VCF 9.x: Cluster/WLD Creation fails with error, "License not available to perform the operation. The Evaluation license assigned to "Host" host.example.com has expired. Recommend updating the license."

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer

Issue/Introduction

The SDDC Manager UI displays error,

"Customer is able to start a WLD creation with the hosts but the task eventually fails when trying to add the hosts to the cluster. License not available to perform the operation. The Evaluation license assigned to "Host" host.example.com has expired. Recommend updating the license."


A similar error is observed in the SDDC Manager domainmanager.log

/var/log/vmware/vcf/domainmanager/domainmanager.log

####-##-##T15:35:29.837+0000 INFO  [vcf_dm,69dfb0415c20caae9122d7f6fbea178b,0134] [c.v.v.l.a.a.ActivityLoggingInterceptor,http-nio-127.0.0.1-7200-exec-7]  {"username":null,"timestamp
":"####-##-##T15:35:29.837Z","clientIP":"127.0.0.1","userAgent":"Apache-HttpClient/5.3.1 (Java/17.0.16)","api":"/domainmanager/workflows/a9bc2afb-3a9d-4782-9d0f-f8dbfaf8b4e5","httpMe
thod":"GET","httpStatus":200,"operation":"Get a workflow with a specific UUID","remoteIP":"127.0.0.1","duration":60}
####-##-##T15:35:34.805+0000 WARN  [vcf_dm,69dfb00c8efea7a86a3932fe5c16f54d,f19c] [c.v.v.v.c.h.i.HttpProtocolBindingBase,dm-exec-14]  Asynchronous execution requested but no Executor
 configured. The request will be executed as synchronous one.
####-##-##T15:35:34.810+0000 ERROR [vcf_dm,69dfb00c8efea7a86a3932fe5c16f54d,f19c] [c.v.e.s.c.c.v.vsphere.VcManagerBase,dm-exec-14]  Task: (MOR:task-259) (Name:addHost) Entity: (MOR:#######-##) (Name:###-###-###) is failed
com.vmware.vim.binding.vmodl.fault.NotEnoughLicenses: License not available to perform the operation.
        at jdk.internal.reflect.GeneratedConstructorAccessor1056.newInstance(Unknown Source)
        at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
        at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstanceWithCaller(Constructor.java:500)
        at java.base/java.lang.reflect.ReflectAccess.newInstance(ReflectAccess.java:128)
        at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.ReflectionFactory.newInstance(ReflectionFactory.java:347)
        at java.base/java.lang.Class.newInstance(Class.java:645)
        at com.vmware.vim.vmomi.core.types.impl.ComplexTypeImpl.newInstance(ComplexTypeImpl.java:174)

Environment

VMware Cloud Foundation

Cause

The ESXi 9.x evaluation license has expired (90-day limit reached) 

Resolution

1. Delete the failed Domain/Cluster from SDDC Manager.
   
   
2. Decommission the ESXi hosts with the expired licenses.
   
   Decommission ESX Hosts
   
   
3. Reinstall ESXi on the impacted hosts to reset the evaluation license.
   
   
4. Commission the hosts back into the SDDC Manager inventory. 
   
   Commission ESX Hosts
   
   
5. Reattempt the Domain/Cluster creation.