Installed Virtual Center 2.0.2 to use centralized licensing, but "Host Configuration..." link is grayed out under Admin-->Licenses section. Cannot eval the product!

[RogerZ]

I'm very annoyed by this problem and contacted the VM licensing team to assist me with this, only to be told that they cannot assist because I have not purchased the product. Well, "No SH*T!", because I'm trying to eval it before I buy it. Basically, they're telling me I have to buy it to eval it? What kind of assinine policy does VMWare have in place in regards to this? And they expect to attract new customers if this is their response to potential clients trying to eval their product? How'd you like to go shopping for a car and the dealer tells you that you cannot test drive it unless you buy it first? Yeah...that's pretty much the idiotic message VMWare is sending its potentially new customers.

Anyhow, I got my eval licenses from VMWare, installed the ESX server on my HP ProLiant DL360G4p, and installed the VC and licensing server on a Windows 2003 server. When I use the VI Client to connect to the Windows 2003 Server, I click on the Admin button, then on licensing. I see the licenses features on the left with a total of 16 licenses, but the Host Configuration... link towards the upper right is not working and the windows beneath it is blank. Also, the ESX Server License Type: field is blank. This problem is preventing me from selecting the proper host license type as I try to switch it from unlicenses to full license. It tells me I don't have sufficient licenses to perform the operation. Has anyone experienced this problem before and if so, how was it fixed? I need help here because VMWare support is refusing to help me with this. Thanks.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Hi Roger, if you select the ESX host with the VI client and then go to Configuration \ Licensed Features are you able to edit the License Sources? You'll want to click on Edit and then check Use License Server and then enter the IP or DNS name for your VirtualCenter server. After you set the license source you should be able to change the license type (and to enable add-on licenses as well).

[TCronin]

Dave is right Roger, license configuration takes place at the host level, not the Virtualcenter level where you are. Once you start adding hosts to Virtualcenter they will show up in the list you see as blank right now. Then you could highlight them and click the "Host Configuration" link, that will take you to the licensing tab on the individual host. There you can change it to use the license server.

The admin screen you are on shows you what licenses you are using overall and give a quick way to check on individual hosts via the window and the license type field underneath, but that tab doesn't actually allow you to manage the licensing.

[RogerZ]

The problem is not that I can't switch to a licensed server mode...I did go through all that and am able to point to the license server via IP address, but when I use the VI client to connect to the Windows 2003 VC server which also runs the FlexNet license service, I cannot click on the "Host Configuration..." link on the upper right when I click on the Admin button, then licenses tab. This was the last troubleshooting step that VMWare support left me on before they rudely told me that they cannot help me further because the issue falls outside the scope of what they can provide under an eval. Catch 22 "How can I eval the product if I can't get it installed and they won't provide support, and how do I get support if I'm trying to eval it?" See attached screenshot of what I'm looking at and look at the upper right portion. Shouldn't I see something in that window under "Name"?

[RogerZ]

OK...so how do I add licenses to the ESX host server itself? Are you referring to host based licensing? Doesn't that get changed when I switch over to server based licensing through VC? Maybe I'm missing the point here...please elaborate.

Thanks.

[oreeh]

As Dave and Tom already said:

You have to connect to the ESX host (NOT the VC server) using the VC client and add the licenses there.

After the host is licensed you can add the advanced features.

Then you connect the VC server and manage the ESX hosts from there..

[oreeh]

This has nothing to do with host based licenses.

In order to get the VC agent running on the ESX the ESX needs a proper license.

Since the VC agent is required to manage the ESX from VC you need to connect the ESX directly to do this.

[RogerZ]

So first I have to installed the host based license by pointing the ESX server towards the singlehost.lic file, then add the licensed features? After that, I can switch over to licensed server based licensing? Am I correct now?

Thanks.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

You won't have to used host based licenses for this. It doesn't sound like you've set your hosts to point to the license server yet.

In the VI client

1) click on Inventory button and select Hosts and Clusters.

2) Select a host and then select the Configuration tab and click on Licensed Features.

3) You'll be able to set the license source on this page. Once you've done that, it will show up Admin\License\Host Configuration. But you can select the server type and add-on on the Configuration\Licensed Features page.

[TCronin]

Did you add hosts to Virtual Center? Under Inventory/Hosts&Clusters? If not then right click on Datacenters and choose "Creat new datacenter", then name it, etc. Then right click on the datacenter and choose Add host and follow the wizard.

If you add the hosts they should appear in that window you screenshot regardless of thier licensing state, and the link should become active when a host is highlighted.

[RogerZ]

This is something I have yet to try, as I'm not too familiar with the product yet. I'll try it out tonight and let you guys know. Thanks for the help. :smileyblush:

[RogerZ]

OK...I tried that and I was able to get my ESX host populated into the Host Configuration window, but now I have another issue. When I try to switch the ESX server license type from unlicensed to ESX Server Standard, it tells me I don't have enough licenses to perform the operation????. The license tool does recognize a valid eval license and all can be checked out OK, so why can't I enable the licensed features?