ESXi 8.0U2 license assignment fails with 'invalid for this entity' error

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• The vSphere 8 Enterprise Plus license for VCF is visible in the inventory and successfully assigns to the vCenter Server.
• When attempting to allocate this exact license to ESXi hosts, the key does not populate in the available drop-down list.
• Bypassing the UI and manually entering the license key on the ESXi host triggers the following error: "This license is invalid for this entity."
• The /var/log/vmware/vsphere-ui/logs/vsphere_client_virgo.log log file has the below error:
  

  YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss] [ERROR] tp-nio-127.0.0.1-####-exec-# #### #### #### c.v.license.client.cis.management.adapter.AssetMutationProvider   Unable to execute asset mutation operation:  com.vmware.license.client.cis.management.ManagementException: Cannot add the following license keys.

  Existing licenses:
        #####-#####-#####-#####-#####

  Fix or remove these license keys to proceed.

• Verification via the Broadcom Support Portal confirms the key is active and correctly classified as: "VMware vSphere 8 Enterprise plus license for VCF (Supports vCenter 8.0U2b and above)."

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 8.x
• VMware ESXi 8.x

Cause

• The VMware vSphere 8 Enterprise Plus for VCF license carries a specific version requirement for the managed entities. While the vCenter may meet the requirements, the ESXi hosts are running a build lower than the minimum build version required by this License.
• Specifically, this license requires ESXi 8.0 Update 2b or higher to be recognized as a valid entity.

Resolution

• Patch the hosts to ESXi version 8.0 Update 2b (build: 23305546) or later and then apply the License.
• For information regarding ESXi update, Refer to the following KB for instructions: Install or upgrade ESXi from 7.x to 8.x

Additional Information

If patching the ESXi host to a supported build is not available, downgrade the license to VMware vSphere 8 Enterprise Plus for Cloud Foundation (Supports vCenter Server 8.0.0a and above) VMware Cloud Foundation and vSphere Foundation Solution License Key