Vmware Vcenter 6 License Key Generator

12.12.2020
Vmware Vcenter 6 License Key Generator Average ratng: 3,9/5 4008 reviews

Oct 05, 2017  VMware ESXi 6.5 is available in several editions. In this article we will show you how to install a license for ESXi after installing ESXi 6.5. In this example we use the free vSphere Hypervisor license. 2 thoughts on 'Learn How to License vCenter, ESXi and vSAN' Steve Thompson on February 8, 2018 at 5:26 pm I am trying to remove the license from my vCenter Server 6 now that I have created and assigned the same license to my 6.5 vCenter Server.

I’ve written a number of posts on how to install ESXi, vCenter and similar products but if memory serves me right, I don’t recall explaining in any detail how to apply license keys after you’re done installing. From a recently held conversation, I learned that licensing VMware products can be a tad confusing to some.

In today’s post, I go through the process of licensing the most frequently deployed VMware products these being ESXi and vCenter Server along with features such as vSAN. There are several options you can use to manage license keys; GUI, command line tools and PowerCLI. Let’s have a look.

Vmware License Key

How to license a standalone ESXi host

There are two ways to apply license keys on ESXi. You can either use the host client or run the vim-cmd shell command. The host must not be managed by vCenter Server – hence the term standalone – when using these methods.

Method 1: Using the host client

As always, navigate to https://<ESXi IP address> and log in as root. Click on Manage and select the Licensing tab.

Figure 1 – Using the ESXi host client to apply a license key

Click on the Assign license button and type in the designated license key. Click on Check License to verify the key. If it is valid, press Assign License once more to apply it.

Figure 2 – Verifying and applying a license key on ESXi

If for any reason you need to remove a license, you can do so by clicking on the Remove License button. Since there can only be one license assigned at any time, the last one entered is picked up by default.

Method 2: Running vim-cmd from shell

You first need to enable shell on ESXi using either the DCUI or the host client. Once you that, SSH to the ESXi host and log in as root. Run the following command:

2
$licInfo=get-view$licm.content.LicenseManager

Figure 18 – Listing applied licenses on vCenter using PowerCLI

Task 2 – Add a license key to vCenter Server

Run the following to add a key to vCenter Server.

$licInfo.AddLicense('XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX',$null)

Figure 19 – Adding a license key to vCenter Server using PowerCLI

Conclusion

Here are a few references on the subject matter in addition to the information presented in this and other posts you’ll find on our VMware Blog.

  • Licensing NSX for vSphere 6.x
  • Solution Licensing
  • Adding License Keys to vCenter with PowerCLI