Solved: Re: License for standby host?

vmthunder · ‎01-15-2008

Does a standby ESX server/host (with no VM's) in a farm require a license? In the case of using HA, if all VM's failed over to the standby host, would it require an additional license to start the VM's? Thanks.

Rodos · ‎01-15-2008

All hosts must be licensed. Under HA all the hosts are active and can execute VMs. If a host fails HA restarts the VM which were on that host on the other hosts.

You can use admission control to ensure you don't start to many VMs that would cause and over subscription of your reservations if you were to loose a host.

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Rodos · ‎01-15-2008

All hosts must be licensed. Under HA all the hosts are active and can execute VMs. If a host fails HA restarts the VM which were on that host on the other hosts.

You can use admission control to ensure you don't start to many VMs that would cause and over subscription of your reservations if you were to loose a host.

Rodos {size:10px}{color:gray}Consider the use of the helpful or correct buttons to award points. Blog: http://rodos.haywood.org/{color}{size}

ejward · ‎01-15-2008

You can setup and ESX host and even have VMs on it without a license. You just won't be able to power on those VMs or join the host to Virtual Center. If you really did lose a production ESX host with running VMs, that would free up a license. You would then be able to power on the VMs and add the host to VC. Is this within Vmware's license? I guess that depends on if you ask an engineer or a sales person.

Rodos · ‎01-15-2008

What ejward has described is very valid. I actually wrote something along those lines in my original answer but decided it was getting complicated and deleted it (I was lazy).

Remember this will be a manual process. Its just the same as rebuilding on the same or another server, attaching the storage or disks and firing up.

However its not really the way ESX failure is designed to work. You are also wasting all that resource sitting there doing nothing.

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Trogthor · ‎01-15-2008

In the case of using HA, you will need an additional license to start the VM's.

Whether HA is required depends on the downtime you can afford - how long would it take to rebuild your host, is this in your available downtime?

If you're paying for the second license for HA because you can't afford the downtime then spread the VMs across both servers - may as well have that hot spare earning it's keep.

vmthunder · ‎01-16-2008

Thanks guys. In our scenario I will probably take Trogthor's advice and spread out the VM's since I have to buy a friggin licenses anyway.