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Managing VMware product licenses

Managing VMware product licenses

After you registered VMware vCloud Usage Meter with IBM, you can add and assign license keys to various VMware product licenses. Find out how to manage VMware product licenses in the following video.

Adding license keys to VCF, vCenter Server, vSAN, and ESXi

To add license keys to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and VMware vSAN, complete the following steps in the VMware vSphere® Web Client:

  1. Log in to VMware vCenter Server with administrator privileges.
  2. Click Administration > Licenses.
  3. Under Licenses, click Add.
  4. Under Enter license keys, paste the vCenter Server, vSAN, and vSphere ESXi licenses, one per line, and click Next.
  5. Under Edit license names, enter the names of the licenses and review the license keys, product, and capacity, then click Next.
  6. Under Ready to complete, review the license information and click Finish.

Assigning licenses

To assign licenses to vCenter Server, complete the following steps:

  1. In the Licenses page, on the Assets tab, select vCenter Server systems.
  2. Check the vCenter Server box note that you want to assign the license and click Assign license.
  3. In the Assign license window, select the new license key that was added previously.
  4. In the Assignment validation box, click OK to acknowledge the message that the license assignment is valid. If it is not valid, check that the license key is correct and that it contains the required capacity.
  5. On the Assets tab, select Hosts.
  6. Select all checkboxes for the hosts to which you want to assign the license and click Assign license. To assign the license to multiple objects, click Yes.
  7. In the Assign license window, select the new license key that was added previously.
  8. In the Assignment validation box, click OK to acknowledge the message that the license assignment is valid. If it is not valid, check that the license key is correct and that it contains the required capacity.
  9. On the Assets tab, select vSAN clusters.
  10. Select the vSAN cluster checkbox that you want to assign the license and click Assign license.
  11. In the Assign license window, select the new vSAN license that was added previously.
  12. In the Assignment validation box, click OK to acknowledge the message that the license assignment is valid. If it is not valid, check that the license key is correct and that it contains the required capacity.

Results after you assign licenses

  • In the Licenses page, on the Licenses tab, all old licenses now show 0 in the Usage column.
  • If the licenses don't show 0 usage, verify that the new licenses are applied to all objects in the environment. You can remove the licenses with 0 usage from the environment by selecting them and clicking Remove.

Adding license keys to NSX-T

To add license keys to VMware NSX-T™ (NSX component or VMware vDefend Firewall), complete the following steps:

  1. Log in to NSX-T UI with administrator privileges.
  2. On the System tab, click Licenses.
  3. Click Add License.
  4. Enter the license key and click Add. The browser refreshes after the license is applied.
  5. Verify that all new licenses are Valid under the Validity column and that the Quantity value is correct.

For VMware vDefend Firewall, do not enter the firewall keys that you ordered. IBM will provide updated firewall keys in the future. Your firewall will continue to operate normally.

You can delete old licenses by selecting them and clicking Delete.

Adding license keys to Aria Operations

To add license keys to VMware Aria® Operations™, complete the following steps:

  1. Log in to Aria Operations with administrator privileges.
  2. On Administration, click Licensing.
  3. On the License keys tab, click Add.
  4. On the Add license window, select vRealize Operations.
  5. Enter the Aria Operations license key and click Validate, then click Save.
  6. When the success message is displayed, click OK. The new license appears in the License keys table.

You can delete old licenses by selecting them and clicking the three dots icon and then Delete.

Adding license keys to HCX Manager

To add license keys to HCX™ Manager, complete the following steps:

  1. Log in to HCX Manager with administrator privileges.
  2. On Configuration, select Licensing and activation.
  3. On the existing license, click the three dots icon next to the license key.
  4. On the new window, enter the new license key and click OK. The new license shows the Active status and Perpetual license validity.

Validating licenses

To validate the licenses for VMware products, complete the following steps:

Validating licenses for NSX

  1. Log in to the NSX-T UI with administrator privileges.
  2. On the System tab, select Licenses.
  3. Verify that one of the license names is vSphere for VCF.

Validating licenses for Aria Operations

  1. Log in to Aria Operations with administrator privileges.
  2. On Administration, click Licensing.
  3. Verify that one of the license names is vSphere for VCF with VCF license type.

Validating licenses for HCX Manager

  1. Log in to HCX with administrator privileges.
  2. On Configuration, select Licensing and activation.
  3. Verify that one of the license names is vSphere for VCF with VCF license type.