A minimum of 8 GB is recommended for full production, though 4 GB is the absolute minimum for testing.
Minimum 32 GB of persistent storage (M.2 NVMe, SSD, or high-end SAS/SATA drives). Note that ESXi 8.0 discourages using legacy USB or SD cards as primary boot devices due to high write endurance requirements. Creating Bootable Media and Installation
As of 2025, ESXi 8.0 is the active mainstream release (with 8.0 Update 3 being the latest). If you are just now downloading the 2022 base ISO, you are falling behind.
You may need to download the VMware ESXi 8.0 ISO file for various reasons, such as:
Before you start the installation, you must ensure your hardware is compatible with ESXi 8.0. While it's a lightweight hypervisor, there are strict requirements, primarily for the CPU and storage.
Click on the "My Downloads" or "Products" section on the dashboard.
Before we dive into the download process, a word of caution for production environments. If you manage to unearth a 2021-era ESXi 8.0 Beta ISO from a third-party torrent or archive site,
Since Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, the download process has moved from the legacy VMware portal to the Broadcom ecosystem.
If you cannot access Broadcom, you can use the "Guest" download for patches only, but for full ISOs, you must use the Broadcom portal.
The base ISO includes updated drivers for modern hardware, including better support for Intel i220, i225, & i226 NICs, often removing the need for custom drivers on some home lab hardware.
Please let me know if you would like to proceed with any of these specific steps: Instructions on how to Troubleshooting corrupt ISO installation errors Setting up an unattended script installation (Kickstart)
To download the VMware ESXi 8.0 ISO , you must access the Broadcom Support Portal
Enter the system boot menu (usually via F11 , F12 , or Del ) and select your USB drive.
Note: If you are using a branded server (Dell, HPE, Lenovo), you should download the from the manufacturer's support site to ensure all drivers are pre-included, such as the Dell customized ESXi 8.0 image . Preparing for Installation
While searching for "2021" alongside "ESXi 8.0" is common due to evolving data center planning cycles, it is important to clarify the official timeline. VMware vSphere 7 was the primary focus around 2021, while .
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