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FluxNooB
Contributor
Contributor
‎02-23-2023 02:31 AM

Maximum number of Hosts allowed for this edition of vCenter has been reached

Hi,

We have 2 x licenses for VMWare Essentials Kit which we were hoping would cover up to 6 hosts. We have one instance of vCenter running as an appliance on one of the hosts to manage the hosts but we cannot add a 4th host to vCenter server due to the licensing limitations.

Does having 2 x licenses mean we have to install 2 x separate instances of vCenter server to be able to manage more than 3 hosts? The whole reason we purchased 2 licenses was to expand beyond 3 hosts but if we are unable to manage them seems pointless having them. Can we use linked mode if we have to install a second instance of vCenter server? 

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StephenMoll
Expert
Expert
‎02-23-2023 02:36 AM

Enhanced Linked mode requires a vCenter Standard licence.

You will have to manage them as two separate 3 host systems, or pay for the standard licence.

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FluxNooB
Contributor
Contributor
‎02-23-2023 02:40 AM

Thanks Steven,

This was my fear! I think we may have purchased 2 licenses unnecessarily. The 4 the host is only a lab setup for testing so not a huge issue other than we wasted money on an unrequired license!

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FluxNooB
Contributor
Contributor
‎02-23-2023 02:57 AM

Hi Steven,

Is it possible to upgrade to standard or foundation from essentials?

regards

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StephenMoll
Expert
Expert
‎02-23-2023 03:11 AM

Foundation doesn't support ELM either, but does support up to four hosts as far as I can tell.

I would imagine that a standard license applied to an existing Essentials install would enable features permitted under the Standard license. It doesn't seem to make sense for there to be different VCSA installers for different licensing levels.

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FluxNooB
Contributor
Contributor
‎02-23-2023 03:14 AM

Understood!

Just trying to see if there's an upgrade path to convert our existing essentials licenses to foundation or standard at a reduced cost rather than paying full price for new licenses?

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StephenMoll
Expert
Expert
‎02-23-2023 03:16 AM

Not sure about upgrade paths, in terms of the actual licences themselves. I think this is something best discussed with your TAM if you have one, or the software vendor you used.

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FluxNooB
Contributor
Contributor
‎02-23-2023 03:18 AM

Purchased direct from VMWare store, maybe foolishly :slightly_smiling_face:

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StephenMoll
Expert
Expert
‎02-23-2023 03:22 AM

No harm in asking, the worst they can do is say "No".

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