Error: "Local licensing verification failed due to an invalid or expired key. See VMware KB 95336" when trying to activate HCX using a VCPP license

Products

• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

• You are trying to active a VCPP license and you are receiving the following error: "Local licensing verification failed due to an invalid or expired key. See VMware KB 95336".
  Note: For the purposes of HCX activation, a VCPP license is the standard licensing entitlement used for Hyperscalers platforms only (AVS, GCVE, OCVS, and VMC).
• The following error is observed in /common/logs/appliance-management/appliance-management.log
  

  <timestamps> UTC [https-jsse-nio-9443-exec-9, , ] ERROR c.v.v.licensing.LicensesController- Error verifying License Key For Air-gapped / Standalone Mode for given key <key> , systemType
  <timestamps> UTC [https-jsse-nio-9443-exec-9, , ] DEBUG o.s.w.s.m.m.a.HttpEntityMethodProcessor- Using 'application/json;charset=UTF-8', given [application/json] and supported [text/plain, */*, application/xml;charset=UTF-8, application/json;charset=UTF-8, text/plain, */*, application/json, application/*+json]
  <timestamps> UTC [https-jsse-nio-9443-exec-9, , ] DEBUG o.s.w.s.m.m.a.HttpEntityMethodProcessor- Writing ["{"message":"Local licensing verification failed due to an invalid or expired key. See VMware KB 9533 (truncated)..."]

Environment

VMware HCX 4.11

Cause

When the HCX OVA was first deployed, the checkbox labeled "For approved sites with restricted public network access" was selected.
This enabled Air-gapped mode, which disconnected the system from internet access.
When trying to activate a VCPP license, the activation failed because there was no internet connectivity due to the option selected above. As a result, the system could not validate the VCPP license locally.
While VCF and NSX licenses can be validated locally by the appliance, VCPP licenses for Hyperscalers require an internet connection to reach the licensing servers and cannot be validated offline.

Resolution

To activate an HCX Connector using a VCPP license, a redeployment of the HCX Manager is required.

During the redeployment, please ensure that you do not select the checkbox: "For approved sites with restricted public network access"
This ensures the system has the necessary internet connectivity to validate the VCPP license.

Additional Information

Deploy the HCX Manager OVA in the vSphere Client
Understanding Air-gapped Sites