License showing as "Evaluation Mode" on HCX 9.x Initiator
Article ID: 418818
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
- You are running VCF Operations HCX 9.x, and the HCX is licensed using the VCF Solution Licensing.
- After deploying the HCX 9.x Initiator using a non-VCF environment, and creating the Site Pair and Service Mesh to a licensed VCF Operations HCX 9.x, the HCX Initiator is still showing the license as "Evaluation Mode".
- HCX Initiator display the banner: "
HCX is currently in evaluation mode and expires on <date>. You must enter a valid license key"
Environment
VMware HCX 9.x
Cause
This is an expected behavior.
Resolution
Once you create the HCX Service Mesh with a licensed VCF environment, there will be service inheritance, not license inheritance.
The source system (Site A) will continue to display "Evaluation Mode" until its default grace period expires.
Crucially, even after the evaluation period ends, the site will remain operational as long as it is site-paired with the VCF-enabled cloud infrastructure.
This behavior applies to both HCX 4.11.x and 9.x.
From version 9.x, we introduced the concept of an Entitlement Server. This feature allows customers with a valid VCF subscription at the destination to register their on-premises/source HCX Manager directly against the destination vCenter Server as an entitlement server. This allows the on-premises system to discover and inherit the license, activating the source site without explicitly needing an on-premises VCF entitlement.
Please refer to the HCX 9.x User Guide for detailed information on the Entitlement Server.
Add an Entitlement Server
Note:
The outbound HTTPS connection to the server must be actively maintained. There is no grace period associated with this mechanism. If the connection is lost (for approximately 10 minutes), the "Evaluation" banner will reappear. The system will however, continuously poll the server to re-sync the license, similar to how VCF-enabled cloud systems maintain activation.
Additional Information
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