Unable to register vSphere 8 Essentials Plus ESXi license with NSX 4 Professional

Products

• VMware NSX
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Using an ESXi evaluation license to enable DVS feature. 
• NSX is installed using a valid NSX Data Center Professional license  which has DVS feature. 
• Host is prepared for NSX and is in an NSX prepared cluster 
• Attempting to apply a valid vSphere 8 Essentials Plus license fails with the following error: 

         "The selected license does not support some of the features that are currently in use by the licensed assets-vSphere Distributed Switch”

       

 

 

Environment

VMware NSX 4.x 

vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

The DVS was created when the ESXI hosts had an evaluation license (allowing all features including DVS). When an attempt is subsequently made to assign a lower edition ESX license (without the VDS feature), the license assignment is blocked. 

Resolution

This is a condition that may occur in a VMware NSX environment. 

Workaround: 

• Put host in Maintenance Mode 
• Move the host out of NSX prepared cluster to uninstall NSX 
• Move host to a standard switch (vmkernel ports and VMs) 
• Move host off the vDS
• Apply the license to the host 
• Move the host back to the vDS
• Move host back to the NSX prepared cluster 
• Prepare Host for NSX 

Additional Information

Migrate Virtual Machines (VMs) and VMkernel Adapters from Distributed Switch (vDS) to Standard Switch (vSS)https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/306406/migrate-vms-and-vmkernal-adapters-from-d.html

About NSX Licenses

vSphere License Management