About VSphere4 support and subscription expiring

[Rogner]

As the support level of my Vsphere 4.0 will reach end day soon and I am confusing on some point about the license key, and support / subscription.

I will be grateful if any Vmware Expert could clarify my questions.

I found that the license keys of the VCenter and Hypervisor's expiring status are "Never" but the support level will expire soon, and have the following questions:

1. What will be affected if the support level expired?

2. Can I update security patches on both hypervisors and VCenter if I do not continue to purchase the support level?

3. Can I reinstall the hypervisors and VCenter with the license keys if I do not continue to purchase the support level?

4. Will the VSphere features (e.g. VMotion, FT) stopped function after the support level is expired?

5. Can I still access or download the relevent resource from VMware Website after the support level is expired? eg. download ISO, plugins, patches etc

[HannaL]

As long as the licenses are valid for ESX and vCenter all your features will continue to function. As long as you have valid licenses you would be able to download patches and updates  Without a support contract you will not be able to get support for any of it including licensing or technica questions.  But you can always buy support later if you do need help just be aware it can sometimes take a while to take affect.

[Rogner]

Thanks for your information and your great help.