The Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) is the mechanism nearly every VMware migration and backup tool has used to read and move virtual machine disks. Broadcom has cut off public access to it — and that changes your migration timeline, whether you were ready or not.
No obligation. A RiverMeadow migration architect will map your current tooling against the VDDK cutoff in under 30 minutes.
Here's the short version of what Broadcom did, why it matters, and how it happened in stages before the final cutoff.
The Virtual Disk Development Kit gave third-party software a supported way to read, write, and transfer VMware virtual disks without hypervisor-level agents. It became the default transport for migration, backup, and DR tooling across the industry.
Following the VMware acquisition, Broadcom progressively locked down VDDK availability — download pages disappeared, links began failing, and public downloads were formally removed. VDDK is no longer available for general use or download.
Vendors that want to keep shipping VDDK-based functionality now need a direct redistribution agreement with Broadcom. Vendors without one — and customers using tools built on the old open pathway — are left exposed.
VDDK wasn't a niche dependency — it was the shared plumbing under most of the market's migration tooling. If your project touches any of the categories below, it's worth confirming exposure before you kick off — or continue — a VMware move.
Every major category of VMware migration tooling — cloud-native services, backup/DR platforms, and on-prem conversion utilities — includes products that lean on the same VMware toolkit Broadcom just locked down.
The built-in "lift-and-shift" tools major cloud providers offer for agentless VMware migration.
Exposure identifiedUtilities used to move VMware workloads to another hypervisor, private cloud, or Kubernetes-based virtualization.
Exposure identifiedTools many teams repurpose for migration — continuous replication and VM-level backup/restore products.
Exposure identifiedA RiverMeadow migration architect will map your specific tools and versions against the VDDK cutoff — no guesswork, no public checklist for anyone else to work around.
Broadcom's own guidance states plainly that VDDK "is no longer available for use or download." Exposure varies by vendor, deployment mode, and whether a vendor has since secured a direct redistribution agreement with Broadcom. Source: Platform9.
The VDDK cutoff doesn't just affect vendors — it lands directly on the migration and modernization timelines you've already committed to.
Migration waves that depend on an affected tool can pause mid-flight, pushing out already-committed deadlines.
Every extra month on VMware under new Broadcom licensing terms adds cost pressure you were trying to escape.
Waiting on a single vendor's roadmap for a fix means staying dependent on the very ecosystem causing the disruption.
Patchwork workarounds across multiple point tools add complexity right when you need a simpler, more certain path.
RiverMeadow's Workload Mobility Platform was purpose-built to solve VMware licensing disruption and platform uncertainty — not react to it. That's why it's the platform enterprises are turning to now.
Move from any source to any target — AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, OpenStack, HPE Morpheus, and more — without being boxed in by a single hypervisor's toolkit or licensing terms.
Near-zero downtime migrations measured in minutes, not maintenance windows — so a stalled tool doesn't become a stalled business.
In-flight OS and SQL Server upgrades mean you leave technical debt behind instead of just relocating it.
A single unified platform — not tools stitched together — built for thousands of workloads at fixed, predictable pricing.
Restores the infrastructure optionality that a single-vendor dependency (like VDDK) takes away.
"A single, all-in-one platform that eliminates tool sprawl and removes vendor lock-in — so migration decisions stay in your hands, not your hypervisor vendor's."
*Based on published RiverMeadow customer case study results.
RiverMeadow isn't just a way around the VDDK problem — it's a platform built to carry your infrastructure strategy forward.
Server and storage rightsizing plus OS security hardening aligned to CIS benchmarks — savings realized immediately post-migration.
Automated operating system upgrades and SQL Server modernization, including Linux distribution conversion, done in-flight.
Move off unsupported Windows and Linux versions to eliminate Extended Security Update costs for good.
AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Red Hat OpenShift, HPE Morpheus VM Essentials, and OpenStack — one platform, every destination.
Purpose-built for large-scale exits, M&A integrations, and cloud-to-cloud or cloud repatriation moves.
Thousands of workloads, one predictable cost structure — no surprise fees as your migration scales.
Built for co-selling with SI/MSP partners who need a repeatable, standardized delivery motion.
Repeatable, automated processes designed for scale — not one-off, tool-by-tool manual migrations.
Talk to a RiverMeadow migration architect about where your current tooling stands — and how to move forward with certainty, whatever happens to VDDK next.
A RiverMeadow expert will follow up within one business day.