Explanations of those features are best found in these forums, than on VMware's site (VMware can be a bit confusing). Refer back to IKA's post above for the actual feature list. To solve this issue, VMware offers the free vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) and vSphere command-line interface (vCLI) which are both compatible with the free edition of VMware ESXi Server. These are only enabled in the higher dollar licensed versions of ESXi (i.e., not Essentials). ESXi Server offers the same performance as ESX Server (full or classic) but it lacks the service console that is used for command line management. Now, once you get knee-deep into server virtualization and start looking at how much of a game changer it is between recovery methods over physical boxes, you will start thinking that vMotion, vStorage, SANs, and High Availability are definite things to look into. Welcome to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor Download Center This download center features technical documentation, installation demos and classes to make your use of vSphere Hypervisor a success. There is no direct host to host migration path in the free version. You can use 3rd party products to speed things up a little bit, but you are still having to download the vmdk from one host to storage (your laptop, or a network storage device), then upload the vmdk to the 2nd host. When the trial period ends and the product locks out the advanced features and becomes VMware ESXi free.
#Esxi free edition limitations full version
If you don’t enter the serial number for the free version, the product works as full version during 60 days. Without vCenter Server (enabled with licensed version), moving guests between hosts takes a while. VMware ESXi Free version is the same download as the full ESXi with exact same ISO but stays unlocked only for 60 days. No storage APIs for the free version (they are there, but not enabled, maybe?), which means you cannot use Veeam, Unitrends, AppAssure, etc. The biggest problems for most users between free and licensed hosts: