VMware is the industry standard for a reason.
Do you own a Dell PowerEdge, HP ProLiant, or Lenovo server from the 2015–2018 era? OEM Customized ISOs are often still available on the hardware vendor’s website (e.g., Dell Support).
Having the ISO is only half the battle. During installation (or after), you will be asked for a license key.
To apply the license:
The free download page previously hosted at vmware.com is gone. You must now look through the VMware product list.
If you find it, select Version 6.5.0.
Look for the ISO image (e.g., VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6.5.0-XXXXXXX.x86_64.iso). Do not download the "Offline Bundle" unless you are using Update Manager; the ISO is what you need for installation.
To be fair, the free version does have restrictions compared to the paid enterprise tiers:
Vmware Esxi 6.5 Download Iso — Free
VMware is the industry standard for a reason.
Do you own a Dell PowerEdge, HP ProLiant, or Lenovo server from the 2015–2018 era? OEM Customized ISOs are often still available on the hardware vendor’s website (e.g., Dell Support). vmware esxi 6.5 download iso free
Having the ISO is only half the battle. During installation (or after), you will be asked for a license key. VMware is the industry standard for a reason
To apply the license:
The free download page previously hosted at vmware.com is gone. You must now look through the VMware product list. To apply the license:
If you find it, select Version 6.5.0.
Look for the ISO image (e.g., VMware-VMvisor-Installer-6.5.0-XXXXXXX.x86_64.iso). Do not download the "Offline Bundle" unless you are using Update Manager; the ISO is what you need for installation.
To be fair, the free version does have restrictions compared to the paid enterprise tiers: