Error: "License not available to perform the operation" on ESXi host reconnect after using JXplorer to remove an expired evaluation license from vCenter Server
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Error: "License not available to perform the operation" on ESXi host reconnect after using JXplorer to remove an expired evaluation license from vCenter Server

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Article ID: 442247

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

  • ESXi hosts enter a "Disconnected" state in vCenter Server and cannot be reconnected or re-added after an expired evaluation license is manually removed using JXplorer.

  • Attempts to reconnect a host through the vSphere Client fail with an error similar to:

    Operation failed!
Task name: Reconnect host
Target: <esxi_fqdn>
Status: License not available to perform the operation.

  • A valid, unexpired license is still visible in the vSphere Client under Administration > Licensing > Licenses, but host operations continue to fail.

  • In /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log on the vCenter Server Appliance, you see entries similar to:

    error vpxd[#####] [Originator@6876 sub=Default ...] [VpxLRO] -- ERROR -- vim.HostSystem.reconnect: :vmodl.fault.NotEnoughLicenses
-->    faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
-->       key = "com.vmware.vim.vc.license.error.licenseExpired",
-->          key = "entity",
-->          value = "<vcenter-instance-uuid>"
-->          key = "entityDisplayName",
-->          value = "<vcenter_fqdn>"

Additional symptoms reported:

  • The evaluation license was manually removed via JXplorer per official documentation, and hosts then went disconnected.
  • A second, valid production license (expiring at a future date) is visible in the inventory, but reconnect still fails.
  • Disconnecting a host on purpose to re-add it does not clear the error, and a fresh Add Host operation fails with the same message.

Environment

  • vCenter Server 8.0.x managing ESXi 8.0 hosts
  • vCenter Server previously having both an Evaluation license and a separate production license recorded in the License inventory.

Cause

The "License not available to perform the operation" message is returned when the inventory operation cannot find a valid license assignment on the vCenter Server asset. The host reconnect path requires the vCenter Server itself to hold a valid management license before any host-level licensing check is performed.

In this scenario, vCenter Server was running with both an Evaluation license and a separate production license recorded in the License inventory. When the Evaluation expired and was manually removed using JXplorer (per KB 327486), the cleanup left the vCenter Server AssetEntity without a valid LicenseEntity assignment, or left a stale AssetEntity entry in VMDir still referencing the removed Evaluation license. The vCenter Server asset then evaluates as expired even though other valid licenses are present in the inventory.

Reconnect operations call into the licensing service for the vCenter Server asset, see no valid assignment, and return vmodl.fault.NotEnoughLicenses with the licenseExpired key. The downstream effect is that hosts cannot be reconnected or re-added.

A vSphere host license such as vSphere 8 Enterprise Plus does not resolve this state. Host licenses apply to ESXi hosts and do not satisfy the vCenter Server asset licensing requirement, regardless of available core capacity.

Resolution

    1. Log in to the vSphere Client as an administrator (Single Sign-On admin account).
    2. Navigate to Administration > Licensing > Licenses and confirm a valid vCenter Server license (for example, vCenter Server 8 Standard or Foundation) is present in the inventory. If not, retrieve it from the Broadcom Support Portal using License Key Management for VMware Products and add it via Add.
    3. Go to the Assets tab and select vCenter Server systems.
    4. Select the affected vCenter Server entry and click Assign License.
    5. Choose the valid vCenter Server license and click OK.
    6. Confirm the vCenter Server asset now shows the valid license, with no expired or Evaluation state remaining.
    7. Right-click each affected ESXi host in the inventory and select Connection > Connect (or re-add the host through Add Host if it had been removed).
    8. Verify each host returns to a Connected state and that subsequent host operations succeed.

    If the vCenter Server asset still shows the Evaluation license, duplicate entries, or the same error after step 7:

    1. Take an offline snapshot of the vCenter Server Appliance. If vCenter is in Enhanced Linked Mode, power off and snapshot all nodes.
    2. Follow vCenter Server Shows an alert for an expired License for Evaluation Mode when it has been assigned to a Different License to identify and remove the stale AssetEntity_<vcenter-id>-<ldu-id> entries using ldapdelete.
    3. Reboot the vCenter Server Appliance to flush the in-memory license state.
    4. After services are healthy, re-assign the valid vCenter Server license to the vCenter Server asset.
    5. Reconnect the affected hosts.

Additional Information

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