vSphere 5 License Overview

Before you upgrade to VMware vSphere 5, run the tool below to learn how much vRAM you are currently using and how much you are entitled to under vSphere 5 licensing.

Because vSphere 5 licensing is based on a per-processor basis with vRam entitlements, you need to make sure all license keys you have purchased are entered into vCenter Server.

The following vRAM entitlements will be given per license type:

More information on these changes can be found in the VMware vSphere 5.0 Licensing, Pricing and Packaging whitepaper.

vSphere Licensing Advisor

The VMware vSphere Licensing Advisor allows users with vSphere 4.1, vSphere 4.0 and Virtual Infrastructure 3.5 environments to calculate and understand their vRAM usage and vRAM capacity as if they upgraded to vSphere 5.0. The tool will show you the vRAM capacity and usage for each vSphere 5.0 equivalent edition.

How to Use the Tool

1. Download and install the tool
2. Run the vSphere Licensing Advisor and enter the IP Address, Username and Password of your vCenter Server. If you have multiple vCenter Servers, you can add them one at a time on the main screen or upload a single text file listing all of them.
3. After the data is collected from the vCenter Servers, the results are displayed on the main page.

Notes:

• The tool requires JRE 1.6 or higher.
• Editions are displayed as their vSphere 5.0 equivalents using standard entitlement paths.
• If you have vCenter Servers in linked mode, you will need to connect to each vCenter Server.
• The tool displays vRAM usage and capacity at the single point in time the data is gathered.
• The tool will work in environments with Virtual Infrastructure 3.5, vSphere 4.0 and vSphere 4.1. Environments with vCenter Server 4.x managing Virtual Infrastructure 3.5 hosts are not supported with this tool.

FAQs

Q: The tool is showing a different edition than the one I am running. Why?
A: The vSphere Licensing Advisor maps all editions that it encounters to the appropriate edition of vSphere 5, following the standard entitlement path. For example, if you have the Advanced edition of vSphere 4.0, the tool would show it under the Enterprise edition. This is because in vSphere 5.0 all customers with previous version of Advanced that are current on subscription and support are entitled to the vSphere 5.0 Enterprise edition free of charge.

Q: I powered-on/off some VMs but the tool doesn’t show a change in vRAM usage? Does the tool show vRAM usage/capacity in real-time?
A: No, the tool pulls data from each of the vCenter Servers once and calculates a report. It does not continue to update usage in real-time. You can continue to add new vCenter Servers. To refresh the data you will need to exit and then rerun the tool.

Q: Does the tool take vCenter Server Linked Mode into account?
A: While vRAM is pooled across multiple linked vCenter Servers, the tool must connect to each vCenter Server in a linked group. The tool will calculate vRAM usage for each edition as if all vCenter Servers with that edition are linked together. The tool also calculates the usage for each edition for each individual vCenter Server.

Q: What does the red exclamation point mean?
A: If the overall vRAM usage for an edition is less than 100% but a vCenter Server with that edition is over 100%, a red exclamation point will appear next to the edition in the summary table. If all of the vCenter Servers with this edition are linked together then you are in compliance and no additional licenses are needed.