Why Does the AVI UI Show “Unlicensed” Status For Essentials License Tier

Products

• VMware Avi Load Balancer

Issue/Introduction

• In the AVI UI, when navigating to Administration → Settings → Licensing, the system displays an “Unlicensed” warning. The Service Units Usage section appears in red, indicating that no license is applied, even though the system is operating under the Essentials license tier.

Environment

• VMware Avi Load Balancer

Cause

• Although the AVI UI displays an “Unlicensed” warning, the Essentials license tier is designed to function without a license key. The warning is purely cosmetic and does not affect system functionality.
• Internally, the controller allows unrestricted consumption of Service Engines (SEs) without enforcing license limits.

Resolution

• The red “Unlicensed” status in the UI can be safely ignored when operating under the Essentials tier.
• No action is required to apply a license key.
• Ensure that a valid VMware Tanzu Basic or Standard entitlement is present, as this is the only requirement for using the Essentials edition.
• The system will continue to function normally, and there will be no impact on Service Engines or load balancing operations.