VMware ESXi

VMware ESXi
Developer(s)VMware (Broadcom)
Initial releaseMarch 23, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-03-23)
Stable release
8.0 Update 3b (Build 24280767)[1] / September 17, 2024; 50 days ago (2024-09-17)[2]
PlatformIA-32 (x86-32) (discontinued in 4.0 onwards),[3] x86-64, ARM[4]
TypeNative hypervisor (type 1)
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.vmware.com/products/esxi-and-esx.html

VMware ESXi (formerly ESX) is an enterprise-class, type-1 hypervisor developed by VMware, a subsidiary of Broadcom, for deploying and serving virtual computers. As a type-1 hypervisor, ESXi is not a software application that is installed on an operating system (OS); instead, it includes and integrates vital OS components, such as a kernel.[5]

After version 4.1 (released in 2010), VMware renamed ESX to ESXi. ESXi replaces Service Console (a rudimentary operating system) with a more closely integrated OS. ESX/ESXi is the primary component in the VMware Infrastructure software suite.[6]

The name ESX originated as an abbreviation of Elastic Sky X.[7][8] In September 2004, the replacement for ESX was internally called VMvisor, but later changed to ESXi (as the "i" in ESXi stood for "integrated").[9][10]

  1. ^ "Build numbers and versions of VMware ESXi/ESX".
  2. ^ "VMware ESXi 8.0 Update 3b Release Notes".
  3. ^ "VMware ESX 4.0 only installs and runs on servers with 64bit x86 CPUs. 32bit systems are no longer supported". VMware, Inc.
  4. ^ "Announcing the ESXi-ARM Fling". VMware, Inc.
  5. ^ "ESX Server Architecture". VMware. Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  6. ^ VMware:vSphere ESX and ESXi Info Center
  7. ^ "What does ESX stand for?". Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Glossary" (PDF). Developer’s Guide to Building vApps and Virtual Appliances: VMware Studio 2.5. Palo Alto: VMware. 2011. p. 153. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Did you know VMware Elastic Sky X (ESX) was once called 'Scaleable Server'?". UP2V. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  10. ^ "VMware ESXi was created by a French guy !!! | ESX Virtualization". ESX Virtualization. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2018.