Hello,   Yes. MEM runs on the ESXi node, it does not require vCenter itself.  vCenter's role is to provide the sufficient license to the ESXi to allow MEM to run.   MEM itself has no interaction with vCenter.   Regards,  Don  ps. It's best to create a new topic when the subject changes.  This allows others searching for this to find the answer more easily.  
Now that vSphere 6.5 is out, is there an ETA on an updated VSM that is supported/compatible with it? It seems that we have to wait to upgrade till then since we're using VVOLs. :)
VSM support for vSphere 6.5?