VMware vSphere

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	VMware vSphere (formerly VMware Infrastructure), is the management infrastructure for VMware ESXi virtual machines (VM). In addition to environment management (such as software updates and backups) and system management of the physical hosts and VM guests, the vSphere infrastructure is capable of providing disaster recovery (through vSphere replication) and high availability (through vMotion) for production environments. This technology is available in two editions: VMWare vSphere Standard and VMWare vSphere Enterprise Plus. This assessment only covers the Enterprise Plus edition. The TRM decisions in this entry only apply to technologies and versions owned, operated, managed, patched, and version-controlled by VA. This includes technologies deployed as software installations on VMs within VA-controlled cloud environments (e.g. VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC)). Cloud services provided by the VAEC, which are listed in the VAEC Service Catalog, and those controlled and managed by an external Cloud Service Provider (i.e. SaaS) are not in the purview of the TRM. For more information on the use of cloud services and cloud-based products within VA, including VA private clouds, please see the Enterprise Cloud Solutions Office (ECSO) Portal at: https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/OITECSO
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has not been assessed by the Section 508 Office. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v23.12
Decision Date:	12/12/2023 at 14:17:18 UTC
Aliases:	vSphere ESXi; VMware Infrastructure; VMware vSphere Hypervisor; VMware vSphere Enterprise; VMware vSphere Standard
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	VMware

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor Desupport Date
2.x	01/24/2008
3.x	01/29/2009
4.x	05/21/2009	05/21/2014
5.0	08/24/2011	08/24/2016
5.1	09/11/2012	08/24/2016
5.5	09/19/2013	09/19/2018
6.0	02/02/2015	03/12/2020
6.5	11/15/2016
6.5.x	07/28/2017	10/15/2022
6.7.x	04/17/2018	10/15/2022
7.0.x	04/02/2020
8.0.x

Current Decision Matrix (12/11/2023)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

<Past

CY2015

CY2016

CY2017

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

4.x

Divest
[2]

Unapproved

5.0

Approved w/Constraints
[2]

Divest
[2, 3, 4, 5]

Divest
[2, 4, 5, 6]

Unapproved

5.1

Approved w/Constraints
[2]

Divest
[2, 3, 4, 5]

Divest
[2, 4, 5, 6]

Unapproved

5.5

Approved w/Constraints
[2]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 3, 4, 5]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 4, 5, 6]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 5, 7, 8, 9]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 5, 7, 10, 11]

6.0

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 4, 5, 6]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 5, 7, 8, 9]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 5, 7, 10, 11]

6.5.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 5, 7, 8, 9]

Approved w/Constraints
[2, 5, 7, 10, 11]

6.7.x

Unapproved

7.0.x

Unapproved

8.0.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	This Technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population.

[2]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISO can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[3]	No new acquisitions or installations of vSphere Hypervisor (free edition) are allowed in VA after 9/30/2015 because of the replication and visibility limitations with this free edition. No new acquisitions or installations of vSphere Essentials Kits are allowed in VA after 9/30/2015 due to the limitations of the Hypervisor edition used by these kits. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[4]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based versions of this product are not permitted without a waiver signed by the Deputy CIO of ASD based upon a recommendation from the Architecture and Engineering Review Board (AERB). In addition, cloud based features of this software may not be used without an Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) approval to ensure that confidential organization and/or PII/PHI data are not compromised (ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517 and VA Directive 6513). Use of public cloud storage requires documented Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) compliance and a Memorandum of Understanding / Interconnection Security Agreement (MOU/ISA) between the vendor and VA prior to ESCCB review.

[5]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Office (ISO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[6]	No new acquisitions or installations of vSphere Hypervisor (free edition) are allowed in VA after 9/30/2015 because of the replication and visibility limitations with this free edition. No new acquisitions or installations of vSphere Essentials Kits are allowed in VA after 9/30/2015 due to the limitations of the Hypervisor edition used by these kits. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Configuration baseline and deployment standards for this technology that are maintained by the Core Systems Engineering organization within VA Enterprise Systems Engineering (ESE) must be followed and adhered to unless an appropriate waiver is granted. See the reference section for more information.

[7]	No new acquisitions or installations of vSphere Hypervisor (free edition) are allowed in VA after 9/30/2015 because of the replication and visibility limitations with this free edition. No new acquisitions or installations of vSphere Essentials Kits are allowed in VA after 9/30/2015 due to the limitations of the Hypervisor edition used by these kits. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Configuration baseline and deployment standards for this technology that are maintained by the Core Systems Engineering organization within VA Enterprise Systems Engineering (ESE) must be followed and adhered to unless an appropriate waiver is granted. See the reference section for more information

[8]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without an Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) approval. This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[9]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[10]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without the approval of the VA Enterprise Cloud Services (ECS) Group. This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[11]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 8.0.0 is the most current version, released 10/11/2023. A baseline configuration of this technology was developed by the BCM team. At the time of writing, the baseline version is 7.0.0.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
Vendor Provided*	vSphere Release Notes	VMware	This webpage provides release notes for the latest version of this technoloy.
Guideline	VA Baseline Configuration Standard for VMware vSphere ESXi (Host)		This is the required baseline information for VMware vSphere ESXi (Host).
Vendor Provided*	Version 6.5 Vendor De-support Announcement		This webpage provides a vendor announcement that extends the support for version 6.5 of this technology until October 15, 2022. This version is in a divest status and will be unapproved following vendor de-support.
Vendor Provided*	Version 6.7 Vendor De-support Announcement		This webpage provides a vendor announcement that extends the support for version 6.7 of this technology until October 15, 2022. This version is in a divest status and will be unapproved following vendor de-support.
Vendor Provided*	VMware Extended Support		This site provides the extended support information for this technology.
*NOTE: Vendor provided information is subject to the accuracy of the manufacturer.

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
VMware Guest Operating Systems	vSphere is able to host guest operating systems on virtual machines. See reference tab regarding baseline configuration details.
vSAN	vSAN pools together server-attached storage to provide a highly resilient shared datastore suitable for any virtualized workload, including businesscritical applications, virtual desktops, remote Information Technology (IT), and Development Operations (DevOps) infrastructure.
vSphere Essentials Kit	vSphere Essentials Kits are based on the Hypervisor Edition and combine virtualization for up to three physical servers with centralized management with vCenter for Essentials. Please Note: No new acquisitions or installations of vSphere Essentials Kits are allowed due to the limitations of the Hypervisor Edition.
vSphere Essentials Plus Kit	VMware vSphere Essentials Plus Kit provides an all-in-one solution for small businesses to virtualize their physical servers and reduce hardware costs while ensuring superior high application availability and data protection.
vSphere ESXi	VMware ESXi (typically referred to as simply ESXi) is a bare-metal hypervisor that installs directly on server hardware and allows host resources to be partitioned into multiple virtual machines (VM). All VMs share the same physical resources and can run at the same time. ESXi can host Windows (client and server), Red Hat, Apple OS X and a variety of other guest operating systems.
vSphere Replication	vSphere Replication is a hypervisor-based, asynchronous replication solution for vSphere, enabling disaster recovery and data protection for all virtual machines in your environment.
vSphere vMotion	vSphere vMotion reduces downtime and enables live migration of workloads from one server to another so your users can continue to access the systems they need to stay productive.
vSphere Windows Client	The vSphere Client is a Windows utility for administering vCenter Server and ESXi. This component is a thick client that may be downloaded through a browser connection to a vSphere host and installed on workstations. NOTE: VMware appears to be shifting towards management via their vSphere Web Client utility that provides a management web interface.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Platforms and Storage Cloud Services/Server Virtualization	Virtualization Software

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

No runtime dependencies have been identified.

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This product provides high availability and disaster recovery features.
The use of this technology may reduce the time required to deploy computer systems through the ability to clone current, stable virtual machines (VMs) to multiple new VMs.
This technology may reduce organization power, cooling, and management costs and optimize use of existing hardware.
This technology has a comprehensive set of documentation.

Adoption Risks

Due to the rapid release schedule of this technology, the VA may be unable to update to the most recent patch and may require a deployment model requiring the use of specific versions.
There is no indication based on available vendor documentation that this technology is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.
There are other approved solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
There are Threat & Assessment Analysis Portal (TAAP) bulletins associated with this technology.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) and VA Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) vulnerabilities. Please see https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/search for more details.
This technology has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is compatible with virtual machines, therefore consistent with the enterprise Server Virtualize First Policy (VAIQ 7266972 08-27-2012).
This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.
This technology has a secure configuration baseline.
This technology is compatible with multiple other Technical Reference Model (TRM) technologies and standards used by the organization.

Architectural Risks

This technology includes cloud-based functionality which has potential information security risks.

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Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

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Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (12/11/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

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