What are VMWARE driver VIB Certification types exist?

Posted on by spisnet

VMWare Certified – why?

I/O Vendor Program (IOVP) program allow I/O device vendor to collaborate with VMware to release the new driver for device aka VIB file.Most of the driver will be tested out by VMware and partner in the cyclic manner before releasing to public.

Before jump in detail to IOVP program,let go through the acceptance level in VIB package.What are acceptance level and how do they help.

Acceptance Levels
Each VIB is released with an acceptance level that cannot be changed. The host acceptance level determines which VIBs can be installed to a host. You can change the host acceptance levels with esxcli commands.

VMware supports the following acceptance levels.

VMwareCertified

The VMwareCertified acceptance level has the most stringent requirements.
VIBs with this level go through thorough testing fully equivalent to VMware
in-house Quality Assurance testing for the same technology. Today, only
IOVP drivers are published at this level. VMware takes support calls for VIBs
with this acceptance level.

VMwareAccepted VIBs with this acceptance level go through verification testing, but the tests do not fully test every function of the software. The partner runs the tests
and VMware verifies the result. Today, CIM providers and PSA plug-ins are
among the VIBs published at this level. VMware directs support calls for
VIBs with this acceptance level to the partner’s support organization.
PartnerSupported VIBs with the PartnerSupported acceptance level are published by a partner that VMware trusts. The partner performs all testing. VMware does not
verify the results. This level is used for a new or nonmainstream technology
that partners want to enable for VMware systems. Today, driver VIB
technologies such as Infiniband, ATAoE, and SSD are at this level with
nonstandard hardware drivers. VMware directs support calls for VIBs with
this acceptance level to the partner’s support organization.

CommunitySupported

The CommunitySupported acceptance level is for VIBs created by
individuals or companies outside of VMware partner programs. VIBs at this
level have not gone through any VMware-approved testing program and are
not supported by VMware Technical Support or by a VMware partner.

Devices covered by this program are: 1GigE and 10GigE NICs, 4Gb, 8Gb Fibre Channel HBAs, 16Gb Fibre Channel HBAs, iSCSI HBA, FCoE CNAs, LocalStorage, NVMe and SAS HBAs.