To verify whether a certain hardware device is supported in the current version of vSphere, perform the following process:
- Visit http://www.vmware.com/go/hcl/.
- Select the type or category of device to determine its compatibility by selecting it using the What are you looking for drop-down menu. For example, if the compatibility of a Network Interface Card (NIC) is being determined, select IO Devices, as shown in the following screenshot:
Screenshot of the VMware Hardware Compatibility List webpage
- Select values for the Product Release Version, Brand Name, and IO Device Type, as shown in the following screenshot:
IO device options in the VMware HCL
- Enter a value for Keyword, such as the model number. In this example, the search will be for NC364T, which is an HP quad port 1 GB server adapter, as shown in the following screenshot:
Example output of IO devices in the VMware HCL
- Clicking on the device model will display details about the device, the firmware versions that are supported, and the device driver that's used by ESXi, as shown in the following screenshot:
Example output after choosing a device model in the VMware HCL