Managing ESXi 5.0 licenses during multiple host replacements

[timothyn]

I have six Enterprise licensed hosts running presently and six more new ones I'm building to replace them (one for one). What options do I have in terms of transferring the licenses from old to new hosts? Especially in regards to the 60 day default evaluation license period. I suspect I may need at least 60 days to build, configure and test my environment before I start to move VMs. Obviously having an entire cluster of new hosts on a 60 day timer isn't a viable option.

What is the ideal way to smooth these sorts of whole of cluster moves while keeping the machines licensed? Can one apply the same license to the new hosts on the understanding it's technically in breach but in a transitional grace period?

Any advice from people who have been through this scenario would be great.

thanks

[BenLiebowitz]

The only other option would be to reach out to your VMware rep and ask about temporary licenses.  Typically, I've just used the 60 day evaluation and made sure to remove the older host(s) and transfer the license(s) before the evaluation was up.

Good luck!

[timothyn]

Hi Ben,

We've decided to do a full test build of the hardware then the software - setting up eight hosts and the new SAN.  Then I'll do a stack of testing of vMotions/Storage vMotion etc of test servers form the old environment to the new just to test all the scenarios work (and test within the cluster as well).  If there's any dramas, they'll only be test VMs and no real data of importance would be lost.  Provided all the tests go well, I'll do a rebuild of the environment (thereby restarting the 60 day evaluation period again) and do a quicker test just to make sure it's the way it was set up first time round then go hell for leather and vMotion myself silly. 

I've got six old hosts and eight new ones with a new SAN and around 100 VM's so I'm thinking 60 days should give me enough time to get the bulk moved in a week or two and have 40 or so days to resolve the 10% that are bound to cause some issues.

I'm assuming I just install the license key on the new hosts via vCenter as normal when I'm cut over and just shut off the old hosts?

Thanks.

[BenLiebowitz · Accepted solution]

Sounds like a good plan. 

You'll need to shutdown the old hosts and remove them from vCenter to be able to re-allocate the licenses. 

[timothyn]

I'm having a minor issue in that removed hosts' license aren't consistently being returned to vCenter for reuse.  I removed two hosts - the license were 'free' to reuse within about 5 mins, another host never surrendered it's keys after removal for two days until the next one was removed and reallocated - then it showed up afterwards (anachronistically).  I've had the same thing again - removed a host today and the key isn't showing up and I can't reapply that license.  Oddly, the counts didn't add up at one point - 10 CPUs licensed, 10 allocated but when I expanded the view in licensing, it only showed four hosts with 2 CPUs each...   Anyone have any ideas on what's going on with that?  My suspicion is a service(s) on vCenter need a restart?