Dell Unity: vVols Support Ending - Upgrade and Migration Considerations
Summary: Broadcom has announced the deprecation of vVols in VCF/VVF 9.0, with removal planned for 9.1. Customers using vVols with Dell Unity should avoid upgrading to VCF/VVF 9.0, as support will be limited to critical fixes only. Customers can migrate from vVols to Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) using Storage vMotion or XCOPY (starting in VCF 9.0). ...
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Instructions
In June 2025, Broadcom announced that VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes (vVols) will be deprecated in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) 9.0; vVols will also be fully removed in VCF and VVF 9.1.
Broadcom verified that support for vVols (for critical issue fixes only) will continue for vSphere 8.x and VCF/VVF 5.x and other older supported versions until the end-of-support for those releases.
Also, Broadcom will consider limited-time support on a case-by-case basis for customers wanting vVol support in VCF/VVF 9.0. Customers should contact their Broadcom representative for further guidance.
- Deprecation of VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes (vVols) in VCF 9.0 and VVF 9.0 (external link)
- VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Product Support Notes (external link)
What about earlier versions of vSphere and VCF?
- Broadcom continues to support vVols in vSphere 7.x and 8.x. However, this support is only for critical fixes and not general enhancements.
What does this mean for Unity?
- vVols being deprecated in VCF and VVF 9.0 means that it is fully functional, but it is no longer a supported feature. Support is limited, and it is a 'use at your own risk' feature. Starting with VCF and VVF 9.1, vVols will be removed and no longer be functional even if an array supports vVols.
- Currently, Dell continues to support vVols. If customers want to continue using vVols with their Dell Unity array, it is suggested that they do not upgrade to VCF/VVF 9.0. It may be wise to also isolate environments to keep older and newer versions separated and avoid an accidental upgrade.
- If this changes, this article will be updated.
If necessary, how can customers migrate from vVols to VMFS?
- Currently, the only method to migrate from vVols to VMFS is through Storage vMotion. As this is a resource-intensive process, there are limitations to how many concurrent vMotion sessions can occur. It is recommended that each vMotion be done individually while monitoring the resources of the host to avoid resource starvation.
- Starting in VCF 9.0, XCOPY supports vVOL to VMFS.
Affected Products
Virtualization Solutions, Dell EMC Unity, Dell EMC Unity Family |Dell EMC Unity All Flash, Dell EMC Unity Hybrid, Dell Unity Operating Environment (OE), VMwareArticle Properties
Article Number: 000414330
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 12 كانون الثاني 2026
Version: 1
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