MacOS version in your VMware Cloud

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As of October 31st, 2022, VMware has dropped support for any new MacOS and Apple mac hardware platforms. vSphere ESXi 7.0.x will be the final release that will receive support for these platforms.

What does that mean for my VMware environment?
Currently environments running up to version 7.0 will continue to receive standard support until the End of Support (EOS) lifecycle takes place for that version. MacStadium will continue to provide support following that outline as well. More information can be found here: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/88698

What about new versions of MacOS?
VMware has stated they will not continue to certify or develop for any new releases from the Apple platforms. While the OS may work without additional changes from the VMware side, any support issues regarding these new releases will not qualify for escalation to the VMware support team. MacStadium will test and update documentation based on our experiences with new releases as they come out.

Will VMware support Apple Silicon-based hardware?
VMware has stated they will no longer continue any development on the Apple Silicon-based hardware. We do not expect this stance to change. The 2018 Mini and 2019 Intel based models are the last Apple-based hardware we expect to be operational for ESXi.

What about VMware Fusion?
We do not currently offer VMware Fusion as part of our product catalog. Support for VMware Fusion is still in development and can be tracked via the VMware blogs. Customers may run this software on bare metal systems as they see fit.

VMware is able to run most production versions of MacOS as they become available. Both MacStadium and VMware are unable to provide guidance or support for any MacOS versions or patches in Development and not available to the public.

You may still install these in your environment as needed, however any issues or support will not be available and MacStadium is unable to provide the install media for these versions.

Some versions of MacOS require your VMware Cloud to be running a specific version. Please see the table below for the minimum vSphere version required to run the MacOS version. If you need to update your VMware Cloud environment, please see our VMware Cloud Upgrade Process documentation.

If you upgrade your VMware Cloud environment, you may also need to update the VM Hardware version of any VMs running at the time of upgrade. Check the VM Hardware Version column for more details.

*Running Ventura or newer MacOS requires running the VMXNET3 network adapter. This was previously inaccessible for MacOS VMs. You must first upgrade your VMware environment to 7.0, upgrade your VMTools on your VMs, then upgrade the VMware hardware version on your VMs. You will then need to create a new network adapter set as the VMXNET3 type and remove your older network adapter. Not performing these steps will allow you to upgrade\install Ventura, however it will not boot properly until these steps are performed. Ensure you are running the latest VMware tools to prevent any compatibility issues.