Includes updates to OpenSSL to mitigate known cryptographic weaknesses
VMware ESXiVMware
Release Summary: VMware ESXi 8.0 Update 3i
Security Enhancements & Vulnerability Fixes
- Security Patches: Addresses multiple security vulnerabilities, including those identified in the Photon OS security advisories, ensuring a more hardened hypervisor environment.
- OpenSSL Updates: Includes updates to OpenSSL to mitigate known cryptographic weaknesses and improve secure communication.
- Kernel Hardening: Provides various fixes to the ESXi kernel to prevent potential privilege escalation or denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
Critical Bug & Stability Fixes
- Host Stability: Resolves issues that could lead to Purple Screen of Death (PSOD) under specific high-load scenarios or when using certain driver stacks.
- Virtual Machine Performance: Fixes bugs related to VM memory management and CPU scheduling to ensure consistent performance for guest operating systems.
- Storage Improvements: Addresses edge cases where storage latency occurred or where datastores became temporarily unavailable during high I/O operations.
- Networking Reliability: Contains fixes for vSphere Standard and Distributed Switches to improve packet handling and prevent intermittent connectivity drops.
Hardware & Driver Support
- Driver Updates: Features updated drivers for various Network Interface Cards (NICs) and Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) to improve compatibility with the latest server hardware.
- NVMe Enhancements: Continued refinements for NVMe-over-Fabrics (NVMe-oF) to improve performance and error handling for modern flash storage arrays.
- Deployment & Operational Notes
- Installation: This update can be applied as a patch to existing ESXi 8.0 installations or via a full image install.
- Interoperability: It is highly recommended to upgrade vCenter Server to version 8.0 Update 3i (or later) before updating your ESXi hosts to maintain full management compatibility.
- Hardware Retirement: Users should verify their hardware against the VMware Compatibility Guide, as older CPU generations may no longer be supported in the 8.0 branch.
