Licensing VCF Operations 9.1 in Disconnected (Offline) Environments

Products

• VCF Operations

Issue/Introduction

Customers deploying or upgrading to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1 or VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) 9.1 may have questions regarding the new licensing architecture, specifically in air-gapped or disconnected environments. Common queries include:

• A license server is automatically deployed as an embedded service during a new VCF Operations 9.1 deployment or an upgrade to 9.1.
• For full VCF stacks, the deployment of the License Server is a mandatory step during the SDDC Manager 9.1 upgrade/deployment process to license components across the stack.
• Note that the License Server currently only supports IPv4. In VCF 9.1.0

Environment

VCF Operations 9.1.0 

Cause

VCF 9.x introduces a significant architectural shift from traditional 25-character (5x5) license keys to a centralized, subscription-based "Solution License File" managed exclusively through VCF Operations.

Resolution

The VCF Operations appliance and its embedded license services cannot be decommissioned after the initial licensing process.

• The appliance acts as the ongoing licensing authority for the environment.
• To maintain license validity, the system requires a periodic "heartbeat" (usage reporting). If the appliance is removed, the environment will eventually enter a restricted management state.

Additional Information

Upgrading to VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1

Register VCF Operations and Your License Server in Disconnected Mode

IP Address Family Support by Management Component

Add and Register an Additional License Server