VMware ⚠️ Configuration Limits

VMware ⚠️ Configuration Limits

Here is a list of VMware vSphere Configuration limits for the latest VMware vSphere version and some previous releases.

Virtual Machine Limits

vSphere7.06.76.56.0 5.55.1 5.0
Virtual CPUs per virtual machine256256*128128646432
RAM per virtual machine6TB 6TB6TB4TB1TB1TB1TB
Virtual SCSI adapters per virtual machine4 444444
Virtual SCSI targets per virtual SCSI adapter64 64151515XX
Virtual SCSI targets per virtual machine256 256606060XX
Virtual NVMe adapters per virtual machine4 44XXXX
Virtual NVMe targets per virtual SCSI adapter15 1515XXXX
Virtual NVMe targets per virtual machine60 6060XXXX
Virtual SATA adapters per virtual machine4 4444XX
Virtual SATA devices per virtual SATA adapter30 30303030XX
Virtual disk size62TB 62TB62TB62TB62TB2TB2TB
IDE controllers per virtual machine1 111111
IDE devices per virtual machine4 444444
Floppy controllers per virtual machine1 111111
Floppy devices per virtual machine2 222222
Virtual NICs per virtual machine10 101010101010
USB controllers per virtual machine1 111111
USB devices connected to a virtual machine20 202020202020
USB 3.0 devices per virtual machine1 111111
Video memory per virtual machine4GB 2GB2GB512MB512MBXX
Parallel ports per virtual machine3 333333


Host Limits

 vSphere7.06.76.56.0 5.55.1 5.0
Logical CPUs per host768768576480320160160
Virtual machines per host1024102410241024512512512
Virtual CPUs per host4096409640964096409620482048
Virtual CPUs per core32323232322525
RAM per host16TB16TB12TB12TB4TB2TB2TB

Network Limits

vSphere7.06.76.56.0 5.55.1 5.0
 Total virtual network switch ports per host4096409640964096409640964096
 Maximum active ports per host1016101610161016101610501050
 Virtual network switch creation ports4088408840884088408840884088
 Port groups512512512512512512512
 Distributed virtual network switch ports per vCenter60000600006000060000600006000060000
 Static port groups per vCenter10000100001000010000100001000010000
 Ephemeral port groups per vCenter1016101610161016101610161016
 Hosts per distributed switch2000200020001000500500350
 Distributed switches per vCenter12812812812812812832
 VMDirectPath PCI/PCIe devices per host8888888
 VMDirectPath PCI/PCIe devices per virtual machine4444444
 Concurrent vMotion operations per host (1Gb/s network)4444444
 Concurrent vMotion operations per host (10Gb/s network)4488888

Storage Limits

vSphere7.06.76.56.05.55.1 5.0
Software iSCSI NICs per server888888
Number of total paths on a server404820481024102410241024
Number of paths to a iSCSI LUN888888
Software iSCSI targets256256256256256256
NFS mounts per host256256256256256256
 FC LUNs per host512512256256256256
FC LUN ID16383163831023255255255
FC Number of paths to a LUN323232323232
Number of HBAs of any type888888
HBA ports161616161616
Targets per HBA256256256256256
Software FCoE adapters444444
Hosts per volume646464646464
Powered on virtual machines per VMFS volume204820482048204820482048
Concurrent vMotion operations per datastore128128128128128128
Concurrent Storage vMotion operations per datastore888888
Concurrent Storage vMotion operations per host222222
Concurrent non vMotion provisioning operations per host888888
VMFS Volume size64TB64TB64TB64TB64TB64TB
Virtual disks per datastore cluster9000900090009000XX
Datastores per datastore cluster64646464XX
Datastore clusters per vCenter256256256256XX

Fault Tolerance Limits

vSphere6.76.56.05.55.1 5.0
Virtual disks1616161616X
Virtual CPUs per virtual machine8441 11
RAM per FT VM64GB64GB64GB64GB64GB64GB
Virtual machines per host44 4 444

Virtual SAN Limits

vSphere7.06.76.56.05.5
Virtual SAN disk groups per hostX5555
Magnetic disks per disk groupX7777
SSD disks per disk groupX1111
Spinning disks in all diskgroups per hostX35353535
Components per Virtual SAN hostX9000900090003000
 Number of Virtual SAN nodes in a clusterX64646432
 Number of Virtual SAN nodes in a cluster (All-Flash)X3232XX
 Number of datastores per clusterX1111
 Virtual machines per hostX200200200100
 Virtual machines per clusterX6000600064003200
Virtual machine virtual disk sizeX62TB62TB62TB62TB
Disk stripes per objectX12121212
Percentage of flash read cache reservationX100100100100
Failure to tolerateX3333
Percentage of object space reservationX100100100100
Virtual SAN networks/physical network fabricsX2222

vCenter Server Limits

vSphere7.06.76.56.05.55.1 5.0
Hosts per vCenter ServerX200020001000100010001000
Powered on virtual machinesX250002500010000100001000010000
Registered virtual machinesX3500015000150001500015000
Linked vCenter ServersX1510/1510101010
Hosts in linked vCenter ServersX800060004000300030003000
Powered on virtual machines in linked vCenterX5000030000/5000030000300003000030000
Registered virtual machines in linked vCenterX700005000050000500005000050000
Concurrent Client connectionsXX60180100100100
Number of host per datacenterX2000500500500500
MAC addresses per vCenter ServerX6553665536655366553665536
USB devices connected at vSphere ClientXX20202020

Cluster and Resource Pool Limits

vSphere6.76.56.05.55.1 5.0
Hosts per cluster646464323232
Virtual machines per cluster800080004000400040003000
Virtual machines per hostX10241024512512512
Maximum concurrent host HA failoverXXXX3232
Failover as percentage of clusterXXXX100%100%
Resource pools per clusterX16001600160016001600
Resource pools per hostX16001600160016001600
Children per resource poolX11001100102410241024
Resource pool tree depth888888

*** The above list was made by Vladan and it probably took him hours and maybe even days to put together. I’ve decided to share it here in hope that it might be useful to someone else, but to be clear, all copyright is reserved by Vladan.

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Stefan Pejcic
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