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Title
KACE SMA 14.x VMware 8.0 Requirement Explained -
Description
Beginning with version 14.0, KACE SMA has upgraded its core FreeBSD Operating System to FreeBSD 14.0-RELEASE-p5. This was to ensure the latest security fixes were enabled in the KACE appliance.
VMware does not officially support FreeBSD v14.0 on their ESX/ESXi versions below 8.0. In order to receive official support for FreeBSD v14.x in ESX/ESXi, you must upgrade to v8.0 or higher. The decision for VMware to support newer operating systems on their older platforms is theirs alone. Source here, page 36, and also here.
As with any enterprise software solution, clients are urged to keep their infrastructure and software up to date. We recognize that ESXi 7.0 is still under active support from VMware until April 2025, despite not supporting FreeBSD v14.x. Therefore, we have created this document to help clear up any confusion. -
Resolution
What does this mean for me?
Officially, Quest Software strongly recommends to upgrade VMware ESX to a version that supports FreeBSD 14.x immediately, by following official support guidelines and policies. However, we recognize that for some customers, this may result in delays for various reasons.
We want to encourage customers to continue upgrading to KACE SMA v14.0 or higher, so that they may continue to take advantage of our new User Interface and 64-bit agents.
As such, if you choose to attempt to run KACE SMA 14.x on VMware ESX/ESXi versions below 8.0, you do so at your own risk. KACE Technical Support will continue to provide assistance to qualified customers per their Support Maintenance contract on basic functionality. If troubleshooting leads KACE to believe that an issue is a potential result of VMware 8.0 or below, our Development and Support Teams may require an upgrade to a supported version of VMware to continue troubleshooting.
Again, the only officially supported version of VMware ESX/ESXi for SMA 14.x is VMware ESX/ESXi 8.0 or higher.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Q: What steps should I take before attempting to upgrade my KACE SMA to 14.x if I choose to take the risk and run KACE SMA 14.x on ESX/ESXi below 8.0?
A: As with any upgrade, please ensure you follow Upgrade Preparation and Considerations
Q: Have any customers experienced problems running SMA 14.x on ESX/ESXi below 8.0?
A: None yet. If any upgrade issues present themselves, the only resolution may be to revert to the 13.2 SMA, upgrade to ESX/ESXi 8.0, and re-attempt the upgrade to SMA 14.0. Please contact support immediately if an upgrade fails.
Q: With FreeBSD 14.x not being on the list of officially supported operating systems for VMware ESX/ESXi 7.0 or below, does that mean VMware believes there is an issue?
A: Not being the developers of VMware ESX/ESXi we are unable to confirm one way or another.
Q: Does it cost me to upgrade from VMware ESX/ESXi to 8.0?
A: Because software maintenance contracts vary from company to company, we cannot answer this with certainty. However, generally speaking, VMware licensing of ESX/ESXi is based on capacity and doesn't directly correlate to the software version. Therefore, it is very likely that there would be no incremental cost to your company to upgrade from ESX/ESXi to 8.0. Please contact your VMware representative for validation.