8.0

Figure 3-1. Starting with vSphere 8.0, VMware moves functionality that runs on the core CPU
complex to the DPU CPU complex:
vSphere Distributed Services Engine offloads and accelerates infrastructure functions on the
DPU by introducing a VMware vSphere Distributed Switch on the DPU and VMware NSX
Networking and Observability, which allows to proactively monitor, identify, and mitigate network
infrastructure bottlenecks without complex network taps. The DPU becomes a new control point
to scale infrastructure functions and enables security controls that are agentless and decoupled
from the workload domain.
With vSphere Distributed Services Engine, you can:
n Install and update ESXi images simultaneously on DPU and CPU to reduce operational
overhead of DPU lifecycle management with integrated vSphere workflows. For more
information, see Using vSphere Lifecycle Manager With VMware vSphere Distributed Services
Engine.
n Set alarms for DPU hardware alerts and monitor performance metrics on core, memory, and
network throughput from the familiar vCenter interfaces, without the need of new tools. For
more information, see CPU (DPU) and Memory (DPU).
n Accelerate vSphere Distributed Switch on the DPU to improve network performance and
utilize available CPU cycles to achieve higher workload consolidation per ESXi host. For more
information, see What is Network Offloads Capability and Create a vSphere Distributed Switch.
n Get vSphere DRS and vSphere vMotion support for VMs running on hosts with DPUs attached
to get the benefits of passthrough without sacrificing on VM portability. For more information,
see Homogenous clusters for DPUs.
n Improve the security of infrastructure with zero-trust security. For more information, see
vSphere Distributed Services Engine Security Best Practices.
VMware ESXi Installation and Setup
VMware, Inc. 10