🏠 Home  ›  Software  ›  VMware  ›  vSphere 8.0U3k
K
Written by Khurram Shahzad, vmorecloud.com — Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization Engineer · Published & updated: Sep 24, 2026 · Fact-checked against Broadcom’s official release notes
Planning a move to vSphere 9? This guide covers the vSphere 8 patch release 8.0U3k. Broadcom’s documentation now also lists vSphere 9.0 and 9.1, but Broadcom states that upgrading from vCenter 8.0 U3k to vCenter 9.1.0 is not supported yet. Read the upgrade notes below before you plan it.
VMware vSphere 8.0U3k enterprise virtualization platform with the vSphere Client dashboard
Official Release

VMware vSphere 8.0U3k Download (ESXi & vCenter)

vSphere 8 Update 3k — Security Patch (July 2026)

vSphere 8.0U3k is Broadcom’s July 29, 2026 security patch for the vSphere 8 line. It pairs ESXi 8.0 U3k (build 25595708) with vCenter Server 8.0 U3k (build 25600417). This page lists the exact files, sizes and SHA256 checksums, what the patch fixes, and how to apply it — all checked against Broadcom’s release notes.

🧩 Version8.0 Update 3k
💿 FormatOffline bundle & patch ISO
🔢 BuildsESXi 25595708 · vCenter 25600417
📅 Release DateJuly 29, 2026
vSphere 8 ESXi 8.0 vCenter 8.0 VMware Virtualization Security Patch Live Patch Hypervisor
✔ Official Broadcom Release
Download vSphere 8.0U3k
Patches are served from the Broadcom Support Portal. Sign-in with a Broadcom account and an entitlement is required.
⬇ ESXi 8.0U3k Hypervisor ISOVMware-ESXi-8.0U3k-25595708-depot.zip · 682.8 MB ⬇ vCenter 8.0U3k Patch ISOVMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-8.0.3.01000-25600417-patch-FP.iso · 8,532.1 MB
📄 Version: 8.0 Update 3k
🔢 ESXi build: 25595708
🔢 vCenter ISO build: 25600417
🛡️ Type: Security only (ESXi live-patchable)
📢 Advisory: VMSA-2026-0006
🕒 Page Updated: Sep 24, 2026
✅ Official Broadcom Builds
✅ SHA256 Checksums Included
✅ Verified Against Release Notes
✅ Step-by-Step Update Guide
🛡️ Official SourcePatches from Broadcom Support Portal
🔒 Safe & SecureSHA256 checksums included
📋 Transparent InfoBuilds, sizes & dates from release notes
🔄 Kept CurrentReviewed Sep 24, 2026
✔️ Verified SourcesCross-checked with Broadcom TechDocs

vSphere 8 at a Glance

Short on time? Here are the essentials of vSphere 8 before you get to the 8.0U3k downloads. vSphere 8 introduced support for data processing units (DPUs) through the vSphere Distributed Services Engine, and the 8.0 Update 3 release added embedded vCLS and default HTTP response compression.

📅 Original release
vSphere 8.0 became generally available on October 11, 2022.
🧱 Core components
ESXi (the hypervisor on each host) and vCenter Server (central management).
🔄 Update line
8.0 GA, then Updates 1, 2 and 3, plus patch releases. 8.0U3k (July 29, 2026) is the newest in Broadcom’s list.
🛟 Support window
General support for vSphere 8.0 is listed as ending October 11, 2027.
⚙️ Minimum ESXi host
2 CPU cores, 8 GB RAM and a 32 GB boot device.
🚀 Newer versions
Broadcom’s documentation also lists vSphere 9.0 and 9.1.

Jump to the download links, system requirements or the update steps.

What Is VMware vSphere 8?

VMware vSphere 8 is Broadcom’s server virtualization platform. It combines the ESXi hypervisor, which runs on the physical host, with vCenter Server, which manages hosts and virtual machines centrally. Update 3k is the newest 8.0 patch in Broadcom’s release-note list at the time of writing, and it is a security-only release.

New to the stack? Start with our vSphere vs. vCenter breakdown. If you are patching from an earlier 8.0 U3 build, see the vSphere 8.0U3c download guide.

“This live-patchable release resolves CVE-2026-47876.”
— Broadcom, ESXi 8.0 Update 3k release notes

⚙️ Key Features of 8.0U3k

✅ Security-only patch: fixes CVE-2026-47876 in ESXi
✅ vCenter fixes CVE-2026-59309 and CVE-2026-59310
✅ ESXi image is live-patchable in vLCM-managed clusters
✅ All fixes tracked in advisory VMSA-2026-0006
✅ vSphere Client fix for Namespace CPU limits above 1000 GHz
✅ vSphere Client fix for very large vVols datastore capacity display
✅ Offline bundle plus standard and no-tools image profiles
✅ Inherits every vSphere 8.0 Update 3 feature
✅ No upgrade path from vCenter 8.0 U3k to 9.1.0 yet

What’s New in vSphere 8.0U3k

Highlights from Broadcom’s ESXi 8.0U3k and vCenter 8.0U3k release notes.

🔐 Security Fixes

✅ ESXi: resolves CVE-2026-47876 in a security-only, Critical-severity image
✅ vCenter: resolves CVE-2026-59309 and CVE-2026-59310
✅ All three CVEs are covered by Broadcom advisory VMSA-2026-0006
✅ Host reboot is listed as required for vSphere Update Manager patching; the image is also live-patchable with vLCM

🛠️ vSphere Client Fixes

✅ PR 3667115: vSphere Namespace CPU limits above 1000 GHz are handled correctly. Before, a 1500 GHz limit could be saved as 1.5 MHz
✅ PR 3667116: very large SCSI vVols datastores no longer show “undefined” for capacity and free space

⬆️ Upgrade Notes

✅ Upgrading from vCenter 8.0 U3k to vCenter 9.1.0, or any patch based on 9.1.0, is not supported. Broadcom says a forward path will arrive in a future 9.1.x release
✅ Since 8.0 Update 3, vSphere Lifecycle Manager downloads host updates over HTTPS on port 9087. Open it between ESXi hosts and vCenter, or compliance checks and vSphere HA might fail

📦 Inherited from vSphere 8.0 U3

✅ HTTP response compression on by default across vCenter and ESXi proxies
✅ Removal of VM operation restrictions from the vSphere Client
✅ Unified management and automation API sessions
✅ Best-effort VM evacuation compute policy for maintenance mode
✅ Embedded vSphere Cluster Service (vCLS)

Base 8.0 U3 features are summarized from the ESXi 8.0 Update 3 release notes.

🖥️ ESXi 8.0 System Requirements

ProcessorAt least 2 CPU cores, 64-bit x86, NX/XD bit enabled
VirtualizationIntel VT-x or AMD RVI enabled for 64-bit VMs
RAM8 GB minimum; 12 GB+ for typical production
Boot device32 GB+ persistent (HDD, SSD or NVMe), not shared between hosts
NetworkOne or more Gigabit or faster Ethernet controllers
VM storageSCSI disk or local RAID LUN with unpartitioned space

Source: ESXi 8.0 hardware requirements. Confirm your server model in the VMware Compatibility Guide. General support for vSphere 8.0 is listed as ending October 11, 2027; confirm the date on Broadcom’s lifecycle page.

📦 Available Editions & Licensing

■ VMware vSphere Foundation & VMware Cloud Foundation
Since 8.0 Update 2b, one Solution License can cover the components of VVF and VCF, so the vSphere Client may list the same license name once per component.
■ Support entitlement
Patch downloads need a Broadcom Support Portal account with an entitlement covering your vSphere products.
■ Components in this release
ESXi 8.0 U3k (offline bundle, standard and no-tools image profiles) and vCenter Server Appliance 8.0 U3k (patch ISO).

How to Install vSphere 8.0U3k: Update vCenter and ESXi

The safe order is vCenter first, then hosts. Follow Broadcom’s vCenter patching guide for the full procedure.

1
Check compatibility and back up
Confirm your servers, drivers and add-ons against the VMware Compatibility Guide. Take a vCenter file-based backup or snapshot, and note your host configuration before you start.
2
Download and verify the files
Download the ESXi offline bundle and the vCenter patch ISO from the Broadcom Support Portal, then compare each SHA256 with the values on this page.
3
Open port 9087
From 8.0 Update 3, hosts fetch lifecycle updates from vCenter over TCP 9087. Allow it between ESXi hosts and vCenter before you patch.
4
Update vCenter Server
Attach the patch ISO to the vCenter appliance VM’s CD/DVD drive, open the VAMI at https://<vcenter>:5480, then choose Update → Check Updates → Check CD ROM and install. vCenter should always run the same version as your hosts or newer.
5
Patch the ESXi hosts
In clusters managed with vSphere Lifecycle Manager images, import the 8.0U3k image and remediate; the release notes say to use Live Patch only in image-managed clusters. Without vLCM, use ESXCLI with the offline bundle as shown below.
# Enter maintenance mode, then patch from the offline bundle esxcli system maintenanceMode set –enable true esxcli software profile update -d /vmfs/volumes/<datastore>/VMware-ESXi-8.0U3k-25595708-depot.zip -p ESXi-8.0U3k-25595708-standard reboot
6
Confirm the new build
After the host returns, run vmware -vl and check that ESXi reports build 25595708. In the VAMI, confirm vCenter shows build 25600417.

Download vSphere 8.0U3k Today

Patch vCenter first, then your ESXi hosts, and verify the builds afterwards.
⬇ Go to Download Links
Khurram Shahzad, Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization Engineer and author at VMoreCloud
👤 About the Author
Khurram Shahzad
Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization Engineer
Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization Engineer specializing in VMware (VCF, vSAN, Aria), Microsoft Azure, AWS, Windows Server, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune, Linux, Nutanix, Proxmox, networking, backup & disaster recovery, Cisco and FortiGate. I share practical technical guides, infrastructure projects and insights to help IT professionals build and manage modern IT environments through VMoreCloud.
🖥️ VMware 🔷 Azure ☁️ AWS 🪟 Windows Server 🐧 Linux 🗄️ Virtualization 🛡️ Cybersecurity 🔗 Networking 💾 Backup & DR ✖️ Nutanix 🟠 Proxmox
📄
120+
Articles Published
👥
10K+
Readers
🎓
Learning & Sharing
A Stronger Tech Community
View all articles →
“Learn  |  Build  |  Share”
☁️ VMoreCloud | Tech Knowledge for a Better Tomorrow
IT  •  Cloud  •  Virtualization  •  Security  •  Open Source
Sourced from official Broadcom documentation. vmorecloud.com is an independent IT learning resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Broadcom or VMware. Always verify compatibility and take backups before updating a production environment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *