Is there a stable storage software at a good price point that is VMware 5.0 certified and preferably other than MS?
You are in the ZFS corner so I suppose you ask about ZFS
If you are looking for a certified solution, you can't use the OpenSource options (although they are quite stable).
You must look at NexentaStor EE or Oracle Solaris 11 or look at the VMWare HCL in general.
But why did you refer a solution as stable that you must patch and reboot twice a month for security updates?
I am lucky to replace all of my Windows 2008 filer with NexentaCore/ OpenIndiana with more features and less problems.