vSAN License Becomes Unassigned or Expired After vCenter Server Upgrade to 8.0

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

vSAN clusters may display "Evaluation Mode" or "Unassigned" license status following an upgrade of vCenter Server from 7.0 to 8.0. This occurs because the major version upgrade invalidates legacy 7.x keys.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 7.0 upgrade to 8.0
• VMware vSAN 7.0 upgrade to 8.0

Cause

vCenter Server 8.0 requires matching vSAN 8.x license keys. During a 7.0 to 8.0 upgrade, vSAN clusters lose association with legacy 7.x keys and default to a 60-day evaluation period.

Resolution

1. Log in to the Broadcom Support Portal.
2. Navigate to your entitlements and upgrade your legacy vSAN license keys to version 8.0.
3. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Administration > Licensing > Licenses.
4. Add the new 8.0 license keys.
5. Assign the 8.0 license to the affected vSAN clusters.
6. Verify the license state in the vSAN Cluster view to ensure the "Evaluation" warning has cleared.

Additional Information

• For issues regarding license generation, see Contact Support
• For further reading on license management, review Broadcom Documentation
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