Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture Appliance License
Brand: Broadcom | Category: Storage Systems
SKU: BROA-VS8STORENTGSSSC | Part #: VS8-STOR-ENT-G-SSS-C | MPN: VS8-STOR-ENT-G-SSS-C
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About the Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture Appliance License
Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture (ESA) Appliance License represents a fundamental re-architecture of VMware's hyper-converged storage stack, purpose-built to exploit the full performance envelope of NVMe and NVMe-oF hardware. Unlike the legacy Original Storage Architecture (OSA) which retained a buffer-cache design inherited from spinning-disk era assumptions, ESA introduces a single-tier log-structured storage engine that writes directly to NVMe flash at wire speed, eliminating the SSD endurance penalties and latency overhead of the traditional caching tier. The result is a storage fabric capable of sustaining millions of IOPS per cluster with sub-100-microsecond latencies at the host level, making it viable for latency-sensitive database, real-time analytics, and AI inference serving workloads that were previously constrained by legacy HCI architectures.
Ideal for
- AI/ML training and inference infrastructure where GPU compute nodes require NVMe-backed shared storage with sustained multi-million IOPS throughput and sub-millisecond latency for feature retrieval and checkpoint I/O
- Mission-critical Oracle, SAP HANA, and Microsoft SQL Server deployments demanding RAID-6 erasure coding with inline compression and zero-RPO stretched cluster replication across data center fault domains
- VDI at scale on VMware Horizon with thousands of persistent desktops leveraging ESA deduplication ratios exceeding 5:1 on Windows OS volumes to maximize usable capacity per node
- Private cloud infrastructure built on VMware Cloud Foundation where ESA appliance licensing aligns with VCF Bill of Materials for fully validated, subscription-managed HCI stacks
- Edge computing nodes requiring a compact two-node vSAN cluster with ESA-optimized witness traffic for remote office and industrial IoT analytics workloads
- Kubernetes persistent volume storage via vSAN CSI driver where containerized microservices and stateful applications require storage policies enforcing IOPS limits, throughput reservations, and failure tolerance levels per namespace
Technical specifications
| Manufacturer | Broadcom |
| Product Line | VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 |
| License Edition | Express Storage Architecture (ESA) Appliance License |
| Storage Architecture | Express Storage Architecture (ESA) – single-tier log-structured NVMe engine |
| Legacy Architecture Support | Not applicable – ESA requires all-NVMe drive groups; OSA functionality handled by separate license SKU |
| Minimum NVMe Drives per Host | 4 x NVMe (all-flash, no caching tier required) |
| Supported Transport Protocols | NVMe/PCIe, NVMe-oF over TCP, NVMe-oF over RDMA (RoCEv2) |
| Maximum Cluster Size | 64 hosts per vSAN cluster |
| Minimum Cluster Size | 2 hosts (2-node cluster with remote witness appliance) |
| Fault Tolerance Methods | RAID-1 (mirroring), RAID-5 (erasure coding, minimum 4 hosts), RAID-6 (erasure coding, minimum 6 hosts) |
| Inline Data Services | Deduplication, compression, erasure coding – all executed within ESA log engine without background reclaim |
| Stretched Cluster Support | Yes – active-active metro HA across two fault domains, RPO = 0, witness traffic compression enabled |
| Storage Policy-Based Management | Per-VM SPBM with IOPS limits, throughput reservations, failure tolerance level, and encryption policies |
| Encryption | Data-at-rest encryption (vSAN native) with HCI Mesh and vSphere Native Key Provider support; FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic modules |
| NVMe-oF Target Offload | Hardware-assisted NVMe-oF target offload supported on certified SmartNIC/DPU platforms |
| vSphere Integration | vSphere 8 Update 3 required; managed via vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) for unified host and storage firmware governance |
| Kubernetes CSI Support | vSAN CSI Driver 3.x with dynamic provisioning, volume snapshots, volume cloning, and per-PVC storage policy enforcement |
| AI Workload Storage Profiles | Pre-defined SPBM policy templates for GPU compute node storage, model checkpoint I/O, and high-throughput feature store access patterns |
| Observability & Health | VMware Skyline Health telemetry, vSAN Performance Service with per-object granularity, proactive support integration with Broadcom Support portal |
| Licensing Model | Per-appliance perpetual license; tied to validated vSAN Ready Node or VCF Appliance hardware SKUs |
| Supported Hypervisor | VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0 Update 3 and later |
| VCF Compatibility | VMware Cloud Foundation 5.x – ESA Appliance License included in VCF Advanced and Enterprise BOM configurations |
| Launch Timeframe | 2025 Q2 |
Available from Omnixon Global. Submit an RFQ and our team will confirm configuration and availability for your order.
Technical Specifications
| Brand | Broadcom |
| Category | Storage Systems |
| SKU | BROA-VS8STORENTGSSSC |
| Part Number | VS8-STOR-ENT-G-SSS-C |
| Condition | New |
| Product Line | VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 |
| License Edition | Express Storage Architecture (ESA) Appliance License |
| Storage Architecture | Express Storage Architecture (ESA) – single-tier log-structured NVMe engine |
| Legacy Architecture Support | Not applicable – ESA requires all-NVMe drive groups; OSA functionality handled by separate license SKU |
| Minimum NVMe Drives per Host | 4 x NVMe (all-flash, no caching tier required) |
| Supported Transport Protocols | NVMe/PCIe, NVMe-oF over TCP, NVMe-oF over RDMA (RoCEv2) |
| Maximum Cluster Size | 64 hosts per vSAN cluster |
| Minimum Cluster Size | 2 hosts (2-node cluster with remote witness appliance) |
| Fault Tolerance Methods | RAID-1 (mirroring), RAID-5 (erasure coding, minimum 4 hosts), RAID-6 (erasure coding, minimum 6 hosts) |
| Inline Data Services | Deduplication, compression, erasure coding – all executed within ESA log engine without background reclaim |
| Stretched Cluster Support | Yes – active-active metro HA across two fault domains, RPO = 0, witness traffic compression enabled |
| Storage Policy-Based Management | Per-VM SPBM with IOPS limits, throughput reservations, failure tolerance level, and encryption policies |
| Encryption | Data-at-rest encryption (vSAN native) with HCI Mesh and vSphere Native Key Provider support; FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic modules |
| NVMe-oF Target Offload | Hardware-assisted NVMe-oF target offload supported on certified SmartNIC/DPU platforms |
| vSphere Integration | vSphere 8 Update 3 required; managed via vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) for unified host and storage firmware governance |
| Kubernetes CSI Support | vSAN CSI Driver 3.x with dynamic provisioning, volume snapshots, volume cloning, and per-PVC storage policy enforcement |
| AI Workload Storage Profiles | Pre-defined SPBM policy templates for GPU compute node storage, model checkpoint I/O, and high-throughput feature store access patterns |
| Observability & Health | VMware Skyline Health telemetry, vSAN Performance Service with per-object granularity, proactive support integration with Broadcom Support portal |
| Licensing Model | Per-appliance perpetual license; tied to validated vSAN Ready Node or VCF Appliance hardware SKUs |
| Supported Hypervisor | VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0 Update 3 and later |
| VCF Compatibility | VMware Cloud Foundation 5.x – ESA Appliance License included in VCF Advanced and Enterprise BOM configurations |
| Launch Timeframe | 2025 Q2 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture Appliance License
What does the Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture Appliance License do?
the Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture Appliance License suits enterprise data-center storage tiers — all-flash arrays, hyperconverged storage pools (vSAN, Ceph), database backends, and high-throughput backup repositories. It is supported by major server platforms.
What are the headline specs of the Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture Appliance License?
Key specifications for the Broadcom VMware vSAN 8 Update 3 Express Storage Architecture Appliance License: new condition; manufacturer Broadcom; product line VMware vSAN 8 Update 3; license edition Express Storage Architecture (ESA) Appliance License; storage architecture Express Storage Architecture (ESA) – single-tier log-structured NVMe engine; legacy architecture support Not applicable – ESA requires all-NVMe drive groups; OSA functionality handled by separate license SKU; minimum nvme drives per host 4 x NVMe (all-flash, no caching tier required). Manufacturer part number VS8-STOR-ENT-G-SSS-C. For the full datasheet with electrical, environmental, and compliance details, contact our pre-sales engineering team.