Broadcom has officially restricted public access to the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK), a library essential for third-party software to interact with virtual disks for backup, recovery, and migration tasks. Users attempting to access the download page now encounter error messages.
The company stated that the change aims to maintain high standards of security and reliability. Broadcom now directs customers to utilize solutions provided exclusively by authorized technical alliance partners instead of downloading the toolkit independently.
This decision impacts various third-party services that rely on VDDK APIs, including Microsoft Azure Migrate, which previously instructed administrators to download versions 8.0 or 9.0 directly from the official Broadcom website for VM migration processes.
Industry observers view this move as part of Broadcom's broader strategy to tighten control over the VMware ecosystem following the acquisition. The company has already implemented significant changes to its licensing, subscription models, and partner network structures.
