6.0.1

Objects in Environment Compatibility Results
Cluster with ESXi 5.1, ESXi 5.5,
and ESXi 6.0 hosts
ESXi 5.1 and later Preserves the ability of the virtual machine to run on other hosts in
the cluster, such as ESXi 5.0.
You might not have access to the latest virtual hardware features.
Cluster with ESXi 5.1, ESXi 5.5,
and ESXi 6.0 hosts
ESXi 5.5 and later Gives you access to virtual hardware features that are not available
with ESXi 5.1.
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You cannot migrate this virtual machine to an ESXi 5.1 host.
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This virtual machine does not have all the capabilities available
to virtual machines that run on ESXi 6.0, for example, you
cannot configure a virtual machine to use 128 virtual CPUs.
Cluster with ESXi 5.1, ESXi 5.5,
and ESXi 6.0 hosts
ESXi 6.0 and later Provides access to the latest virtual hardware features, but but
cannot run on ESXi 5.1 or ESXi 5.5.
Set the Default Compatibility for Virtual Machine Creation
You can set the default compatibility for virtual machine creation on the host, cluster, or data center. These
options ensure that when virtual machines are added to an existing vSphere environment, they will be
compatible with the host versions that reside there.
The following conditions apply:
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To set the default compatibility on the cluster, the cluster must contain hosts that are connected and not
in maintenance mode.
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A default compatibility setting on the host overrides a default cluster or datacenter setting.
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A default compatibility setting on the cluster overrides a default datacenter setting.
Prerequisites
Required privileges:
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On the host or cluster: Host.Inventory.Modify cluster
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On the datacenter: Datacenter.Reconfigure datacenter
Procedure
u
Select a host, cluster, or data center in the inventory.
Option Action
Host
a Click the Manage tab, and click Settings.
b In the Virtual Machines section, select Default VM Compatibility and
click Edit.
c Select the compatibility from the drop-down menu and click OK.
NOTE You can set the compatibility only on hosts that are not part of a
cluster.
Cluster
a Click the Manage tab and click Settings.
b In the Configuration section, select General and click the Edit button
next to Default VM Compatibility.
c Select the compatibility from the drop-down menu and click OK.
When you change the compatibility for a cluster, the compatibility for all
hosts in the cluster changes as well.
Datacenter
a Right-click the datacenter and select Edit Default VM Compatibility.
b Select the compatibility from the drop-down menu and click OK.
When you create a virtual machine on one of these objects, the default compatibility setting is used.
Chapter 6 Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware
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