Dell Unity: vVols Support Ending - Upgrade and Migration Considerations

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.
  • Announcing Extension of VMware vSphere 7.x and VMware vSAN 7.x General Support Period (external link)

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.
  • VMware vSphere 8.0 Release Notes: How to Migrate Your Virtual Machine with Storage vMotion (external link)
• Starting in VCF 9.0, XCOPY supports vVOL to VMFS.
  • Use of XCOPY offloads in migrations from Virtual Volume datastores (external link)