Managing licenses on ESXi hosts using the vSphere Client

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to manage licenses on ESXi hosts using the vSphere Client.

Note: For more information, see the vCenter Server and Host Management Guide.  This guide contains definitive information. If there is a discrepancy between the guide and the article, assume the guide is correct.

Environment

VMware vSphere 6.x

VMware vSphere 7.x

VMware vSphere 8.x

Resolution

You can use the license management function in the vSphere Client to manage the licensing of assets in your vSphere environment from a central location. You can add license keys in the vCenter Server inventory, assign license keys to multiple assets at a time, view information about the available products and licenses, and export licensing information in a CSV file.

To be able to use certain features and functionality of an ESXi host, you must assign it a license key when the evaluation period of the host expires.

Note: Before adding and viewing a license, verify that you have the Global.Licenses privilege. To view the privileges for the role of your user account, navigate to Administration > Role Manager in the vSphere Client.
 

Assigning a license key to an ESXi host in the vSphere Client

To assign a license key to an ESXi host in the vSphere Client:

1. Log in to vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.
2. In the vSphere Client, navigate to the host in the vSphere inventory.
3. Click on the component you want to assign license to and select the Configure tab.
4. Under System, select Licensing.
5. Click ASSIGN LICENSE.
6. In the dropdown menu, select one of the tabs in this table to assign a license key to the host:
    

   Option	Description
   EXISTING LICENSE	Select from the license keys that already exist in the inventory of the vCenter Server instance that manages the host. Ensure to select a license key that supports all the features that the host runs.
   NEW LICENSE	Enter a new license key and assign it to the host. You can click Decode to verify that the license key is in the correct format, and that it has sufficient capacity to satisfy the required license usage for the host. You can also decode the license key to verity that it belongs to the correct product.

7. Click OK.
   
   The license is now assigned to the host. Capacity from the license key is allocated according to the required license usage for the host.

Viewing license information in the vSphere Client

You can also view information about the license keys and products that are available in the inventory of a vCenter Server instance or a Linked Mode group.

 

To view the license information in the vSphere Client:

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Administration > Licensing > Licenses.
2. You can browse to one of the tabs Licenses/ Products/Assets to see the details.
3. Select one of the tabs listed in this table, depending on the licensing information that you want to view.
    

   Tab	Description
   Products	Lists the products that have license keys available in the license inventory of the selected vCenter Server instance. If the vCenter Server instance is a part of a Linked Mode group, you can view all products that are available for the group.
   License keys	Lists all license keys that are available in the license inventory of the selected vCenter Server instance. If the vCenter Server instance is a part of a Linked Mode group, the tab lists all license keys that are available in the shared license inventory of the group.
   vCenter Server Instances	Displays licensing information about the selected vCenter Server instance. If the vCenter Server instance is a part of a Linked Mode group, the tab displays licensing information about all vCenter Server instances in the group.
   Hosts	Lists all hosts that are connected to the selected vCenter Server instance. If the vCenter Server instance is a part of a Linked Mode group, the tab displays all hosts that are available in the inventories of all vCenter Server instances in the group.
   Solutions	Lists all solutions that are registered with the selected vCenter Server instance. If the vCenter Server instance is a part of a Linked Mode group, the tab lists all solutions that are registered with the vCenter Server instances in the group.

Adding a license key in the vSphere Client

To add a license key in the vSphere Client:

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Administration > Licensing > Licenses.
2. Select the Licenses tab.
3. Click the ADD icon.
4. In the text area of the New License dialog box, enter license keys, one per line.
5. Click Next.
6. In the Edit License names page, add the license name and click Next.
7. In the Ready to complete page, review the license keys to add and click Finish.

Notes:

• If any unassigned license keys exist, assign these keys to vCenter Server instances, hosts, or solutions that need licensing.
• Remove all license keys that are no longer required, such as expired license keys or keys that you do not intend to assign.

For more information, see License Management and Reporting in Broadcom Docs.

Additional Information

• License Key Management for VMware Products (282428)