SDDC Manager Workload Domain deployment fails with error: "License application through vCenter failed: Check license validity. License not available to perform the operation"

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer
• VMware Cloud Foundation

Issue/Introduction

• When deploying a workload domain in SDDC Manager the provisioning process fails at Apply vSAN License in vCenter Server task
• Error in SDDC Manager UI

  Progress Messages    License application through vCenter failed: Check license validity.
  Cannot connect to vCenter Server <vcenter-fqdn>
  Error
  
  Message: License application through vCenter failed: Check license validity.
  Remediation Message:
  
  Reference Token: #####
  
  Cause: License not available to perform the operation.

• Error in /var/log/vmware/vcf/domainmanager/domainmanager.log in SDDC Manager

  WARN  [vcf_dm,69d6.................] [c.v.e.s.c.c.v.vsphere.VcManagerBase,dm-exec-8]  VSAN license verification failed - assuming vSAN license not applied
  DEBUG [vcf_dm,69d6.................] [c.v.v.c.f.p.a.i.BaseApplyLicenseInVcAction,dm-exec-8]  Applying license to  entity domain-c###
  ERROR [vcf_dm,69d6.................] [c.v.e.s.o.model.error.ErrorFactory,dm-exec-8]  [#####] VSPHERE_APPLY_LICENSE_FAILED Failed to apply vSphere license for entity <cluster-name>. Check license validity.
  com.vmware.evo.sddc.orchestrator.exceptions.OrchTaskException: Failed to apply vSphere license for entity <cluster-name>. Check license validity.
  
  Caused by: com.vmware.vim.binding.vmodl.fault.NotEnoughLicenses: License not available to perform the operation.

Environment

• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 4.x / 5.x
• VMware SDDC Manager

Cause

The most common cause for this error is that the capacity of the license key (e.g., storage capacity in TB or CPU/host count) is insufficient to cover all the hosts or resources being added to the new workload domain cluster. For example, a cluster requiring 42TB of vSAN capacity will fail if assigned a license key with only 28TB of entitled capacity.

Resolution

1. Verify Capacity Requirements: Check the total host count and storage capacity (TB) required for the new cluster.
2. Validate License Key: Ensure the license key intended for the workload domain has sufficient capacity.
3. Update and Retry: Apply the license key with correct capacity and retry the failed task in the SDDC Manager UI - Refer KB 314620 to retry the existing deployment workflow with the updated license key