VMware vSphere Desktop host licenses with vShield Antivirus appliance

[VArjan]

VMware Horizon View comes with VMware vSphere Desktop host licenses. The amount of purchased user licenses is equal to the amount of host licenses.
The host licenses seem to simply count the amount of VM’s running in the cluster. If exceeded the licensing will give an error.

So far all is good and working.

Until you start implementing an agentless antivirus system using vShield. This requires a VM on each host which will do the scanning in the vShield layer.
Only the licensing part of VMware just count this antivirus appliance as a VM.

For an example:
If you have 200 user licenses and 10 ESX desktop hosts the license part of VMware will give an error when you exceed 190 users.

Is there any way to solve this?

[vTimD]

Hello,

  While I don't have a direct answer for you, I see that nobody else either saw this or had a response. You may want to email support to get a proper response. I would be interested to hear how it turns out. If you have since contacted support, please post the answer here so the next person looking can find the proper answer. Best of luck!

[VArjan]

Thanks for your response.

I have not contacted VMware support yet, also I do not have a solution.

I have to say, I am a bit surprised I cannot find anything about this topic.

[larsonm]

-vSphere desktop is licensed by per powered on DESKTOP VM

-In a Horizon Virtual Desktop environment, vSphere Desktop can be used to power virtual desktops, as well as the underlying infrastructure for the VDI environment. Examples include the connection server, security server, active directory, monitoring tools and other infrastructure directly related to and exclusive to the VDI environment. Storage servers, for example, would not be included.

https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/horizon-view/VMware-Horizon-View-Pricing-Licensing-FAQ.pdf