VMware re-issues ESX 3.5 Update 2 to remove embarassing timebomb
VMware released today a refresh of its recently released ESX 3.5 and ESX 3.5i Update 2 software that eliminates the embrassing timebomb that killed the software's use on Aug 12.
The code was in the beta, and was designed to pull the plug on the software's use after the final version shipped so that customers would shell out the bucks to upgrade. Obviously, the timebomb wasn't intended to be embedded in the shipping version. (So how did it get in there?)
The Update 2 refresh -- build 110268 and available for download as of Aug 13 -- is in addition to the express patch that the Palo Alto, Calif. company issued yesterday after the problem surfaced along with a letter of apology was posted by newly named VMware President and CEO Paul Maritz, a former longtime Microsofter.
Numerous analysts and pundits -- and Maritz himself -- have thrown darts at the company's quality assurance team for the mistake.
But I have one big question: Would it have happened under former President and CEO Diane Greene's watch? Would it have happened if Greene was not discharged last month? Who knows for sure, but let's face it: it certainly isn't the way Maritz wanted to come out of the gate with his new customers and employees.
Maritz was named president and CEO of VMware a little over a month ago. He spent 14 years at Microsoft and left in 2000 to found a company that was acquired by EMC in February and was reportedly kept on to run the company's cloud business. Then suddenly he is named head of VMware -- just as his former employer, Microsoft, released its long awaited Hyper-V virtualization hypervisor.
Maritz may be the best candidate to fight off Microsoft -- and even may be better at pumping up revenues -- but he must be cautious not to alienate customers and employees in doing so. VMware customers have choices -- Microsoft, Citrix, Qumranet, to name a few. He's on the opposite side of the fence now. VMware is a strong company but it doesn't control the market like his former employer once did.
VMware issued an announcement today about Update 2 update: "We have notified our customers that we have re-issued the entire ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 release (ISOs, upgrade tar and zip files, and patch bundles). They are available for download at http://www.vmware.com/download/. Please note this update is only relevant to customers who did not install the impacted release of ESX 3.5 Update 2 (build number 103908)."