ESXi 5.5.0 to 6.5.0

[TimMcGee]

Hello,

I have a licensing question.

Our current environment is ESXi 5.5.0.

I have installed a second environment with some new hardware that is ESXi 6.5.0.

I have deployed the VCSA at each new 6.5.0 site.

My question is about the vcenter server license and ESXi host licenses.

Can I upgrade the licenses to V6 within myvmware.com and continue to use them in my 5.5 environment and use them in the new 6.5 environment until I get all the hosts moved to the new environment? I won't be able to complete this within the 60 day evaluation.

* I need to be able to use the same vcenter server license in both environments.

* Then I have host license keys with available CPUs that I would like to upgrade to v6 and use in both environments temporarily. I don't want to split them.

Thank you for any assistance!

[raviverma017]

Hi TimMcGee​,

This is very specifically a licensing question easier way to find an answer would be to connect with VMware Licensing team, they can easily answer this.

And I think since you are upgrading your environment, they may be able to provide you an extended evaluation mode license(on the basis of business justification) using which you can complete your task and then later on you could proceed with upgrading the license.

I would recommend connecting with them as they would be able to provide you with a feasible option.

Regards,

Ravi Verma.

[batuhandemirdal]

Hi,

You may not be able to use the old 5.5 license after upgrading on the license side.

[TimMcGee]

Hello,

Thank you for the post. I have called VMware support 2 times and talked to them about licensing.

They told me that I can log into myvmware to upgrade the license to v6 and use it in both environments without issue.

However, they didn't seem real confident in the answer so it makes me hesitant.

So, I was hoping to find someone that has moved to a new version in this manner.

I just want to make sure I don't break our 5.5 environment after upgrading that license to v6 and using it in the new environment also until I have moved off 5.5.

I would say this is the correct answer and will try to update this post after my move to v6.5 is complete to let everyone else know.

[RParker]

There are 2 companies that are beyond anal when it comes to licensing.

Microsoft and Vmware.

We were audited by VMware in 2008.  We had 52 licenses in development, they said we had 53 because one of them was showing "installed", not used, not connected to anything just turned "on" and they said we had to obtain a license.

WE argued that not only should we NOT pay for a license but since it was a development TEST server and within 60 say grace period we shouldn't need to license it besides the fact that it was simply "installed" and was merely an oversight... someone was going to test script of VMware installs.

We switched to HyperVisor after that.. Microsoft is easy just use MSDN licensing for everything problem solved.. but it's expensive.  We were audited by Microsoft that same year, but we actually had OVER licensed because we had people on MSDN that were not with the company and we paid Millions to MS each year

Anyway, VMware will not bend if you UPGRADE a license it is exactly that.. you took 1 license and MOVED it to another license you don't get to keep the old one.

You are in violation of their terms of agreement, you don't want to get Audited.. TRUST me.  You need  separate licenses for 5.5 and for 6.5, for EACH host and vCenter PERIOD.