Upgrade and Downgrade VMware License Keys via the Broadcom support portal

Products

Support Portal VMware vCenter Server VMware vSphere ESXi VMware vSphere Foundation VMware Cloud Foundation

Issue/Introduction

Only license keys for products that have officially released versions can be upgraded via the portal.
Only supported versions of the product are eligible for downgrading. If the older version is already in an End of Service status, it will not be eligible to be downgraded to. Refer to Product lifecycle and end of life information for Broadcom, Symantec, and VMware products
Once contract is expired, customers cannot upgrade/ downgrade any license.
NFR (Not for Resale) licenses shall only be used for Partner test, demo, and development purposes, as specifically authorized by your partner agreement. Partners are not permitted to perform license operations (combine/divide/upgrade/downgrade) on NFRs with non-NFR licenses obtained from VMware. Use of NFRs in any production and end user environment is strictly prohibited.
Upgraded licenses are needed after upgrading to a major version (e.g. vCenter 7.x to 8.x). Cannot use the same set of licenses from previous version.
Only compatible SKUs for the products (VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation) are eligible for upgrade to VMware Cloud Foundation 9. See note below.

VCF & VVF V9:
- Starting with version 9.0 of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF), you license your environment by using a VCF Operations instance and the VMware Cloud Foundation Business Services console (vcf.broadcom.com). Subscription-based license files replace the use of the 25-character license keys.
  Refer to What's New, Licensing VCF V9, VCF 9.0 FAQ and VVF 9.0 FAQ

Environment

vCenter 7.0.x, 8.0.x
ESXi 7.0.x, 8.0.x
VCF 9.x
VVF 9.x

Resolution

Upgrade or Downgrade the license keys

Navigate to the My Entitlements tab in the Broadcom Support Portal.
Select the product that you are attempting to upgrade / downgrade the version for and select the Entitlement Details button.
Click on the Licenses icon
Click on the ellipses (three dots) on the right hand of the menu and select either the Upgrade License or Downgrade License option.
Once selected, choose the product that you want to upgrade / downgrade to from the drop-down list and the Quantity of the keys you want to upgrade / downgrade.
You can only upgrade / downgrade the number of licenses that are shown by the Remaining field.
Select Continue to complete the upgrade / downgrade.

Note: When downgrading vSphere licenses, you can only downgrade one version level at a time.

Check your current license version in the entitlement portal.
You can only downgrade to the immediately preceding version.
Example:
- A license for vSphere 8.0U2b, can only be immediately downgraded to 8.0.0a.
After each downgrade, verify the new license version before attempting another downgrade.
Always complete the entire downgrade process, including accepting any terms and conditions, before starting a new downgrade.

Key Product/Licensing Changes
VMware Cloud Foundation & VMware vSphere Foundation 5.x	VMware Cloud Foundation & VMware vSphere Foundation 9.x
License Key	License File
Environment Managed using vSphere Web Client	Environment Managed in VCF Operations Console
Licenses Managed in Broadcom’s Support Portal	License files Managed in VCF Business Services Console: https://vcf.broadcom.com/ License Management Action (Split/Combine) are managed in VCF Operations Console

Notes

There is no license key upgrade path for version 9 in the Support portal. As the version 9 is licensed through license file. The Product Admin's can access it under VCF BSC. Refer Overview of VMware Cloud Foundation Business Services Console

Additional Information

If you experience issues when upgrading or downgrading the license keys, follow the below troubleshooting steps

If you are associated with multiple Site IDs, ensure that you are working within the correct Site ID. You can switch between Site ID's in the dropdown at the top of the License Keys page
Ensure that the key is associated with an active support contract.
Ensure that you have Upgrade & Downgrade License Keys permissions.
Ensure that the total number you are upgrading/downgrading is equal to or less than the number of total licenses available.

Learn More about VCF 9