Multiple License Files or Options File?

[bigusdadius]

I have an existing production VI3 environment and I will be starting a VDI pilot very soon and plan on using an eval license for ESX servers related to the pilot. With that being said I'm trying to make the determination if I should use multiple license files of an options file on the license server to seperate the production and pilot environments. Has anyone configured separate license files before? Will this configuration allow me to separate the licenses or will they just be pooled together? Any feedback will be appreciated.

[virtualdud3]

On a previous project, before I became involved with the project someone had informed the customer that VI3 "Enterprise" edition included a VirtualCenter license (it doesn't).

In order to move forward while the finger-pointing was being sorted out, I had to download a 30-day evaluation license for VirtualCenter, which I then appended to the license file. I'm not sure that you can have separate license files; I would just copy the eval license to the existing license file, and then "above and below" the eval license, place a notation (REM'd-out with ###) stating that the following portion of the license file is an evaluation, set to expire on xx/xx/xxxx, or whatever.

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[bigusdadius]

I have considered this course of action, but since I'm an outside consultant on this project I may not be at this site when the when the eval licenses expire and thta makes me and the customer a bit nervous. The customer has asked me to guarantee that production will not be affected and I may just setup an second VC server in the pilot environment to ensure this. I've read that multiple license files are supported with the latest version of VC and the license server, but I believe they are pooled in this configuration.

I'm still considering using an options file on the license server to separate pilot and prod, but the customer has to sign off on this first. Thanks again.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=1000955&sl...

[mstahl75]

It depends on the version of the License Server you are running. If you are running the one that installs with VC 2.0.2 then it is able to have multiple license files. They just get put into the same directory and a restart of the License Server service should read all the license files (a reread may also work). I haven't done this at this point but the feature was supposedly added in the last version. Doing this will just pool all the licenses together.

[bigusdadius]

Has anyone out there used the Options File as described in this KB article?

What was your experience with it? Good, bad or ugly?

[BL]

If we can use multiple license files in VC 2.0.2 then how do we have to name the license file?

because in the doc it says that u have to name the license file as vmware.lic

anyone used multiple license files??

[cutthroat]

I still haven't implemented it since I haven't had the need but I would guess the files would just have to be in the correct location and end in .lic.

[Texiwill]

Hello,

Place all your license files in the same directory. They can have different names but the same extension. As for the Options file it does work quite well. You may wish to check the Macrovision End User Documentation (http://www.macrovision.com/pdfs/flexnet_licensing_end_user_guide.pdf) for more details but there are no issues using it.

Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky

VMware Communities User Moderator

====

Author of the book 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers', Copyright 2008 Pearson Education. As well as the Virtualization Wiki at http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Virtualization

[mstahl75]

I still haven't implemented it since I haven't had the need but I would guess the files would just have to be in the correct location and end in .lic.

That was me .... was apparently signed into the work account

[BL]

Thanks a lot for your input

I'll give it a try very soon and will let u know of the outcomes

Cheers

[BL]

As promised I tried to put 2 license files in license folder and it responded great

So it works

u can have multiple license files

great !!