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VMware vSphere 9.0.1
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Written by Khurram Shahzad, vmorecloud.com — hands-on vSphere/ESXi & home-lab virtualization
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Published & updated: Sep 24, 2026
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Fact-checked against official Broadcom release notes
Looking for a newer release? This guide covers vSphere 9.0.1 (September 2025). vSphere 9.1 reached general availability on May 12, 2026, and the newest build in the release timeline below is ESX 9.1.0.0200 (July 13, 2026).
Official Release
VMware vSphere 9.0.1 Download & Complete vSphere 9 Guide
ESX + vCenter Server (Build 24957456)
vSphere 9 is VMware’s biggest platform overhaul since vSphere 8 — a renamed hypervisor (ESX, not ESXi), NVMe memory tiering, 960-vCPU Monster VMs, and a licensing shift that folds standalone vSphere into VMware vSphere Foundation. This guide covers vSphere 9.0.1 specifically — the September 2025 maintenance release — plus the full vSphere 9 release timeline, what changed from vSphere 8, and where to get it.
🧩 Version9.0.1.0 (Build 24957456)
💿 ComponentsESX + vCenter Server
📦 LicensingVMware vSphere Foundation 9.0 / VCF 9.0
📅 Release DateSeptember 29, 2025
vSphere 9
vSphere 9.0
VMware vSphere Foundation
ESX / vCenter
✔ Official Broadcom Build
Download vSphere 9.0.1
Downloads are served from the official Broadcom Support Portal (Broadcom account and VVF/VCF entitlement required).
⬇ ESX 9.0.1 Installer ISO (formerly ESXi)
⬇ vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) ISO
⬇ Offline Depot ZIP (VUM/vLCM)
📄 ESX Build: 24957456
⚙️ vCenter Build: 24957454
🌐 Language: Multi-language
🖥️ Upgrades From: vSphere 8.0 U2/U3, vSphere 9.0/9.0.0.0100
🕒 Page Updated: Sep 24, 2026
⚙️ vCenter Build: 24957454
🌐 Language: Multi-language
🖥️ Upgrades From: vSphere 8.0 U2/U3, vSphere 9.0/9.0.0.0100
🕒 Page Updated: Sep 24, 2026
✅ Official Broadcom/VMware Build
✅ Bug & Security Fixes Only (Maintenance Release)
✅ Verified Against Official Release Notes
✅ Compatible With VCF 9.0.x
✅ For Lab, Test & Production Use
✅ Bug & Security Fixes Only (Maintenance Release)
✅ Verified Against Official Release Notes
✅ Compatible With VCF 9.0.x
✅ For Lab, Test & Production Use
🛡️ Verified SourceCross-checked with Broadcom docs
🔒 Safe & SecureOfficial vendor distribution only
📋 Transparent InfoReal build numbers & dates
🔄 Kept CurrentUpdated as new builds ship
👥 Community TrustedUsed by IT pros & home labbers
What Is vSphere 9?
vSphere 9 is the current major release line of VMware’s server virtualization platform — the same ESXi-plus-vCenter combination covered in our vSphere vs. vCenter breakdown, just rebuilt for AI-era workloads. Broadcom renamed the hypervisor from ESXi to ESX starting with this release, and it is the first version sold exclusively through VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) or VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) — standalone vSphere Standard and Enterprise Plus licenses stop at vSphere 8.0 Update 3.
Searching for ESXi 9? It’s the same hypervisor line — from this release on it’s simply called ESX 9 — and this page covers the ESX 9.0.1 installer ISO, the matching vCenter Server build, and the offline depot.
If you’re coming from an older environment, our vSphere 8.0 Update 3 download guide is still the right stop for anyone not ready to move to the VVF/VCF licensing model yet.
“vSphere strengthens security and compliance with features like Live Patching, TLS 1.3, FIPS 140-2 compliance,
and Confidential Computing, delivering proactive protection and aligning with industry standards right out of
the box.”
— VMware Cloud Foundation Blog
— VMware Cloud Foundation Blog
vSphere 9 Release Date & Version Timeline
vSphere 9.0 first shipped on June 17, 2025. Since then, Broadcom has released a steady stream of maintenance builds — here’s every one so far, with official build numbers.
| Release | Date | Build |
|---|---|---|
| ESX 9.0 GA | Jun 17, 2025 | 24755229 |
| ESX 9.0.0.0100 | Jul 15, 2025 | 24813472 |
| ESX 9.0.1.0 (this guide) | Sep 29, 2025 | 24957456 |
| ESX 9.0.2.0 | Jan 20, 2026 | 25148076 |
| ESX 9.1.0.0 GA | May 12, 2026 | 25370933 |
| ESX 9.1.0.0200 | Jul 13, 2026 | 25557999 |
Source: Broadcom KB 316595 — Build numbers and versions of VMware ESX
⚙️ What’s New in vSphere 9.0
✅ NVMe memory tiering — use local NVMe as a secondary memory tier
✅ Monster VM support up to 960 vCPUs
✅ Up to 6x faster vMotion for GPU-attached VMs
✅ Live Patching for ESX (reduced-downtime updates)
✅ Secure-by-default TLS 1.3 and FIPS 140-2 compliance
✅ Automatic certificate renewal
✅ Independently upgradable Supervisor for Kubernetes workloads
✅ Open API 3.0 and unified platform SDKs
✅ Monster VM support up to 960 vCPUs
✅ Up to 6x faster vMotion for GPU-attached VMs
✅ Live Patching for ESX (reduced-downtime updates)
✅ Secure-by-default TLS 1.3 and FIPS 140-2 compliance
✅ Automatic certificate renewal
✅ Independently upgradable Supervisor for Kubernetes workloads
✅ Open API 3.0 and unified platform SDKs
🔧 What vSphere 9.0.1 Adds
vSphere 9.0.1 is a maintenance release — it doesn’t add headline features on top of vSphere 9.0, but ships hardware enablement (new server, CPU, and driver support), guest OS support updates, and bug and security fixes limited in scope to minimize operational impact.
For storage-heavy builds, it’s also worth reviewing your iSCSI multipathing configuration and, if you’re running hyperconverged storage instead of a physical SAN, our StarWind vSAN plugin installation guide for vSphere after you upgrade.
How VMware vSphere Foundation 9.0 Licensing Works
This is the change that trips up the most admins moving to version 9: it is not sold as a standalone product the way vSphere 7 and 8 were. vSphere 9.0 and 9.1 features are only available as part of:
✅ VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) 9.0 — compute-focused bundle for standalone vSphere environments
✅ VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 — full private-cloud stack (vSphere + vSAN + NSX)
✅ VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 — full private-cloud stack (vSphere + vSAN + NSX)
If you’re still licensed for standalone vSphere Standard or Enterprise Plus, you can stay on vSphere 8.0 Update 3 indefinitely under that license, or move to VVF/VCF to unlock version 9.
vSphere 9.0.1 Download: ESX ISO, VCSA & Offline Depot
vSphere 9.0.1 is distributed through the Broadcom Support Portal. You need a Broadcom account and an entitlement for VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) 9.0 or VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 to download it. The release comes as three main files:
✅ ESX 9.0.1 installer ISO — fresh installs of the hypervisor (formerly ESXi)
✅ vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) ISO — deploys or upgrades vCenter Server 9.0.1
✅ Offline depot ZIP (VUM/vLCM) — patch and upgrade bundle for offline or air-gapped updates
✅ vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) ISO — deploys or upgrades vCenter Server 9.0.1
✅ Offline depot ZIP (VUM/vLCM) — patch and upgrade bundle for offline or air-gapped updates
After downloading, compare each file’s checksum with the value shown on the Broadcom download page before you install or upgrade.
🖥️ System Requirements
| CPU | 64-bit x86, 2+ cores |
| RAM | 8 GB minimum (32 GB+ recommended) |
| Boot Storage | 32 GB minimum (SSD/NVMe recommended) |
| Firmware | UEFI, Secure Boot capable |
| TPM | TPM 2.0 (recommended for Live Patching) |
| Network | 10 GbE+ recommended for vMotion/vSAN |
🧊 Components in This Release
■ ESX 9.0.1.0
Build 24957456 — the hypervisor, formerly ESXi.
■ vCenter Server 9.0.1.0
Build 24957454 — centralized management, covered in our
vSphere vs. vCenter guide.
■ vSAN ESA / OSA Witness
Build 24957987/24957988 — for stretched and 2-node vSAN clusters.
📚 Related on vmorecloud.com
Ready to Move to vSphere 9?
Grab vSphere 9.0.1 from the Broadcom Support Portal and start testing in your lab.
Sources & References
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Author
Khurram Shahzad
Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization Engineer
Specializing in VMware, VCF, Azure, AWS, Windows Server, Microsoft 365, Linux, networking, backup & disaster
recovery. I share practical guides, technical projects and insights into modern IT infrastructure through
VMoreCloud.
Sourced from official Broadcom/VMware documentation. vmorecloud.com is an independent IT learning resource and
is not affiliated with or endorsed by Broadcom or VMware. Always verify licensing and compatibility on the
Broadcom Support Portal before upgrading a production environment.
