Skip to main content
Sign Out

Welcome to Dell

My Account
  • Place orders quickly and easily
  • View orders and track your shipping status
  • Create and access a list of your products
  • Manage your Dell EMC sites, products, and product-level contacts using Company Administration.
Sign In Create an Account Premier Sign In Partner Program Sign In
Contact Us
Some article numbers may have changed. If this isn't what you're looking for, try searching all articles. Search articles

Customized Image of VMware ESXi Availability and Download Instructions

Summary: This article provides information about how to download the VMware ESXi Customized Image ISO.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Check out other resources

Symptoms

Certain Dell PowerEdge servers require the use of Dell Customized Image of VMware ESXi for the easiest and most reliable deployment of a fully managed server. To determine if your server requires the Dell Customized Image of VMware ESXi, see Important Information for the Dell Customized ESXi Image.


Table of Contents

  1. What drivers and files are modified or included on the Dell Customized Image of VMware ESXi?
  2. Download the Dell Customized Image of ESXi from VMware
  3. Installation

What drivers and files are modified or included on the Dell Customized Image of VMware ESXi?

Each image is a customization of the base VMware image of a particular version. Dell customization of the image includes:
  • Modifying files to identify Dell and Dell support.
  • Updating the ESXi image with the latest validated asynchronous drivers.
  • Updating patches if it addresses a common issue for Dell systems.
We recommended using the latest version of the image available for your Dell system.

Download the Dell Customized Image of VMware ESXi from VMware Support

Documentation is found at Instructions to find Product Downloads, OEM custom images, Patches, and Addons in the Broadcom Support Portal This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.


Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Load the Broadcom Support portal web pageThis hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.
  2. If you have not yet registered to the Broadcom site, create a registration. 
  3. Log in with your Broadcom registered user credentials. 
  4. Use the dropdown menu to the left of your name and select VMware Cloud Foundations.
Screenshot of dropdown menu to select VMware Cloud Foundation
Figure 1: Select VMware Cloud Foundation.
  1. From the left-hand menu, click My Downloads.
My Downloads
Figure 2: My Downloads
  1. In the search bar in the upper right side of the page, enter "VMware vSphere" (vSphere is on the second page)
Screenshot of product search box
Figure 3: Product Search box 
  1. Select VMware vSphere enterprise and choose the ESXi version (choose the specific update later)
Screenshot of VMware vSphere version selection
Figure 4: Search for VMware vSphere version selection
  1. Select Custom ISO at the top and enter Dell in the search box. All Dell Custom ISO versions are on display.
Screenshot of Custom ISO versions available
Figure 5: Available Customer ISO versions
  1. Select the Custom ISO by name and ESXi release.
  2. Download the deliverable and readme file for links to any OEM documentation. 
Download selected file
Figure 6: Select ISO to download.

Installation

To install ESXi, boot on the ISO file and follow the instructions. Alternative methods can be used to boot on the ISO file: Find the VMware compatibility information in the VMware compatibility Guide This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies..
 

Cause

Not required

Resolution

See above.

Additional Information

Note:
On February 12, 2024, VMware by Broadcom announced that the free ESXi hypervisor in versions 7.x and 8.x would no longer be available.

Where can I download VMware ESXi 8?
You can obtain the ESXi installer software either from an OEM or from the Broadcom Support Portal. Register on the Broadcom Support Portal.
Download the ESXi Installer. This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.

Affected Products

VMware, VMware ESXi 4.x, VMware ESXi 5.x, VMware ESXi 6.5.X, VMware ESXi 6.7.X, VMware ESXi 6.x
Article Properties
Article Number: 000176963
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 14 Aug 2024
Version:  10
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.