Plain Virtualization

Customers are no longer asking if you can deliver; they are asking how you secure the components to do so. In coming months, we are likely to see the following requirements become standard: Proof of Component Allocation: Buyers are demanding evidence that the vendor has a direct "Line of Sight" to the silicon. This is where software-only vendors struggle; they can only provide a quote from an OEM, whereas a hardware-owning vendor can provide a production slot. Price Lock Guarantees: Given the 90% surge in DRAM prices, RFPs now frequently include clauses requiring price protection for 6 to 12 months. Vendors who buy through a middleman (OEM) often cannot commit to this, as they have no control over the OEM’s sudden price adjustments. Alternative Component Validation: Customers are asking for pre-validated designs that use multiple types of flash or memory modules. If a specific module hits a shortage, can the vendor pivot without requiring a 3-month re-certification process...

In my years transitioning from the virtualization front lines at VMware to my current role at NetApp, I’ve seen my share of "once-in-a-generation" market shifts. But the current landscape of 2026 is truly unprecedented. As reported by The Wall Street Journal , we are witnessing a "permanent reallocation" of manufacturing capacity toward AI, triggering a memory-chip shortage that industry veterans call the "craziest time ever". For architects and IT leaders, this isn't just about rising costs; it's a fundamental challenge to how we design for resilience and delivery. The 2026 Context: A Market in "Hyper-Bull" Phase The data is stark. Prices for memory surged 50% in late 2025, but that was just the preamble. According to the latest TrendForce projections , contract prices for conventional server DRAM are set to skyrocket by 90% to 95% in Q1 2026 alone. We aren’t just looking at budget adjustments; we are witnessing a complete decoupling ...

While I was doing some presentation slides for one workshop, I happen to look for 3rd party virtual switches support on vSphere. This is the KB that is from VMware. Just for those who are not aware, VMware has announced the end of support for third-party virtual switches on vSphere and vSphere 6.5 Update 1 will be the last release to support these switches with vSwitch APIs. While reading through the pointers I came across one point that caught my attention: What about Cisco AVS, which is part of the Cisco ACI solution? Are you also discontinuing support for AVS?   VMware has never supported Cisco AVS from its initial release. This might come as a surprise but there are customers who have implemented the above without knowing that VMware does not support. Just by using the above for discussion. there are many solutions currently on the market that claims or market to support certain hardware or software. However, with further research, this has been a one-sided clai...

References: VMware Compatiblity Guide VMware Product Interoperability Matrixes Business Applications on VMware Platform I have been asked many times if this hardware will support that hardware or does this solution support the other solution?  What are the databases supported?  Which storage support VMware Site Recovery Manager? It's pretty easy to find this out but if you do not know how to you might end up goggling and find yourself with lots of links but not very closed to your expected results.  Reason is these are all based on search engines so unless someone posted that on the internet else it would be hard to come by. Below is a video on how you can easily navigate on VMware website to look for the compatibility matrix that you are looking for.  Do not that as not all hardware are send in for certification, the newest and greatest might not be listed in the database.  For that, you will need to check back with the respective hardware vendor. ...

Many have asked me whether if a cluster can be mixed with different versions of ESX/ESXi servers.  The answer is yes even down to ESX/ESXi 3.5, however for version 3.5, you would need to cater the legacy license server.  Please refer to the documentation here . Here is a demo of a setup I did with ESX 4.1 and ESXi 5.0 in the same cluster with HA and DRS enabled managed using a vCenter 5.0. Please note that upgrading VMware Tools to the latest version will still be supported on lower version of ESX/ESXi servers as it only update the OS drivers.  However, upgrading the virtual hardware will only allow it to be supported on the latest ESXi server. In such, that in consideration when doing your migration and upgrading of your vSphere environment and perform the virtual hardware upgrade last if possible unless you have enough resources to cater for your HA. Update 19th Apr 2013 Refresh the video as first half has missing audio.