vCPUs vs CPUs Per Core

[FNbweatherl]

I have small customer that is looking at VMware Essentails Plus. They only have 5 servers, but they have one large SQL server that currently has 2 - Quadcore processors.

SQL is licensed per CPU with 2 CPU licenses. The vendor insists that they need all 8 cores. There is a 4 vCPU limit with vSphere Essentials Plus.

My question is: Is it possible to assign 4 Cores per CPU on my VM and give it 2 vCPUs. 2 vCPUs keeps me within my Microsoft SQL licening restrictions and 2 vCPUs keeps me under the 4 vCPU limit of Essentials Plus licensing or will vSphere take to total of Cores per CPU by number of vCPU and restrict me a total of 4 cores?

Thanks for your help

[Troy_Clavell]

if you have 4.1, see below. You'll still have to assign 4vCPU's, but the guest would see two sockets two cores.

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1010184

[RParker]

SQL is licensed per CPU with 2 CPU licenses. The vendor insists that they need all 8 cores. There is a 4 vCPU limit with vSphere Essentials Plus.

2 misconceptions here.

SQL is licensed PER SOCKET (not CPU). They do NOT need ALL 8 cores. SQL is IO based NOT CPU based, if the disk is adequate performance, the CPU will NOT be high priority.

We run SQL on VM, and on Physical systems. We monitor performance, CPU is VERY low even when disk IO is high.

the Vendor is WRONG

[FNbweatherl]

I know I can assign 2 vCPUs and 2 CPUs per Socket for a total of 4 Cores.

My question is can I assign 2 vCPU with 4 CPUs per Socket for a total of 8 Cores or will VMware not allow me that since I have 4 vCPU Max?

VMware documentation states there is a limit on vCPUs it doesn't mention a limit on CPUs per Socket or total cores assigned to a VM.

Does VMware add the total of CPUs per Socket and vCPUs to figure vCPUs or are they seperate entities.

[Troy_Clavell]

My question is can I assign 2 vCPU with 4 CPUs per Socket for a total of 8 Cores or will VMware not allow me that since I have 4 vCPU Max?

Can't do this... In order to get a total count of 8 logical processors, you'll still need to assign 8vCPU's, regardless. To do that, you must have Enterprise Plus licensing.

[TomHowarth · Accepted solution]

No you can not, with Essentials you only get 4 CPU or 1 x 4 core or 2 x 2 core but always a maximum of a count of four.

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Tom Howarth VCP / vExpert

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Contributing author on "[VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment|http://www.amazon.co.uk/VMware-VSphere-Virtual-Infrastructure-Security/dp/0137158009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256146240&sr=1-1]”.

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