Deprecated devices in ESXi 9.0 and implications for support

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information about deprecated devices and drivers in ESXi 9.0 and implications for support.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 9.0

Resolution

A number of I/O devices have been marked as “Restricted” in ESXi 9.0 as a result of the devices being EOL'd by the device vendors.

VMware device deprecation policy mandates I/O hardware devices to continue to operate for the duration of a full major release so as to provide enough time for customers to migrate away from these devices. These devices will be removed in the next major release, and hence customers should plan to replace or migrate away from using such hardware.

There are two categories of deprecation - Restricted Devices and End of Life. They are described as follows:

Restricted Devices

• ESXi 9.0 driver is present and will claim the device
• Device is listed in the ESXi 9.0 Broadcom Compatibility Guide (BCG) but will be marked with the keyword “Restricted”

A “Restricted” Device is defined as follows:

• • No new features
  • No driver enhancements
  • Best effort to provide fixes and/or workarounds

To ensure that there is hardware or firmware support for the device, please contact your OEM and device vendor representative. Hardware and firmware support is the responsibility of the hardware provider.

End of Life

• Either a device, or driver, or both have been removed from the release. Devices associated with the driver will not be claimed and will not be recognized by ESXi. Upgrade from the previous release may fail
• Device is not listed in 9.0 Broadcom Compatibility Guide (BCG)
• Device is not supported 

If you proceed to upgrade to ESXi 9.0 from a host with an EOL device, the following non-recoverable consequences may occur:

• You may lose access to storage / datastores
• You may lose network access
• You may lose previous configuration on the host

Prior to upgrading to ESXi 9.0, you should replace EOL devices. Devices that are under Restricted Support should be replaced at the earliest availability to ensure there is no gap in support in the future.

See the attached spreadsheets for a full list of ESXi 9.0 End of Life devices and drivers