Can I run VCenter Server Appliance v6.5 on ESXi host 7 or 8?

[jenner43201]

Hello all,

I have a legacy lab with very old HW running a mixture of VMWare ESXi 5.5 through 6.5.  Yes I know this stuff needs patches and upgrades, if possible.

I'd like to install a VCenter Appliance v6.5U3 to manage these old legacy ESXis.  I know VCenter 6.5 has the compatibility to do this.  Can I install ESXi 7 or 8 as the underlying host ESXi to host the VCenter Appliance v6.5?  My company has support contracts for ESXi 7 and 8.

FYI, I couldn't get the VMWare Product interoperability matrix to work to answer this question. 

[janatlud]

Hello,

you can try it. I don´t see problem. I installed multiple vCenters 8 on ESXi hosts on version 7. "Doesn´t matter", where the vCenter is running, the compatibility matrix is for devices, which can be registered to the exact vCenter. Most probably only one stopper could be version of vHW, which is still 10 also for installation media for vCenter 8 (so pretty old). So technically, there should not be any problem. 

BR

[Alexandru Capras]

Think about the vCenter virtual machine like any other VM, you could say that ESXi doesn't care what's running inside it. However, you won't be able to manage ESXi 7 or 8 hosts using a VCSA 6.5U3... so you'd be running the vCenter on a standalone ESXi host.

Have you considered upgrading the 5.5 hosts to at least 6.5? That way you could deploy a VCSA 7 instead of 6.5 and you could manage the ESXi host running the vCenter directly from within vCenter itself.

[jenner43201]

Thanks for the answers.  I see now -  if I think of the VCSA as just a VM operating under ESXi, then I can see that the VCSA version doesn't really matter.  So I will probably be able to run an ESXi 8 and operate VCSA 6.5 on the ESXi 8 host.

As I'm sure there is curiosity of why I'm doing this, I have the following:

• My corporation has support licenses for ESXi 7 and 8 and would like everything patched and modernized, if possible.  All ESXi hosts should have the latest patch to eliminate the CVE-2025-22224 through CVE-2025-22226 exploits.  So any new hosts should comply with this policy.
• I maintain a lab with HP DL 360 Gen6, 7, and 8 HW.  I have some newer machines, but most is all old HW from 10-15 years ago.  At best, Gen6 & 7 support ESXi 6.0, officially.  Most Gen6 & 7 machines are running ESXi 5.5  Unofficially, ESXi 6.5 might install on Gen6 or 7,  or could update ESXi 5.5 to ESXi6.5.  I've never tried to upgrade ESXi 5.5 to 6.0 to 6.5.  Not sure if there is a direct upgrade to ESXi 6.5.  Many of the VMs are not backed up.
• So, I'll at least need a VCenter SA 6.5 to manage ESXi 5.5 through 6.5.  This will help with old ESXi patching and upgrades.  Now I know that I could probably use ESXi 8 as the host and then deploy VCenter SA 6.5.
• Yes, I intend to install a VCenter SA 7 & 8 to manage the newer HW.  If everything upgrades to ESXi 6.5, I can move those hosts to the VCenter v7.  I may still keep the VCenter 6.5 around, just in case.

[Frank Uveges]

I think you sent this to me by mistake ??





Frank Uveges

Principal Infrastructure Engineer
Law School Admission Council
662 Penn Street
Newtown PA, 18940

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