VMware Cloud Community
SuperSpike
Contributor
Contributor

vSphere 5 Licensing

I took a minute to read the licensing guide for vSphere 5 and I'm still trying to pull my jaw off the floor. VMware has completely screwed their customers this time. Why?

What I used to be able to do with 2 CPU licenses now takes 4. Incredible.

Today

BL460c G7 with 2 sockets and 192G of memory = 2 vSphere Enterprise Plus licenses
DL585 G7 with 4 sockets and 256G of memory = 4 vSphere Enterprise Plus licenses

Tomorrow

BL460c G7 with 2 sockets and 192G of memory = 4 vSphere Enterprise Plus licenses
BL585 G7 with 4 sockets and 256G of memory = 6 vSphere Enterprise Plus licenses


So it's almost as if VMware is putting a penalty on density and encouraging users to buy hardware with more sockets rather than less.

I get that the vRAM entitlements are for what you use, not necessarily what you have, but who buys memory and doesn't use it?

Forget the hoopla about a VM with 1 TB of memory. Who in their right mind would deploy that using the new license model? It would take 22 licenses to accommodate! You could go out and buy the physical box for way less than that today, from any hardware vendor.

Anyone else completely shocked by this move?

@Virtual_EZ
Reply
0 Kudos
1,980 Replies
sliptrap
Contributor
Contributor

So @ http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-hypervisor/faq.html it states that "VMware vSphere Hypervisor is the simplest and easiest way to get started with virtualization for free."

Please note it states "easiest way to get STARTED"

I have been unable to find anywhere where it states that "the free hypervisor can support up to 1 TB of RAM per VM"

Please let me know if you find otherwise.

The FAQ that John Troyer posted the link to is "VMware vSphere Hypervisor™ (ESXi) Virtualization Made Free and Easy" (copy and paste of the FAQ title) and under the feature list on the compare tab it lists 1TB VM Memory as the max.

The Marines have landed and the situation is well in hand.
Reply
0 Kudos
wdroush1
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

aroudnev wrote:

It's not a show; many companies can work with essential license for a long until they really need HA. It is a good starting point. And it bring money, even if not so much , to Vmware, and bring good new customers who maybe will go to the enterprise license later (or in a new projects).

We do use essential on a few small sites with success (HA provided on application level). Of course, essential plus is much better, but not everyone agree to purchase it, while I can always get approval for essential license.

But that's what I don't get, isn't HA on the application level more expensive like immedately? Essential plus is cheap compared to clustering.

Reply
0 Kudos
bilalhashmi
Expert
Expert

Shane wrote:

So @ http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-hypervisor/faq.html it states that "VMware vSphere Hypervisor is the simplest and easiest way to get started with virtualization for free."

Please note it states "easiest way to get STARTED"

I have been unable to find anywhere where it states that "the free hypervisor can support up to 1 TB of RAM per VM"

Please let me know if you find otherwise.

The FAQ that John Troyer posted the link to is "VMware vSphere Hypervisor™ (ESXi) Virtualization Made Free and Easy" (copy and paste of the FAQ title) and under the feature list on the compare tab it lists 1TB VM Memory as the max.

Ok, just FYI I am not trying to be a jerk here. I have asked before for a screenshot in case u guys are seeing something that I am not..

If you come across something that states "the free hypervisor can support up to 1 TB of RAM per VM" please take a screenshot and post it here

Follow me @ Cloud-Buddy.com

Blog: www.Cloud-Buddy.com | Follow me @hashmibilal
Reply
0 Kudos
rickardnobel
Champion
Champion

Bilal wrote:

So @ http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-hypervisor/faq.html it states that "VMware vSphere Hypervisor is the simplest and easiest way to get started with virtualization for free."

Please note it states "easiest way to get STARTED"

I have been unable to find anywhere where it states that "the free hypervisor can support up to 1 TB of RAM per VM"

Please let me know if you find otherwise.

Ok, again then. First, on the FAQ page John Troyer linked to there is also a reference defining the name. Check the grey box on the right "Looking for the Free ESXi? The name of the free ESXi product has changed." and a link which clearly defines that vSphere Hypervisor is the product name of the free version.
Then on the compare tab we have at least these references to the free product:
VMware vSphere Hypervisor™ (ESXi)
VIRTUALIZATION MADE FREE AND EASY
VMware vSphere Hypervisor is the simplest and easiest way to get started with virtualization for free.
vSphere Hypervisor is based on VMware ESXi...
Comparing VMware vSphere Hypervisor and Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V
Top of chart: VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.0
And then the final "compare" between Hyper-V, XEN and vSphere Hypervisor.
My VMware blog: www.rickardnobel.se
Reply
0 Kudos
wuffers
Contributor
Contributor

sergeadam wrote:

The survey is flawed inasmuch as Essentials and Essentials Plus were late addition. I use Essentials Plus, but picked Standard as it was the closest i had at the time. I would suspect that Standard use is lower and Essentials Plus higher. Essentials Plus is a sweet spot for a lot of SMBs.

Yes, it was late, but by about 40 submissions. The new data I'm about to post is for 297 submissions. With the larger sample size, I think the overall percentage would be more in line had the Essentials/Essentials Plus been in there from the beginning.

Which VMware version are you currently running?

VMware Infrastructure 3.x (VI3)2.02%
VMware vSphere 4.x97.98%

Under which VMware architecture?

ESX25.59%
ESXi74.41%

VMware Edition?

Essentials4.38%
Essentials Plus5.72%
Standard10.10%
Advanced3.37%
Enterprise39.06%
Enterprise Plus37.37%

Was a VMWare virtualization project planned before the new vSphere 5 licensing scheme announcement?

Yes82.15%
No17.85%

Did the new license (vRAM entitlement) change your mind on upgrading to vSphere 5?

Yes87.88%
No12.12%

Have you already bought new bigger and better hardware for your planned vSphere 5 deployment?

Yes44.11%
No55.89%

Do you think that the new license (vRAM entitlement) will affect your current or future VMware plans?

Yes94.28%
No5.72%

Has this new licensing scheme changed your mind to consider another virtualization platform?

Yes92.59%
No7.41%

Which hypervisor are you considering or are currently evaluating based on this announcement?

Citrix XenServer39.60%
Linux KVM11.00%
Microsoft Hyper-V44.00%
Oracle VirtualBox1.80%
Other3.60%

Do you still have plans to move forward with vSphere 5 or have you put your project on hold?

Yes (move forward)15.15%
No (on hold)84.85%


I've also rounded up the number of licenses that people have entered something in the survey:

Number of licenses:

Essentials73
Essentials Plus190
Standard219
Advanced70
Enterprise3875
Enterprise Plus51123
Total55550

Now, there was one respondent who put in 40000 licenses for Enterprise Plus, so take that with a grain of salt - bogus or not, I'll let you decide. I will also mention that all the other responses were 1000 licenses or lower.

Haven't taken the vSphere 5 migration survey yet? Do so here and share it with others (help out by Digging it):

http://wuffers.net/2011/07/18/vsphere-5-migration-survey

Reply
0 Kudos
rjb2
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Bilal wrote:

Please note it states "easiest way to get STARTED"

Yes, I think we all agree that the FREE version is the "easiest way to get STARTED". I still remember how excited our team was when they first installed ESXi back in v3 and they created our first VM"s. The lightbulb went on and we soon decided to pay money. We didn't have 16 GB of RAM in the server that we used to start on, and frankly it didn't really matter because it was at that point that we "got" the value proposition. And after we got this start, we started writing the checks for the real deal. Even with 16 GB, you can setup a few Windows servers, and I think that can be called a start.

There is a lot of discussion about how much you can get for FREE, but there are some of us who are very concerned with preserving our investment and in not having capacity taken away after being loyal SnS paying customers using the most expensive paid versions of the product.

Reply
0 Kudos
admin
Immortal
Immortal

I think this table is confusing

http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-hypervisor/compare.html

I will go back and talk to the product marketing and web teams.

Reply
0 Kudos
GaryHertz
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Bilal wrote:

So @ http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-hypervisor/faq.html it states that "VMware vSphere Hypervisor is the simplest and easiest way to get started with virtualization for free."

Please note it states "easiest way to get STARTED"

Please note that after it says "easiest way to get STARTED" it says "This FULLY FUNCTIONAL hypervisor...".  I pasted that part into my original post for a reason.  For some reason you left that part out.

It's misleading, period.

Reply
0 Kudos
aroudnev
Contributor
Contributor

It is much more difficult to configure but once you created it (heartbeat cluster with all gui, fencing etc; DB mirroring for MS SQL; data guard for Oracle) it works pretty well. In some cases you combine both (app and VM level HA).

Of course. VMware offer a great option of getting HA and fault tolerance on VM level. But there are always an alternatives, and once you created one, you can use it everywhere.

Reply
0 Kudos
nolent
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I think VMWare just became like a drug dealer that jacks up the price of your "fix" once he knew you were good and addicted...

Reply
0 Kudos
aiqsup
Contributor
Contributor

Unfortunately, this will affect our decisions as well.  Just adding our voice.  Currently have about 30 servers and over half of these would need licensing purchases  to be compliant with version 5.  Management is going to have a cow.

Reply
0 Kudos
chrisjeffersonc
Contributor
Contributor

I'm just floored by this new licensing structure.  Being in a government environment and each year we keep getting less funding and are expected to do more with less, which is why I recommended VMware, now I have to tell all the people that we sold on this virtualization project, we need more money.  Come on vm!!!  Granted I use the adage, you get what you pay for, but we shelled out thousands of dollars to get this project started and now it's going to increase the TCO which vm publicizes so much that they reduce.  There HAS to be another way vm can make their "profit" without killing off their customer base.

Just my opinion.

Chris M

Reply
0 Kudos
Saadat
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

As much as I love VMware product, I hate vmware licensing path.

Same issue while we upgraded from 3.5 to 4

You introduced vSphere Enterprise Plus!!!

oh boy

Last time we agreed and continue the journey!!!

Not this time VMware, Not this time!!!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ernestsaadat
Reply
0 Kudos
fridge
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

If your vSphere 5 upgrade or upcoming projects would be adversely affected by licensing changes contact your VMware or partner sales ASAP.  Don't just complain about vSphere licensing changes on blogs, forums & Twitter; talk to VMware weal real number's if it negatively impacts you.  They are listening to feedback.  Will it cause them to change anything? Who knows but they are listening and discussing it internally.

================================== Rod Gabriel Wisconsin VMUG Leader VMware vExpert - 2009-18 Twitter: @ThatFridgeGuy & @WIVMUG http://wivmug.org
Reply
0 Kudos
rjb2
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I want to echo what Rod says about reaching out to VMWare - they are listening.

Reply
0 Kudos
VidarK
Contributor
Contributor

While they are "listening" and "discussing internally" we are testing out their competitors in depth and discussing internally what features are important to us and which ones we can easily live without.

Reply
0 Kudos
wdroush1
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

VidarK wrote:

While they are "listening" and "discussing internally" we are testing out their competitors in depth and discussing internally what features are important to us and which ones we can easily live without.

Yep, RedHat is all over me to show off RHEV, and telling me about their new RHEV-M to be released in a few months IIRC.

RHEV is already less than half the cost of ESXi, has some nifty power saving intelligence to it,  high availability and all that fun stuff SMBs need. They have a bare metal hypervisor too (I'm guessing an extremely streamlined Linux core install).

They do the CPU/VM license model, but their 6-socket starter kits start at $3k, Desktop VM starts at $3k and gets you 6-sockets + 100 desktops.

Thing is at this point I've already jumped through hoops and got evaulation licenses, so even if VMWare came back to 4.x licensing I still have to consider that our TCO for RedHat is going to be significantly less.

Reply
0 Kudos
depping
Leadership
Leadership

Shane wrote:

John Troyer wrote:

The free VMware Hypervisor is licensed for 8GB per socket, not per host. The FAQ is unclear on this and being updated: http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-hypervisor/faq.html

I'd also like to point out that touting the "Ballooning and compression" of memory is no longer a viable advantage over Hyper-V and Xen as with the new licensing model VMWare has told us in no uncertian terms that over provisioning memory is going to cost us significantly more memory. So anyone who's going to stick with VMWare wont be overprovisioning and therefore wont be taking advantage of those memory management features.

I still think there is a huge benefit in memory techniques like TPS, Ballooning and Compression as it allows you to run with fewer hosts with the same amount of virtual machines which means a lower cost of acquisition, lower operational costs, lower power/cooling/rack costs etc.

Reply
0 Kudos
vmwareking
Contributor
Contributor

Check out XenServer, its also a good option. Pricsed per host.. there is a beta download atm.

Reply
0 Kudos
hellraiser
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Just thought I'd share some workings out I've provided our VMware account manager with - doing the maths made me cry a little Smiley Sad

Dell R710 192GB dual cpu host with HyperV, datacentre licenced = £12,518.72

Dell R710 192GB dual cpu host with vSphere 4.1, datacentre licenced = £18,486.72

Dell R710 192GB dual cpu host with vSphere 5, datacentre licenced = £27,126.72.

That, to me, is a total rip-off. There is precisely zero justification for a price increase of that magnitude, particularly considering the leaps and bounds your competitors are making. If you cut through the VMware-sponsored waffle on the net, and look at the number of disgruntled customers you now have, I would strongly advise that you revise this licensing system. The thing is, vSphere is already a premium product, compared to the competition – however, you cannot charge an additional premium particularly after hammering customers for support costs which are supposed to allow for a seamless upgrade to any/all new versions without extra cost. Likewise the whole vRAM isn’t pRAM is false and misleading – people don’t buy RAM to just sit idle, usually it is bought because it is required. I presume VMware will no longer push the memory overcommit angle, due to the additional cost?

Stop being greedy VMware, or watch your market share drop and MS/Citrix take over.

JD

JD
Reply
0 Kudos