How to license a vcenter server free

[muriloaniceto]

I've just installed an esxi 5.5 in my physical server, and then I installed the vSphere Client, I assigned the free license which I got in MyVmware -> Free Products Download - > vSphere Hypervisor.

Then I saw that I had to deploy vcenter server appliance, and I did it.

After configuring the vcenter server and the web client I saw a message box on the top of the page of the web client:  There are vCenter Server systems with expiring license keys in your inventory.

Then I went back to MyVmware portal to check if there is any license to put there, but I just found a license in the vSpere with Operations Management Product Evaluation Center, but unfortunately this license wasn't for vCenter, but to vOps.

So my question is: Is there a way to license the vCenter Server as a free version ?

Thanks !

[abhilashhb]

The vSphere with ops manager will have a vCenter license with it. If you have assigned a free hypervisor license to esxi, you will not be able to add it to vCenter.

The vSOM evaluation you have will have vCenter key which is valid for 60 days.

[abhilashhb · Accepted solution]

And to answer your question. No there is no free license for vCenter unlike esxi. Only 60 days evaluation or paid license.

[muriloaniceto]

Thanks abhilashhb

Just one more question. When I openned my vSphere Client and connected to esxi host. The license that I entered wasn't there anymore, I mean the free license. I thought that it happened because I deploy the vCenter that requires a paid license. So when I tried to insert the esxi free license again, in the first moment the vSphere accepts, and recognizes that it is a free license, but after it removes and informs that it will expire in a certain date. Is it correct to say that this is happening because of the vCenter that I deployed ?

[royhill]

yes, as soon as you start running vCenter server, your free licenses of esxi are invalidated.  You can however run the free vCenter client, although the functionality is nothing like a full vCenter server implementation

[sjesse]

Please don't respond to really old posts, plus there is no such thing as a free vcenter client. Your referring to the ESXi Embedded Host Client in recent versions