One of the limitations of the VMware ESX Server product that competitors always point the finger at is VMware's limited list of supported hardware and software. The competition claims that VMware's need for a hardware compatibility list (HCL) puts VMware at a disadvantage since the competitor products can be installed on top of most hardware without the need for special drivers. Of course, this "problem" hasn't One of the limitations of the VMware ESX Server product that competitors always point the finger at is VMware’s limited list of supported hardware and software. The competition claims that VMware’s need for a hardware compatibility list (HCL) puts VMware at a disadvantage since the competitor products can be installed on top of most hardware without the need for special drivers. Of course, this “problem” hasn’t taken the wind out of VMware’s sails (or sales) yet!Customers of VMware have quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) complained about this limitation before, especially when it comes to non-production activities such as testing. As an example, consumers want to install and operate ESX Server on non-SCSI disks (such as using cheaper SATA drives) to make the server cheaper for development and testing scenarios.Well, VMware has made a slight course alteration. It now offers a “Community Supported Hardware/Software for VMware Infrastructure” list. This list of hardware and software components has been reported to work with VI3, either by the community or by the individual vendors themselves. VMware doesn’t edit or endorse the list nor does it accept any liability for claims made by third parties. The official VMware support policy has also been adapted for this new change. Unless explicitly supported in VMware’s Compatibility Guides, third party hardware and software will be treated as follows:VMware Global Support Services (GSS) will assist customers in problem analysis to determine whether or not the technical issue is related to the 3rd party hardware or software. In order to isolate the Error, we reserve the right to request that the 3rd party hardware or software be removed. This will only be done where we have reason to believe the issue is related to the 3rd party hardware or software. If VMware GSS cannot directly identify the root cause or it is reasonably suspected that the problem is related to the 3rd party hardware or software, we will direct the customer to open a support request with the 3rd party vendor’s support organization.The list is growing and components are easily identified as being reported by either the community or the vendor and it also offers a community rating system.You can check out the listing or find out more information, here. Software Development