Enterprise Infrastructure FAQs

VMware

VMware will offer 7 years of support from the general availability of a new Major Release as per the Support and Subscription Terms and Conditions. When you purchase VMware Support for one of the products listed above, Support will be divided into two distinct phases: General Support and Technical Guidance. Please keep current with product updates to ensure no interruptions in your support services. (Visit the Downloads page for all product updates.)

General Support will be provided for 5 years from general availability of a Major Release. Support includes new hardware support, guest OS updates, bug and security fixes, and technical helpdesk services. VMware will update the Hardware Compatibility Guide with new hardware platforms that have been tested and certified. General Support for selected new hardware technology (such as servers, processors, chipsets, and add-in cards) is based on VMware’s discretion, OEM partner input, and customer input. An 18-month hardware support window is started when a major or minor vSphere release is generally available. New hardware technology launched within the 18-month window will be supported in a compatible mode by an update to a vSphere major/minor release; hardware technology launched after the 18-month window will normally not be supported by that release. Non-critical bug fixes are provided at VMware's discretion and based on customer input within the first two years of General Support.
Technical Guidance will be provided for 2 years following General Support. Primary assistance is available through the self-help portal. Customers can also open a support request online to receive support and workarounds for low-severity issues on supported configurations only. (Telephone support is not provided.) There will be no new hardware support, guest OS updates, security patches or bug fixes. The phase is intended for usage by customers operating in stable environments with systems that are operating under reasonably stable loads.

Does VMware's Enterprise Infrastructure Life Cycle Policy apply to the whole VMware vSphere Software Suite as a bundle or apply to its individual products?

The VMware Enterprise Infrastructure Life Cycle Policy applies to the individual products. While Major releases of the vSphere products will normally occur together, the support life cycle policy applies to the individual products, such as VMware ESX, VMware ESXi and VMware vCenter. The life cycle of a new release will begin from its release date for the respective product.

Does VMware provide different levels of support throughout the support life cycle?

Yes, the support life cycle is divided into two phases, General Support and Technical Guidance, each offering different levels of support:. When a specific release has reached the end of the Technical Guidance phase, it is said to be at “end of support”.

How do I get critical fixes for my VMware ESX or VMware vCenter products?

Fixes are provided during the support life cycle in one of the following methods. For VMware ESX, fixes are provided in either patches for the most critical issues, or in Update releases. Fixes for VMware vCenter products are provided in Update releases. These update releases are designed to deliver bug fixes and other critical or serious corrections or fixes without requiring a new maintenance release.

How are Updates different from Maintenance Releases?

There are two primary differences between updates and maintenance releases: the content of the releases, and the applicability of subsequent patches.

Maintenance releases typically include significant numbers of bug fixes, as well as new enablements.
Updates include few, if any, bug fixes and focus mainly on enablements.
The same future patches will apply to both ESX Server 3.0.2 GA and ESX Server 3.0.2 Update 1, meaning that customers will not have to worry about applying different patches. This is not the case for a sequence of maintenance releases (e.g. ESX Server 3.0.1 and 3.0.2 require different patches.)
Updates do not extend the support life cycle.

What are the benefits of product updates?

Enablement of new hardware devices without requiring an update to a new maintenance release.
Predictability of update releases on a schedule that coincides with our partners' new product releases.
Ability to selectively enable support for devices using the patches.
Permit standardization on a minor version (x,y) even when new hardware is purchased, beginning with ESX Server 3.5

What about Update Releases? Are there 7 years of support on Update Releases?

No, update releases are supported within the General Support timeframe of the Major release.

The General Support Phase includes new hardware support, what does that mean?

New hardware support means that within the General Support phase, VMware will work with its hardware partners to continue to expand the System Compatibility Guide for that particular release. The selection of hardware and priority order that they are being tested and added to the System Compatibility Guide depends on customer and hardware partner input. VMware does not guarantee that all new hardware available in the market will be supported.

Does VMware’s Support Life Cycle Policy specify which OEM systems will be supported?

No, the System Compatibility Guide specifies which OEM systems are supported.

What does Guest OS Update Support mean?

Guest OS update support means that during the General Support phase, VMware will work with the Guest OS vendor to ensure that new Updates or Service Packs available for the Guest OS will be compatible with VMware’s virtual machines. This does not apply to new Major Releases of a Guest OS.

What is VMware's General Support policy for new hardware technology?: General Support for selected new hardware technology (such as servers, processors, chipsets, and add-in cards) is based on VMware’s discretion, OEM partner input, and customer input. An 18-month hardware support window is started when a major or minor vSphere release is generally available. New hardware technology launched within the 18-month window will be supported in a compatible mode by an update to a vSphere major/minor release; hardware technology launched after the 18-month window will normally not be supported by that release.

How long will VMware provide patches for security vulnerabilities and bug fixes?

VMware will provide patches for security vulnerabilities and critical bug fixes throughout the General Support phase of each Major Release (which is five years from the general availability date).

What are the criteria for determining if a bug is critical or non-critical (as specified by VMware’s Support Life Cycle Policy)?

Critical bugs are deviations from specified product functionality that causes data corruption, data loss, system crash, or significant customer application down time. A bug is considered critical if it meets the mentioned criteria and there is no work-around that can be implemented.

Does VMware's Support Life Cycle Policy retroactively apply to older software releases?