VMware defends ending downloads of SDK that helps VM backups– or migrations to rivals

VMware has defended its decision to stop offering downloads of its Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) software. VDDK is an SDK that enables software developers to create applications for accessing and manipulating virtual disks, as well as providing APIs for backup, recovery, cloning, and other virtual disk operations. This utility is also valuable when migrating virtual machines (VMs) from one virtualization environment to another, such as from VMware to other platforms like Nutanix, Red Hat, or Apache CloudStack.

After VMware removed the links for downloading VDDK, several rivals pointed out that the SDK was being used in their migration tools, including Nutanix's Move and Red Hat's migration processes. ShapeBlue, an Apache CloudStack integrator, called VDDK an essential part of migration tools, noting that the virt-v2v engine used in most VMware-to-KVM conversions relies on the VDDK.

The company argued that the removal of the public downloads was unfair to small migration consultancies, open-source projects, and customers converting their own workloads, as they only had access to forum posts and error messages when the links stopped working. VMware explained that access to VDDK remains available through select technology alliance partners ("TAPs") for licensed backup and recovery use cases.

The spokesperson argued that VDDK is not a customer entitlement, but rather a software development kit covered by its own license, never included with a Broadcom software purchase. VMware claims that VDDK should not be expected to be used for migrations, which are considered unlicensed use cases for the tool. While some services organizations have found workarounds to avoid needing VDDK for migrations, VMware's decision to end public VDDK downloads coincides with the company's changed licensing policies, which have prompted some users to consider reducing their use of VMware products or shifting to competing platforms.