VMware vSphere 6.5 Update 1 was released on August 2, 2017, and it adds some bug fixes, new features, and also a key additional change in the support and license of vCenter Server:
- vCenter Server Foundation can now manage and support four ESXi hosts: Although three hosts could be enough for smaller environments, VMware has received feedback that three host environments were too small in some small and medium-sized business (SMB) cases. For this reason, vSphere 6.5 Update 1 is now increasing the number of hosts that vCenter Server Foundation will support from three hosts to four.
- vSphere 6.5 general support has been extended: VMware understands that upgrading infrastructure can be a lengthy process. One consideration for whether or not to upgrade is how long the new product will be supported. VMware wants to make the customer's decision to upgrade easier by extending general support for vSphere 6.5 for a full 5 years. This means that support for vSphere 6.5 will now end on November 15, 2021.
- Upgrade path: Direct upgrade from vSphere 6.0 Update 3 is now a supported path (more details on the upgrade path will be provided in Chapter 11, Lifecycle Management, Patching, and Upgrade).
- Adds full support for ESXi on Mac Pro 6,1 hardware: Many customers and home lab users like to use Mac hardware in order to virtualize macOS in an officially supported manner. VMware vSphere 6.5 Update 1 adds full support for ESXi on Mac Pro 6,1 hardware. So, if virtualizing macOS is your thing, you can now do it with the latest hardware and without workarounds.
Also, there are some interesting enhancements, including the following:
- vSphere Client now supports 90% of general workflows and features; the new HTML5-based vSphere Client can now support up to 90% of general workflows. This is welcome news as VMware pushes towards 100% parity between the various clients (considering also that Adobe has recently announced the end of Flash Player support by the end of 2020).
- There is a new version of vSAN 6.6.1 with new capabilities, such as VUM support in order to manage vSAN software upgrades easily.
- VMware vSphere 6.5 Update 1 is required to enable VMware Cloud on AWS.
- New limits for vCenter Server in Linked Mode (see next paragraph, in the numbers specific for vCenter Server).
For more information, consult the release notes at https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.5/rn/vsphere-esxi-651-release-notes.html.