vSphere Essentials Plus - Proof of concept?

[Ghost7331]

Hi everyone,

i'm about to design a new hypervisor infrastructure with VMware.

We are currently using another hypervisor, so the VMware license concept is quiet new to us.

After reading all threads regarding "essentials plus" and the official VMware docs, it would give me great confidence, if a vSphere Pro Nerd could approve my idea:

2 different sites - interconnected:

- Cluster1 (site1) with 3 hosts (30VMs), 2 sockets populated, 10 cores per CPU, SAN with FC connection and a vSphere Essentials Plus kit.

- Cluster2 (site2) with 3 hosts (10VMs), same specs as site1, but with less RAM and just 1 CPU per Host and a second Essentials Plus kit

- 2 hosts on site2 would actually be enough, but i would like to use HA and a second SAN is not an option, which is why i'd like to use vSAN, so site2 hosts will contain more disks obviously).

I'm aware that there's a 3 hosts license limit; that vSAN will be an extra license per socket and that both clusters will be managed with 2 different vCenters.

Also vMotion and HA is all i need, regarding the included features.

So here are 3 questions i'm still not a 100% sure about are:

1) Am i allowed to use 2 vSphere Essentials Plus kits in the same company?

2) How can i imagine the hypervisor management later in production? 1 vCenter client with 2 separate connections to both clusters or are we just talking about 2 different web frontends?

3) As far as i'm aware, the CPU core limitations for essentials plus have been revoked since v6, yes?

Any recommendations and ideas are gladly welcome!

best regards,

Ghost

[IRIX201110141 · Accepted solution]

1. Yes, because there is no limit how often a single Company can buy Ess Plus

2. There would be  NO conection between the both installation and both of them are independent islands. So you have 2 vCenter Installations and need to open 2 brower tabs

3. There was never a CPU Core limit. A long time ago there was a vTAX which means you need to buy extra LICs if you have more RAM or higher Core Count in your Hosts. But this was a long time ago. But again.....Ess Plus is limited 3x2 CPU per Host and not something like 6x1 CPU Host. This may can confuse ppl later when they receive there licenses becaus this referes to a 6 CPU lic.

Yes... you can upgrade a Ess Plus to a  Accelerator Kit Bundle but you only get 60% or so back. This goes even more worse if you would like to upgrade your 2nd. Essentials Plus Bundle because the Accelerator Kit alway comes with a vCenter Std. and its unlikly that you need 2 of them.

You should conside somethink like that

6x vSphere ESXi per CPU

1x vCenter Std. (unlimited Hosts)

1x Robo Std. (25 VMs) for your 2nd. Site (the 25 VM count canot increased but youre allowed to install between 1-3 Hosts on than site)

Regards

Joerg

[Ghost7331]

Hi Joerg,

thank you very much!

That's exactly what i was looking for.

Those 2 clusters do not have to be connected at all.

In any case, if i had to move a VM to the remote cluster (which is highly unlikely), i could simply use veeam replication (as it will be the primary backup solution).

Great! thx

If i may, any reflections on your part regarding the vSAN idea?

regard, Ghost

[IRIX201110141]

We have one vCenter, with several Cluster and two of them use independend vSphere vSANs.

We suggest that every customer starts vSAN with 4 nodes because if you have only 3 and place one node into MM than you have to keep finger crossing that no pDisk died in the meantime.

We also try to avoid that our vCenter runs on the vSAN Datastore because you need vCenter for vSAN management. But to be fair ... in the last 2 years we havent seen a problem their. So this would be very personal.

You can run vSAN together with Ess+.  There is also a special 2 Node Cluster vSAN where you have to run the 3rd. node as a virtual one which acts as a witness in the cloud or in your case on site #1.

Regards

Joerg

[Ghost7331]

Hey,

thanks again. You helped me a lot!

best regards,

Ghost