A Compatibility Guide – Can vCenter 8 Manage ESXi 6.7

VMware vSphere is a powerful virtualization platform, but managing hybrid versions can be tricky. A common question among IT administrators is: can vCenter 8 manage ESXi 6.7? What can vCenter 8 support ESXi versions?

Can vCenter 8 Manage ESXi 6.7?

VMware’s Official Stance

According to VMware’s Compatibility Matrix, vCenter Server 8 does support managing ESXi 6.7 hosts, but with limitations:

• vCenter 8 requires ESXi 6.7 Update 3 (or later) for full functionality.
• Some newer vSphere 8 features (like vSphere Distributed Services Engine) won’t work on older hosts.
• VMware recommends upgrading ESXi hosts for optimal performance and security.

Key Considerations

1. Mixed Environment Challenges

• Managing older ESXi versions with vCenter Server 8 may result in reduced functionality.
• Security patches for ESXi 6.7 have reached End of General Support (EOGS) as of October 2022.

2. Upgrade Recommendations

• If possible, upgrade ESXi 6.7 to 7.0 or 8.0 for better compatibility.
• If staying on 6.7 is necessary, ensure it’s at least Update 3 and monitor for vulnerability.

Compatibility Issue - vCenter 8 Supported ESXi Versions

vCenter Server 8 supports management of the following ESXi host versions:

ESXi Version	Support Status	Notes
ESXi 8.0	Fully Supported	Recommended for full feature compatibility
ESXi 7.0	Fully Supported	Update 3 or later recommended
ESXi 6.7	Limited Support	Requires Update 3 (vCenter 8 does not support earlier patches)
ESXi 6.5 and older	Not Supported	Cannot be managed by vCenter 8

Why You Need a Reliable Backup Solution

ESXi 6.7 is not compatible with vCenter 8. But you can perform a backup and then upgrade ESXi 6.7 to 7, or upgrade directly to ESXi 8, because a path exists to upgrade from ESXi 6.7 to ESXi 8. AOMEI Cyber Backup is a good choice; it offers a cost-effective and efficient way to protect your virtual infrastructure.

AOMEI Cyber Backup is a professional VM backup and recovery solution that supports VMware ESXi (including 6.7) and Microsoft Hyper-V.

✅ Key Features:

Agentless Backup – No need to install agents on each VM.

Automated Backup Schedule – Set up daily/weekly backups effortlessly.

Flexible Storage – Save backups to local disks, NAS, or cloud storage.

Quick Recovery – Restore entire VMs or individual files in minutes.

Cost-Effective – No per-VM licensing fees, unlike some enterprise solutions.

Simple Steps to Backup Large-Scale vCenter VMs

Step 1. Navigate to Source Device > VMware > + Add VMware Device to add vCenter or Standalone ESXi host directly. And then click … > Bind Device. No need to install agents on each device.

Step 2. Create backup task by clicking Backup Task > Create New Task. You can select as many VMs as you need to back up at once.

• Task Name: Select VMs for backup and enter a special name for the backup task.

• Target: Choose Target to store data, such as backup VMware VM to external hard drive, local drive, or network location.
• Schedule: Schedule daily/weekly/monthly VMware backup with different backup strategies, such as full backup for the entire VM and incremental backup for the changed data.

• Backup Cleanup (for upgrade): Set backup cleanup to auto-delete the old backup copies that exceed the retention period you specified.

Step 3. Click Start Backup to execute (or just create) the task.

Conclusion

vCenter 8 supports ESXi 6.7 (Update 3+) but has limited functionality. For optimal security and functionality, upgrade to ESXi 8.0. Use AOMEI Cyber Backup to protect VMs with agentless automated protection during migration. Reliable backups ensure a smooth transition in mixed environments.