Understand How vSphere and vCenter Server Are Licensed

VMware vSphere 5 licensing
vSphere 5 will be licensed on a per processor basis with a vRAM entitlement. Each vSphere 5 processor license will entitle the purchaser to a specific amount of vRAM, or memory configured to virtual machines. The vRAM entitlement can be pooled across a vSphere environment to enable a true cloud or utility-based IT consumption model. Just like VMware technology offers customers an evolutionary path from the traditional datacenter to a cloud infrastructure, the new vSphere 5 licensing model allows customers to evolve to a cloud-like "pay for consumption" model without disrupting established purchase, deployment, and license management practices and processes. Unlike vSphere 4.x licenses, vSphere 5 licenses do not impose any limits on the number of cores per processors and maximum size of RAM capacity per host.

Learn more about VMware vSphere 5 licensing.

vSphere Purchasing Options: To provide the best experience in purchasing and using vSphere and VMware vCenter Server, VMware offers several packaging options designed for a wide variety of deployment scenarios and customer types.

vSphere Editions: vSphere Editions offer different combinations of functionality and vRAM entitlements at different price points, providing a simple path for customers to license vSphere to meet their specific requirements for scalability, size of environment, and use cases. VMware vSphere 5 is available in three editions: Standard, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus. SnS is required for every vSphere Edition purchase.

vSphere Kits: vSphere Kits are all-in-one solutions that include multiple vSphere licenses and vCenter Server, enabling an organization to quickly and easily set up their vSphere environment. Kits are available in several editions that vary in terms of scalability and functionality. VMware offers two types of kits:

• Essentials Kits: All-in-one solutions for small environments inclusive of virtualization and management software available in two editions—Essentials and Essentials Plus. Both Editions include vSphere processor licenses and vCenter Server for Essentials for an environment of a maximum of 3 hosts (up to 2 CPUs each) and maximum pooled vRAM capacity of 192GB. Scalability limits of Essentials Kits are product-enforced and cannot be extended other than by upgrading the entire kit to a higher-end bundle. Essentials Kits are self-contained solutions and may not be decoupled or combined with any other VMware vSphere editions.
• Acceleration Kits: All-in-one convenience bundles that provide a simple way for new customers to purchase all the necessary components to set up a new VMware environment. Each Acceleration Kit consists of a number of licenses for VMware vSphere, along with a license for one instance of a VMware vCenter Server Standard. Acceleration Kits with Management add 25-VM packs of management products to the related Acceleration Kits. All kits decompose into their individual kit components after purchase. This allows customers to upgrade and renew SnS for each individual component on its own schedule. These kits are often offered at promotional discounts.

VMware VCenter Server: vCenter Server is licensed per instance. One instance is required in a vSphere deployment to enable centralized management and deployment of core vSphere features such as VMware vMotion, VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler, and more.

Learn more about VMware licensing.

VMware vSphere and VMware vCenter Server Pricing

Suggested retail pricing for U.S. editions of VMware vSphere and vCenter Server available below.  Contact your local reseller partner for specific pricing. Visit the VMware vSphere Editions page for information on each edition.

Note: List Pricing is for reference purposes only and is subject to change without notice. Pricing reflected in this document is suggested retail price in USD, for sales in the US. Regional prices may vary.

VMware vSphere Kits for Small Business	U.S. Suggested List Price per Instance
VMware vSphere Essentials Includes license and 1 year of subscription. Optional Support sold separately.
VMware vSphere Essentials Plus Includes license. Support and subscription sold separately
vSphere Standard Acceleration Kit Includes license. Support and subscription sold separately
vSphere Enterprise Acceleration Kit Includes license. Support and subscription sold separately
vSphere Enterprise Plus Acceleration Kit Includes license. Support and subscription sold separately

VMware vSphere Editions for Mid-Size & Enterprise Business	U.S. Suggested List Price per Processor
VMware vSphere Standard Includes license. Support and subscription sold separately.
VMware vSphere Enterprise Includes license. Support and subscription sold separately.
VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus Includes license. Support and subscription sold separately.

VMware vCenter Server Editions	U.S. Suggested List Price per Instance
VMware vCenter Server Foundation
VMware vCenter Server Standard Includes Linked Mode and vCenter Orchestrator

Support and Subscription

Support and Subscription (SnS) contracts are available for VMware vSphere and VMware vCenter Server.  One year of SnS is required.  Learn more about support.