PowerEdge: NVIDIA Channel DPU VMware DSE Support

Summary: NVIDIA Bluefield Data Processing Units (DPUs) show an option to enable VMware Distributed Services Engine (DSE) in Device Level Configuration of Device Setup.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Symptoms

When observing the configuration options for an NVIDIA DPU, the option to enable VMware Distributed Services Engine (DPU) is present.

 

VMWare Distributed Services Engine (DPU)
 
 
 
 

Cause

NVIDIA has proactively added this configurable option to their Bluefield DPUs for future opportunities with VMware's distributed services engine. 
VMware's distributed services engine, also known as ESXio, is the operating system that resides on the DPU allowing for multiple offload capabilities.

Resolution

VMware's Distributed Services Engine is not supported on NVIDIA Channel cards by Dell. Dell has not validated this feature and is unable to support it, if it is enabled. 

For more information from NVIDIA, see their frequently asked questions. This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.

Affected Products

Mellanox Family of Adapters, VMware ESXi 7.x, VMware ESXi 8.x

Products

PowerEdge XE8640, PowerEdge XE9640, PowerEdge XE9680
Article Properties
Article Number: 000225111
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 05 May 2025
Version:  5
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.