Download the "Lenovo Custom Image for ESXi 8.0" from the Lenovo Data Center Support site. 4. System Requirements for ESXi 8.0
Navigate to: https://support.broadcom.com → Click (top right). Use your existing VMware account or create a new one.
Use IPMI/iLO/iDRAC to mount the ISO virtually and boot the server. download vmware esxi 8.0 iso
The downloaded ISO installs with a . You must apply a free or paid license key before this period expires to avoid virtual machine management lockouts.
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to download the VMware ESXi 8.0 ISO, the prerequisites, and the best practices for obtaining the official image. What is VMware ESXi 8.0? Download the "Lenovo Custom Image for ESXi 8
If you are deploying ESXi 8.0 onto a production name-brand enterprise server, always use the vendor-specific Custom ISO to avoid stability and network connectivity issues during installation. What About the Free Version of ESXi 8.0?
VMware ESXi 8.0 introduces significant new capabilities that enhance performance, security, and management flexibility: Use your existing VMware account or create a new one
If you need help deploying the hypervisor now that you have the file, please let me know:
Historically, VMware offered a popular "Free ESXi Evaluation" license (VMware vSphere Hypervisor Free) which allowed home lab enthusiasts and small businesses to run a single node with limited vVCPU allocations without a paid subscription.
In a significant move welcomed by the community, Broadcom reintroduced a free version of ESXi starting with the 8.0 Update 3e release. This version, known as VMware vSphere Hypervisor, is ideal for home labs, development, and testing environments.
