ESXi-on-Arm is real and VMware will use it to run networks, storage, and security on SmartNICs

VMware has, as The Register predicted, revealed plans to make the Arm-enabled cut of its ESXi hypervisor a proper product and will run it on SmartNICs in an attempt to better serve demanding applications and bring even bare-metal servers under its umbrella. Announced today ahead of the annual VMworld conference as "Project …

[Crypto Monad]

"Disaggregation of the server"...

or "a new place for undetectable, persistent malware to run"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "Disaggregation of the server"...

Crypto Monad,

"... or a new place for undetectable, persistent malware to run"

Correct me if I am wrong but it is *your* kit .... so you should have enough control to *know* what is running where !!!

If your confidence is not very high then you need to address your controls and *who* you are allowing to run amok with 'Hobnail boots' in your enterprise !!! :)

Downvotes are below ...... TY :)

[To be fair ... it sounds like something that could be useful .... of course it will need to be tested for stability/usability and VFM.]

[Crypto Monad]

Re: "Disaggregation of the server"...

NIC development progresses like this:

1. Offload TCP to the NIC

2. Offload TLS to the NIC

3. Allow running of VMs on the NIC ?!

The NIC card now sees all your unencrypted traffic *and* can run arbitrary software. Sure, the admin will choose what they *want* running there - but it's not like there have never been security holes in hypervisors, or that code-signing certs have never been issued to malicious users.

[teknopaul]

k8s

sounds good but kubernetes will do the same.

esx has to fight with containers.

both are essentially linux on linux.

vmware will not be running x86 code on Arm, neither could k8s.

containers are more efficient than virtulization on arm and x86

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, they had to do something. Otherwise Fusion wouldn't have worked on the next-gen Macs.