” announcement of VMware’s addition to the SVVP (which never came, as I recall) or was it truly validation of the hypervisor? I can understand his position. Fortunately, this has been truly clarified by Patrick O’Rourke’s post indicating that ESX 3.5 U2 has indeed been validated. And, to echo his words, congratulations on achieving that validation so quickly!

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:04:49 +0000

Bert, Scott linked to the press release from VMware in the first line of his post?

By: slowe

slowe — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:02:27 +0000

Jason,

Great questions. I don’t know the answers, but here’s what I suspect:

- I would suspect you’ll need to be running the latest version of VMware Tools.
- I would imagine that new versions of ESX (major releases or minor releases) will need to be revalidated. Given the relatively short timeframe in which ESX 3.5 U2 was validated, it shouldn’t take all that long for new releases.
- I think that ESXi is *NOT* included, and it will have to be validated separately.

Thanks for reading!

By: Jason Boche

Jason Boche — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:13:21 +0000

Oh I forgot, does certification on ESX also imply certification on ESXi embedded or installable? They should clarify.

By: Jason Boche

Jason Boche — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:50:17 +0000

Fantastic news for the VMware virtualization community for sure! Once again, VMware sets the bar for the rest to follow.

One particular detail we must not lose site of in our celebration is that the qualifying hypervisor is ESX 3.5 Update 2. Those who are on ESX 2.x, 3.0.x, 3.5, or 3.5 Update 1 cannot jump for joy yet. Their environment must receive an upgrade to U2 first.

Second, the SVVP program does not qualify hosted products such as VMware Workstation, Player, ACE, Fusion, Server, etc.

Additionally, is there any fine print to the certification we need to be aware of? For instance, do the VMs need to be running a specific version of VMware Tools. One could assume we’d always be current on our tools but I’ll be the first to admit that in some cases we’ll lag behind for a period after the host upgrades.

Lastly, I am curious what happens when new versions of ESX are released. Does the SVVP program need to re-certify new versions of ESX (and how long will this process take each time), or are the new versions automatically approved?

Jas