To download the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK), you must now access it through the Broadcom Support Portal following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware. 📥 Direct Download Access
The VDDK is essential for developers creating backup and recovery software for VMware vSphere.
Primary Source: Access the Broadcom Support Portal and navigate to the Downloads section. You will typically find it under VMware vSphere -> Drivers & Tools -> Automation Tools and SDKs.
Alternative (Nutanix Users): If you are specifically migrating to Nutanix AHV, an official Nutanix-hosted alternative is available via their VDDK Downloads Box. 🛠️ Installation Steps (Linux)
Once downloaded, the VDDK (usually a .tar.gz file) needs to be manually placed and linked: Copy the file to your appliance or server (e.g., /root).
Extract the archive:tar -xvf VMware-vix-disklib-[version].x86_64.tar.gz
Move to system libraries:cp -rf vmware-vix-disklib-distrib/ /usr/lib/vmware-vix-disklib/
Create symbolic links to ensure your software can find the libraries:ln -s /usr/lib/vmware-vix-disklib/lib64/libvixDiskLib.so /usr/lib/libvixDiskLib.so Update library cache:ldconfig. 💡 Key Features of VDDK download vmware vddk
Efficient Data Transfer: Enables block-level access to virtual disks for faster backups.
Snapshot Management: Allows applications to create and manage VMware snapshots programmatically.
Compatibility: Each VDDK version has specific support for vSphere releases (e.g., VDDK 7.0 supports ESXi 7.0 and 6.7).
📍 Note: You must have a Broadcom/VMware account to access the downloads on the official portal. If you haven't migrated your old VMware account yet, you may need to complete that process on the Broadcom site first. Installing on VMware vSphere - IBM
Before we dive into the download process, let's clarify why VDDK is essential for your infrastructure:
Agentless Backup and Replication: Modern backup software uses VDDK to communicate directly with ESXi hosts or vCenter Server. It leverages VMware’s Changed Block Tracking (CBT) to perform incremental backups, drastically reducing backup windows and network load.
Granular File Recovery (GFR): Need to restore a single email or a configuration file from a 4TB VM? VDDK allows backup tools to mount a VMDK as a virtual drive on a proxy server, enabling file-level recovery without restoring the entire VM. To download the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit
Disaster Recovery Automation: Custom scripts can use VDDK commands (like vmware-mount or vmware-vdiskmanager) to automate failover processes, clone disks, or convert disk formats.
Forensics and Auditing: Security teams use VDDK to open forensic copies of VMDKs for offline analysis without booting the suspect VM.
Without VDDK, you would be forced to install backup agents inside every VM (consuming CPU, memory, and storage) or rely on less efficient network-based file copies.
If you came here looking to download VMware VDDK, you may also need these related tools:
VDDK is not a replacement for those; it's a complementary, low-level disk library.
Once the download is complete, follow these steps for installation:
Virtual machine > Disk > Change tracking, Virtual machine > Provisioning > Allow read-only disk access, and Global > Manage custom attributes.The VDDK includes a powerful command-line utility. For example, to clone a thin-provisioned VMDK to a thick provisioned one: Why Do You Need to Download VMware VDDK
vmware-vdiskmanager -r source.vmdk -t 2 dest.vmdk
Conversion types (-t):
Kai had always liked solving problems. As the site reliability engineer for a small startup, they slept well knowing backups ran like clockwork—until the day the nightly snapshot job failed. Error logs pointed to a corrupted agent; the team needed a fresh toolchain to rebuild the backup pipeline. The one bright hope was the VMware VDDK: the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit, a set of libraries and utilities that let programs read, write, and snapshot virtual disks.
Kai booted their laptop, cracked knuckles, and began the hunt. They remembered reading that VDDK packages were offered by VMware and required matching the kit version to the vSphere hosts. It felt like archaeology: hunt down the right release notes, find the matching build number, and avoid the trap of installing a version incompatible with the cluster’s ESXi hosts.
At the VMware downloads site Kai found a matrix of versions. They compared the cluster’s ESXi version—6.7 U3—and the VDDK compatibility table, then picked the VDDK release that matched. The download page required authentication and an account, so Kai used the team’s shared access. A few clicks later, the tarball arrived.
Inside the archive was a tidy set of components: libraries, a sample vSphere backup utility, and documentation. Kai read the README and found a small warning: “Install matching lib64 paths and set VDDEVEL_HOME.” Following the instructions, they unpacked the kit into /opt/vmware/vddk, adjusted library paths, and ran the included sample utility against a test VM. The program connected, opened the virtual disk, and reported the snapshots—success.
Still cautious, Kai wrote a small wrapper script to integrate VDDK with the company’s backup orchestrator, adding retries and careful logging. The wrapper handled credential rotation and validated snapshot consistency. Overnight, the script ran against a noncritical VM and produced a clean, restorable backup image.
The next day, when the production agent rebuilt the pipeline using the VDDK-based utility, the failure that had kept Kai awake for a week vanished. Restores tested green. The CTO sent a terse, grateful message: “Nice work.” Kai replied with a single line: “Matched versions, proper install, and automated checks.”
Sitting back, Kai realized the work had been more than a download and an install. It had been a lesson in compatibility, careful reading of docs, and conservative testing. The VDDK tarball was just a tool—what mattered was the practice of using it safely. And with that, Kai updated the runbook so the next engineer would find the right download, the right version, and the right steps—no midnight archaeologies required.
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