BROADCOM has abruptly removed the public download pages for the Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK), causing 404s or inaccessible links for VDDK 8.x and 9.x. The toolkit is a critical dependency for many VMware migration and backup utilities, and the change is already hindering enterprises attempting to move workloads away from VMware to other platforms.
The company has issued no formal statement clarifying whether public distribution has ceased or if access will be restricted to official partners, and there is no word on new download channels. The disruption has already prompted Microsoft and Red Hat to revise their support guidance, with both advising enterprises to contact Broadcom directly to obtain a viable resolution.
The VDDK enables external software to access and manipulate VMDK disks, reducing the need to operate inside ESXi and underpinning numerous migration tools from vendors including Microsoft, Red Hat, and various KVM migration utilities. Red Hat has confirmed that normal VDDK downloads are unavailable and cannot redistribute the toolkit, suggesting customers contact Broadcom’s support channels and, where possible, pivot to alternatives such as storage offloading.
Broadcom’s new support paradigm now directs clients to work with designated technical support providers, which will incur fees and may not guarantee a smooth migration. The article cautions administrators to verify whether their migration or backup tools depend on VDDK before proceeding; organisations already in possession of VDDK can continue to use it, but obtaining new copies appears uncertain.