esx server 3 installation guide

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ESX Server 3 Installation GuideESX Server 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5


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VMware, Inc.3401 Hillview Ave.Palo Alto, CA 94304www.vmware.com

2 VMware, Inc.

ESX Server 3 Installation Guide

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on our Web site at

http://www.vmware.com/support/

The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.

If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:

[email protected]

2007-2008 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,397,242,6,496,847, 6,704,925, 6,711,672, 6,725,289, 6,735,601, 6,785,886, 6,789,156, 6,795,966, 6,880,022,6,944,699, 6,961,806, 6,961,941, 7,069,413, 7,082,598, 7,089,377, 7,111,086, 7,111,145, 7,117,481,7,149,843, 7,155,558, 7,222,221, 7,260,815, 7,260,820, 7,269,683, 7,275,136, 7,277,998, 7,277,999,7,278,030, 7,281,102, and 7,290,253; patents pending.

VMware, the VMware boxes logo and design, Virtual SMP and VMotion are registered trademarks or

trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and namesmentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

VMware VirtualCenter 2.5 is distributed with certain third party technology licensed from Tom SawyerSoftware. Tom Sawyer Visualization (c) 2004 Tom Sawyer Software, Oakland, California. All RightsReserved.


Revision: 20071129Item: VI-ENG-Q407-434
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VMware, Inc. 3

Contents

AboutThisBook 7

1 IntroductiontoVMwareInfrastructure 11VMwareInfrastructureataGlance 12

WhatsNewforInstallation 15

WhatsNewAboutInstallingVirtualCenterVersion 2.5 15

WhatsNewAboutInstallingESX Server 3.5 15

2 SystemRequirements 17

VMware

Infrastructure

Requirements 17VirtualCenter ServerRequirements 17

HardwareRequirements 17

VirtualCenter ServerSoftwareRequirements 18

VirtualCenterDatabaseRequirements 19

EndofSupportLifeforMicrosoftAccessDatabases 19

VI ClientRequirements 20

VI Client

Hardware

Requirements 20VI ClientSoftwareRequirements 20

VirtualCenterVIWebAccessRequirements 20

LicenseServerRequirements 21

LicenseServerHardwareRequirements 21

LicenseServerSoftwareRequirements 21

ESX Server 3Requirements 21

Minimum

Server

Hardware

Requirements 21EnhancedPerformanceRecommendations 24

HardwareandSoftwareCompatibility 25

SupportedGuestOperatingSystems 25

VirtualMachineRequirements 26


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3 VirtualCenterandESX Server 3LicensingOverview 27LicensingTerminology 28

ESX Server 3

Editions

28VirtualCenter ServerEditions 30

VirtualCenterandESX Server 3LicensingModel 30

SingleHostandCentralizedLicenseTypes 30

CentralizedLicensing 31

SingleHostLicensing 32

LicenseKeyFunctionality 33

PerProcessor

Licensing 33

PerInstanceLicensing 35

LicenseExpirationConsiderations 35

LicenseServerAvailability 35

UsinganExistingFLEXnetLicenseServer 39

ContactingSupport 40

4 RunningVMware

VirtualCenter

and

VMware ESX Server

in EvaluationMode 41UsingESX ServerandVirtualCenterinEvaluationMode 41

LicensingVirtualCenterandESX ServerAftertheEvaluationPeriodExpires 42

ConsiderationsWhenYouSwitchESX ServerandVirtualCentertoLicensedModes 43

5 LicensingVirtualCenter

and

ESX Server 45

LicensingProcess 46

ObtainingLicenseFiles 48

SettingUpCentralizedLicensing 49

InstallingLicenseFiles 49

LocationoftheLicenseServer 49

ConfiguringLicenseServerLicensing 50

Changingthe

Default

License

Server

Ports 52

ChangingfromSingleHosttoCentralizedLicensing 53

SettingUpSingleHostLicensing 53

ConfiguringanESX ServerMachineforSingleHostLicensing 53

SingleHostandCentralizedLicensingintheSameEnvironment 54

ConfiguringLicensingforaMixedESX Server 2.xandESX Server 3.xEnvironment 55

Changing

from

Centralized

to

Single

Host

Licensing 56


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Contents

LicenseFileContents 56

LicenseFileLocations 58

AddingNewLicenseFilestoLicenseServers 59

AddingNewLicenseFilestoSingleHosts 60

InstallingaLicenseServer 60

TroubleshootingLicensing 61

ReceivingLicenseActivationCodes 62

CheckingtheLicenseServer 62

CheckingtheLicenseFile 64

CheckingLicenseConfiguration 64

6 InstallingVMwareInfrastructureManagement 65PreparingtheVirtualCenter ServerDatabase 66

ConfiguringanOracleConnectiontoWorkLocally 66

ConfiguringanOracleConnectiontoWorkRemotely 67

ConfiguringaSQLServerODBCConnection 68

ConfiguringMicrosoftSQLServer2005Express 71

MaintainingYour

VirtualCenter

Database 71

InstallingVMwareInfrastructureManagementSoftware 71

VirtualCenter ServerPrerequisites 72

ComponentsInstalled 72

InstallationProcedure 73

ConfiguringCommunicationBetweenVirtualCenterComponents 76

ConnectingtoYourVirtualCenter ServerThroughaFirewall 76

Connectingto

Your

Managed

Hosts

Through

aFirewall 77

ConnectingHostswiththeLicenseServerThroughaFirewall 77

UninstallingVMwareInfrastructureComponents 77

InstallingVirtualCenterinaVirtualMachine 78

7 InstallingVMwareESX ServerSoftware 81PreparingtoInstall 81

InstalledComponents 81

InstallationMethods 82

UsingRemoteManagementApplications 82

InstallationonSATADrives 82

LUNRequirements 83

InstallingESX Server 83

NavigationintheInstaller 84
http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-


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ESX ServerInstallationProcedure 84

MouseSelection 88

RecommendedPartitioning 88

AdvancedPartitioning 89

SettingYourTimeZone 92

PostinstallationConsiderations 93

LocatingtheInstallationLogs 93

AssigningNewHardwareontheServer 93

InstallingAdditionalDriversfromtheVMwareDriverDisk 93

VerifyingYourDeviceDriverMappings 94

DownloadingtheVI Client 94

A ESX ServerPartitioning 95RequiredPartitions 95

OptionalPartitions 99

B Remoteand

Scripted

Installations

101

ScriptingYourInstallations 101

EnablingScriptedInstallation 102

SettingUptheScript 103

CreatingaScriptUsingVIWebAccess 103

RunningaScriptedInstallationfromtheKickstartFile 107

EditingtheKickstartConfigurationFile 107

%includeSection 107

CommandSection 108

%packagesSection 112

%preSection 112

%postSection 112

%vmlicense_textSection 113

SampleKickstartFile 113

Index 115


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Thismanual,theInstallationGuide,describeshowtoinstallnewconfigurationsofVMwareVirtualCenterandESX Server 3.

The

InstallationGuide

covers

ESX

Server

3.5.

To

read

about

ESX Server 3i

version

3.5,

see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html.

Foreaseofdiscussion,thisbookusesthefollowingproductnamingconventions:

FortopicsspecifictoESXServer3.5,thisbookusesthetermESXServer3.

FortopicsspecifictoESXServer3iversion3.5,thisbookusestheterm

ESX Server 3i.

Fortopics

common

to

both

products,

this

book

uses

the

term

ESX

Server.

Whentheidentificationofaspecificreleaseisimportanttoadiscussion,thisbook

referstotheproductbyitsfull,versionedname.

WhenadiscussionappliestoallversionsofESXServerforVMware

Infrastructure 3,thisbookusesthetermESXServer3.x.

Intended AudienceThismanualisintendedforanyonewhoneedstoinstallESX Server 3.5and

VirtualCenter2.5.TheinformationinthismanualiswrittenforexperiencedWindows

orLinuxsystemadministratorswhoarefamiliarwithvirtualmachinetechnologyand

datacenteroperations.

About This Book
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html


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8 VMware, Inc.

Document Feedback

VMwarewelcomesyoursuggestionsforimprovingourdocumentation.Ifyouhave

comments,send

your

feedback

to:

[email protected]

VMware Infrastructure Documentation

TheVMwareInfrastructuredocumentationconsistsofthecombinedVMware

VirtualCenterandESXServerdocumentationset.

Abbreviations Used in Figures

ThefiguresinthismanualusetheabbreviationslistedinTable 1.

Technical Support and Education Resources

Thefollowing

sections

describe

the

technical

support

resources

available

to

you.

You

canaccessthemostcurrentversionsofthismanualandotherbooksbygoingto:

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs

Table 1. Abbreviations

Abbreviation Descript ion

database

VirtualCenterdatabase

datastore Storageforthemanagedhost

dsk# Storagediskforthemanagedhost

hostn VirtualCentermanagedhosts

SAN Storageareanetworktypedatastoresharedbetweenmanagedhosts

tmplt Template

user# Userwithaccesspermissions

VC VirtualCenter

VM# Virtualmachinesonamanagedhost
mailto:[email protected]://www.vmware.com/support/pubshttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubsmailto:[email protected]


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About This Book

Online and Telephone Support

Useonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductand

contractinformation,

and

register

your

products.

Go

to

http://www.vmware.com/support.

Customerswithappropriatesupportcontractsshouldusetelephonesupportforthe

fastestresponseonpriority1issues.Goto

http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.

Support Offerings

FindouthowVMwaresupportofferingscanhelpmeetyourbusinessneeds.Goto

http://www.vmware.com/support/services.

VMware Education Services

VMwarecoursesofferextensivehandsonlabs,casestudyexamples,andcourse

materialsdesignedtobeusedasonthejobreferencetools.Formoreinformationabout

VMwareEducation

Services,

go

to

http://mylearn1.vmware.com/mgrreg/index.cfm.
http://www.vmware.com/supporthttp://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/serviceshttp://mylearn1.vmware.com/mgrreg/index.cfmhttp://mylearn1.vmware.com/mgrreg/index.cfmhttp://mylearn1.vmware.com/mgrreg/index.cfmhttp://www.vmware.com/support/serviceshttp://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support


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1

ThisbookdescribeseachseparateinstallerforsettingupVMwareESX Server 3and

VirtualCentercomponents.Thischapterdescribesthecomponentsindividually,soyou

knowwhichyouneedtoinstall.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

VMwareInfrastructureataGlanceonpage 12

WhatsNewforInstallationonpage 15

Introduction to VMware

Infrastructure

1


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12 VMware, Inc.

VMware Infrastructure at a Glance

Figure 11illustratesthesixbasiccomponentsofVMwareInfrastructure.

Figure 1-1. VMware Infrastructure Components

One

VirtualCenter Server

manages

multiple

ESX Server

hosts.

Eachshadedblockrepresentsaseparateinstallerorprocedure.TheVI Clientappears

twice,becauseyoucandownloaditfromaVirtualCenter ServerorESX Serverhost.

VMware Infrastructure Client

Web browser

license server

ESX

Server

hosts

VirtualCenter

database


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Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware Infrastructure

ThemajorcomponentsofVMwareInfrastructureare:

ESX ServerESX Serverprovidesavirtualizationlayerthatabstractsthe

processor,

memory,

storage,

and

networking

resources

of

the

physical

host

into

multiplevirtualmachines.

ESX Server 3installationincludesdocumentationintheformofmanpages

availablefromtheserviceconsole.See InstallingVMwareESX ServerSoftware

onpage 81.

VirtualCenterServerThisserverinstallsonaWindowsmachine,eitherphysical

orvirtual,tocentrallymanageyourVMwareESX Serverhosts.The

VirtualCenter Serverallows

the

use

of

advanced

VMware

Infrastructure

features

suchasVMwareDRS,VMware HA,andVMotion.

AVMwareSDKWebserviceisinstalledwiththeVirtualCenter Server.

See InstallingVMwareInfrastructureManagementSoftwareonpage 71.

VirtualCenterPluginsOptionalapplicationsthatprovideadditionalcapabilities

andfeaturestoVirtualCenter.Generally,pluginsarereleasedseparately,installon

topof

VirtualCenter,

and

can

be

upgraded

independently.

You

can

install

server

componentsofpluginsonthesamecomputerwheretheVirtualCenter Server

resides,oronaseparateone.Aftertheservercomponentofapluginisinstalled,

youcanactivatethepluginsclientcomponent,whichenhancestheVI Clientwith

appropriateUIoptions.

Documentationprovidedwitheachpluginoffersinformationonhowserver

componentsofpluginsareinstalled.

Forinformationonhowtoinstalltheclientcomponent,verifywhichpluginsare

installed,andhowtodisableoruninstallpluginsthatyouarenotusing,seeBasicSystemAdministration.


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14 VMware, Inc.

Thefollowingpluginsareavailable:

VMwareConverterEnablesyoutoconvertphysicalorvirtualmachinesinto

ESX Server

virtual

machines.

After

converting

the

virtual

machines,

you

can

addthemtoyourVirtualCenterinventory.

VMwareUpdateManagerProvidessecuritymonitoringandpatching

supportforESX Serverhostsandvirtualmachines.

Inadditiontoanindependentservercomponentinstallation,thisrelease

supportsthecombinedinstallationfortheVirtualCenter ServerandUpdate

Manager.See InstallingVMwareInfrastructureManagementSoftwareon

page 71.If

you

are

upgrading,

see

the

UpgradeGuide.Forinformationon

UpdateManager,seetheUpdate ManagerAdministrationGuide. VI ClientTheVI ClientinstallsonaWindowsmachineandistheprimary

methodofinteractionwithVMwareInfrastructure.TheVI Clientactsas:

Aconsoletooperatevirtualmachines.

AnadministrationinterfaceintotheVirtualCenter ServersandESX Server

hosts.

TheVI ClientisdownloadablefromtheVirtualCenter ServerandESX Server

hosts.TheVI Clientinstallationincludesdocumentationforadministrators andfor

consoleusers.See InstallingVMwareInfrastructureManagementonpage 65.

WebAccessAbrowserletsyoudownloadtheVI Clientfromthe

VirtualCenter ServerorESX Serverhosts.Whenyouhaveappropriatelogin

credentials,Web

Access

also

lets

you

perform

limited

management

of

your

VirtualCenter ServerandESX Serverhosts.

LicenseserverThisserverinstallsonaWindowssystemtoauthorizethe

VirtualCenter ServersandESX Serverhostsappropriatelyforyourlicensing

agreement.AdministratorsmakechangestosoftwarelicensesusingtheVI Client.

See SettingUpCentralizedLicensingonpage 49.

Database

The


uses

a

database

to

organize

all

the

configurationdatafortheVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.Forsmall

deployments,thebundledMicrosoftSQLServer2005Expressdatabaseletsyouset

upalimitednumbersofhostsandvirtualmachines(5hostsand50virtual

machines).VirtualCentersupportsseveralotherdatabaseproductsforlarger

deployments.See PreparingtheVirtualCenter ServerDatabaseonpage 66.


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Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware Infrastructure

Whats New for Installation

Thissectiondescribesproceduresforinstallingandupgradingpreviousversionsof

VirtualCenterand

ESX Server.

This

section

is

not

acomprehensive

list

of

new

features.

Whats New About Installing VirtualCenter Version 2.5

NewfeaturesintroducedinVirtualCenter2.5include:

AninstallationwizardthatinstallsVirtualCenter,theVIClient,andplugin

components

Newevaluationmode

Newlicenseserversupportofamultiplelicensefiledirectory

AfeaturethatdetectspluginsinstalledonaVirtualCenter Serverduringa

VI Clientinstallation

Othernewfeaturesdonothaveanimpactonanyinstallationorupgradeprocesses.

Whats New About Installing ESX Server 3.5

NewfeaturesintroducedinESX Server 3.5include:

NewevaluationmodeofferingfullaccesstoallESX Serverfeaturesforalimited

time

SATAdiskdrivessupportforESX Server 3.5installation

NewfeaturesintroducedinESX Serverversion 3.0.1includeanewupgradefeature

thatallowsmigrationupgradeswithoutvirtualmachinedowntime.

NewfeaturesintroducedinESX Serverversion 3.0include:

OnscreenHelpnolongerintheinstaller

VMFS3,anewfilesystem

VM3,anew

virtual

machine

format

UpdatedVMwareTools

NewVI Clientinstallation,downloadablefromachangedWebinterface

Othernewfeaturesdonothaveanimpactonanyinstallationorupgradeprocesses.


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2

Thischapterdescribesthehardwareandoperatingsystemrequirementsforhosts

runningVirtualCenterandESX Server 3.Usetheinformationinthischaptertoensure

thatyourenvironmentmeetstherequirementsforinstallation.


VMwareInfrastructureRequirementsonpage 17

ESX Server 3Requirementsonpage 21

SupportedGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 25

VMware Infrastructure RequirementsVirtualCentermanagesESX Serverhostsusingaserverandthreetypesofremote

managementclients.

VirtualCenter Server Requirements

TheVirtualCenter Serverisaphysicalmachineorvirtualmachineconfiguredwith

accessto

asupported

database.

Hardware Requirements

TheVirtualCenter Serverhardwaremustmeetthefollowingrequirements:

Processor2.0GHzorhigherIntelorAMDx86processor.Processorrequirements

canbelargerifyourdatabaseisrunonthesamehardware.

Memory2GB

RAM

minimum.

RAM

requirements

can

be

larger

if

your

database

isrunonthesamehardware.

System Requirements

2


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18 VMware, Inc.

Diskstorage560MBminimum,2GBrecommended.Youmusthave245MBfree

onthedestinationdriveforinstallationoftheprogram,andyoumusthave315MB

freeonthedrivecontainingyour%temp%directory.

MicrosoftSQLServer2005ExpressdiskrequirementsThebundleddatabase

requiresupto2GBfreediskspacetodecompresstheinstallationarchive.

However,approximately1.5GBofthesefilesaredeletedaftertheinstallationis

complete.

NetworkingGigabitrecommended.

VirtualCenter Server Software Requirements

TheVirtualCenter Server

is

supported

as

aservice

on

the

32

bit

versions

of

these

operatingsystems:

Windows2000ServerSP4withUpdateRollup1(downloadUpdateRollup1from

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollu

p.mspx)

WindowsXPProSP2

Windows2003

Server

SP1

(all

releases

except

64

bit)

Windows2003ServerR2

VirtualCenter 2.xinstallationisnotsupportedon64bitoperatingsystems.

TheVirtualCenterinstallerrequiresInternetExplorer5.5orhighertorun.

NOTE Storagerequirementscanbelargerifyourdatabaserunsonthesame

hardwareastheVirtualCenter Servermachine.Thesizeofthedatabasevarieswith

thenumberofhostsandvirtualmachinesyoumanage.Usingdefaultsettingsfor

ayearwith25hostsand8to16virtualmachineseach,thetotaldatabasesizecan

consumeupto2.2GB(SQL)or1.0GB(Oracle).

NOTE ForanyoperatingsystemexceptWindowsServer2003SP1,installMicrosoft

WindowsInstaller3.1,otherwiseyourVirtualCenterinstallationcanfail.

See http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803forinformationondownloading

WindowsInstaller3.1.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspxhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspxhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803


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Chapter 2 System Requirements

VirtualCenter Database Requirements (SEE UPDATE)

VirtualCentersupportsthedatabaseformatslistedinTable 21.

Eachdatabaserequiressomeconfigurationadjustmentsinadditiontothebasic

installation.See Preparing

the


Database

on

page 66.

End of Support Li fe for Microsoft Access Databases

SupportforMicrosoftAccesswasdiscontinuedwithVMwareVirtualCenter

version 2.0.VirtualCenter 2.5comeswithabundledversionofMicrosoftSQLServer

2005Expressforsmalldeployments(upto5hostsand50virtualmachines).

Table 2-1. Supported Database FormatsDatabase Type Service Pack, Patch, and Driver Requirements

MicrosoftSQLServer2000Standard SP4ForWindows2000andWindowsXP,applyMDAC2.8SP1totheclient.UseSQLServerdriverfortheclient.

MicrosoftSQLServer2000Enterprise

MicrosoftSQLServer2005Enterprise SP1orSP2

ForWindows

2000

and

Windows

XP,

apply

MDAC2.8SP1totheclient.UseSQLnativeclientdriverfortheclient.

MicrosoftSQLServer2005ExpressSP2 ForWindows2000andWindowsXP,applyMDAC2.8SP1totheclient.UseSQLnativeclientdriverfortheclient.

Oracle9irelease2Standard

Oracle9irelease2Enterprise

Applypatch9.2.0.8.0totheserverandclient.

Oracle10gStandardRelease1(10.1.0.3.0)

Oracle10gEnterpriseRelease1(10.1.0.3.0)

None

Oracle10gStandardRelease2(10.2.0.1.0)

Oracle10gEnterpriseRelease2(10.2.0.1.0)

Firstapplypatch10.2.0.3.0totheclientandserver.Then applypatch5699495totheclient.

ESX Ser er 3 Installation Guide


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20 VMware, Inc.

VI Client Requirements

ThefollowingsectionslistVI Clienthardwareandsoftwarerequirements.

VI Client Hardware Requirements

TheVI Clienthardwaremustmeetthefollowingrequirements:

Processor266MHzorhigherIntelorAMDx86processor(500MHz

recommended).

Memory256MBRAMminimum,512MBrecommended.

DiskStorage

150MB

free

disk

space

required

for

basic

installation.

You

must

have55MBfreeonthedestinationdriveforinstallationoftheprogram,andyou

musthave100MBfreeonthedrivecontainingyour%temp% directory.


VI Client Software Requirements

TheVI Client

is

designed

for

the

32

bit

versions

of

these

operating

systems:

Windows2000ProSP4

Windows2000ServerSP4withUpdateRollup1(downloadUpdateRollup1from

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollu

p.mspx)

WindowsXPProSP2

Windows2003SP1(allreleasesexcept64bit)

Windows2003ServerR2

WindowsVistaBusiness

WindowsVistaEnterprise

TheVI ClientrequirestheMicrosoft.NET2.0Framework.Ifyoursystemdoesnothave

itinstalled,

the

VI Client

installer

installs

it.

VirtualCenter VI Web Access Requirements

TheVIWebAccessclientisdesignedforthesebrowsers:

WindowsInternetExplorer6.0orhigher,NetscapeNavigator7.0,Mozilla1.X,

Firefox1.0.7andhigher.

LinuxNetscapeNavigator7.0orlater,Mozilla1.x,Firefox1.0.7andhigher.

Chapter 2 SystemRequirements
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/rollup.mspx


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VMware, Inc. 21


License Server Requirements

Thissectiondescribesthelicenseserverrequirements.

License Server Hardware Requirements

Thelicenseserverhardwaremustmeetthefollowingrequirements:

Processor266MHzorhigherIntelorAMDx86processor.

Memory256MBRAMminimum,512MBrecommended.

DiskStorage25MBfreediskspacerequiredforbasicinstallation.


VMwarerecommendsthatyouinstallthelicenseserveronthesamemachineasyour

VirtualCenter Servertoensureconnectivity.TheVMwareInfrastructureManagement

InstallationCDinstallsalicenseserverwhenyouinstallVirtualCenter.

License Server Software Requirements

Thelicenseserversoftwareissupportedonthe32bitversionsofthefollowingoperatingsystems:

Windows2000ServerSP4

WindowsXPPro(atanySPlevel)

Windows2003(allreleasesexcept64bit)

ESX Server 3 Requirements

Thissectiondiscussestheminimumandmaximumhardwareconfigurations

supportedbyESX Server 3version 3.5.

Minimum Server Hardware Requirements

Youneed

the

following

hardware

and

system

resources

to

install

and

use

ESX Server 3.

Atleasttwoprocessors:

1500 MHzIntelXeonandlater,orAMDOpteron(32bitmode)for

ESX Server 3

1500 MHzIntelXeonandlater,orAMDOpteron(32bitmode)forVirtual

SMP

1500 MHzIntelViivorAMDA64x2dualcoreprocessors



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22 VMware, Inc.

1GBRAMminimum.

OneormoreEthernetcontrollers.Supportedcontrollersinclude:

BroadcomNetXtreme

570x

gigabit

controllers

IntelPRO/100adapters

Forbestperformanceandsecurity,useseparateEthernetcontrollersfortheservice

consoleandthevirtualmachines.

ASCSIadapter,FibreChanneladapter,orinternalRAIDcontroller:

BasicSCSIcontrollersareAdaptecUltra160andUltra320,LSILogic

FusionMPT,andmostNCR/SymbiosSCSIcontrollers.

FibreChannel.SeetheStorage/SANCompatibilityGuide.

RAID

adapters

supported

are

HP

Smart

Array,

Dell

PercRAID

(Adaptec

RAIDandLSIMegaRAID),andIBM(Adaptec)ServeRAIDcontrollers.

ASCSIdisk,FibreChannelLUN,orRAIDLUNwithunpartitionedspace.Ina

minimumconfiguration,thisdiskorRAIDissharedbetweentheserviceconsole

andthevirtualmachines.

ForhardwareiSCSI,adiskattachedtoaniSCSIcontroller,suchastheQLogic

qla405x.

ForSATA,adiskconnectedthroughsupporteddualSASSATAcontrollersthatare

usingSASdrivers.

ESX Server 3supportsinstallingandbootingfromthefollowingstoragesystems:

ATAdiskdrivesInstallingESX Server 3onanATAdriveorATARAIDis

supported.However,ensurethatyourspecificdrivecontrollerisincludedinthe

supportedhardware.

StorageofvirtualmachinesiscurrentlynotsupportedonATAdrivesorRAIDs.

VirtualmachinesmustbestoredonVMFSvolumesconfiguredonaSCSIorSATA

drive,aSCSIRAID,oraSAN.

NOTE The3Com3c990driverdoesnotsupportallrevisionsofthe3c990.

For example,

3CR990B

is

incompatible.



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VMware, Inc. 23

p y q

SerialATA(SATA)diskdrivesSATAdiskdrives,pluggedintodualSATA/SAS

controllers,aresupportedforinstallingESX Server 3andforstoringvirtual

machinesonVMFSpartitions.EnsurethatyourSATAdrivesareconnected

throughsupported

SATA/SAS

controllers:

mptscsi_pcieLSI1068E(LSISAS3442E)

mptscsi_pcixLSI1068 (SAS5)

aacraid_esx30IBMserveraid8kSAScontroller

ccissSmartArrayP400/256controller

megaraid_sasDellPERC

5.0.1

controller

SCSIdiskdrivesSCSIdiskdrivesaresupportedforinstallingESX Server 3.

TheycanalsostorevirtualmachinesonVMFSpartitions.

Storagearea

networks

(SANs)

SANs,

both

Fibre

Channel

and

iSCSI,

are

supportedforinstallingESX Server 3.Theycanalsostorevirtualmachineson

VMFSdatastores.Forinformationaboutpreinstallationandconfigurationtasks

andknownissueswithinstallingandbootingfromFibreChannelSANs,seethe

SANConfigurationGuideatwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html.

BeforedeployingESX Server 3onaSAN,seethelatestversionoftheESX ServerSANCompatibilityGuideatwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html.

NOTE SharingVMFSdatastoresonSATAdisksacrossmultipleESX Server 3hosts

isnotsupported.

NOTE TheminimumsupportedLUNcapacityforVMFS3is1200MB.

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html


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24 VMware, Inc.

Enhanced Performance Recommendations

ThelistsinprevioussectionssuggestabasicESX Server 3configuration.Inpractice,

you

can

use

multiple

physical

disks,

which

include

SCSI

disks,

Fibre

Channel

LUNs,

RAIDLUNs,andsoon.

Herearesomerecommendationsforenhancedperformance:

RAMHavingsufficientRAMforallyourvirtualmachinesisimportantto

achievinggoodperformance.ESX Server 3hostsrequiremoreRAMthantypical

servers.AnESX Server 3hostmustbeequippedwithsufficientRAMtorun

concurrentvirtualmachines,plusruntheserviceconsole.

For example,operatingfourvirtualmachineswithRed Hat Enterprise Linuxor

Windows XPrequiresyourESX Server 3hostbeequippedwithoveragigabyteof

RAMforbaselineperformance: 1024MBforthevirtualmachines(256MBminimumperoperatingsystemas

recommendedbyvendors 4)

272MBfortheESX Server 3serviceconsole

Runningtheseexamplevirtualmachineswithamorereasonable512MBRAM

requirestheESX Server 3hosttobeequippedwithatleast2.2GBRAM.

2048MBforthevirtualmachines(512MB 4)

272MBfortheESX Server 3serviceconsole

Thesecalculationsdonottakeintoaccountvariableoverheadmemoryforeach

virtualmachine.

See the

ResourceManagementGuide.

DedicatedfastEthernetadaptersforvirtualmachinesDedicatedgigabit

Ethernetcardsforvirtualmachines,suchasIntelPRO/1000adapters,improve

throughputtovirtualmachineswithhighnetworktraffic.

DisklocationForbestperformance,alldatausedbyyourvirtualmachines

shouldbeonphysicaldisksallocatedtovirtualmachines.Thesephysicaldisks

shouldbelargeenoughtoholddiskimagestobeusedbyallthevirtualmachines.

VMFS3partitioningForbestperformance,useVI ClientorVIWebAccesstoset

upyourVMFS3partitionsratherthantheESX Server 3installer.UsingVI Clientor

VIWebAccessensuresthatthestartingsectorsofpartitionsare64Kaligned,

whichimproves

storage

performance.

NOTE TheESX Server 3hostmightrequiremoreRAMfortheserviceconsoleif

youarerunningthirdpartymanagementapplicationsorbackupagents.



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VMware, Inc. 25

ProcessorsFasterprocessorsimproveESX Server 3performance.Forcertain

workloads,largercachesimproveESX Server 3performance.

HardwarecompatibilityToensurethebestI/Operformanceandworkload

management,VMwareESX Server 3providesitsowndriversforsupporteddevices.Besurethatthedevicesyouuseinyourserveraresupported.For

additionaldetailsonI/Odevicecompatibility,downloadtheESX ServerI/OCompatibilityGuidefromwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html .

Hardware and Software Compatibil ity

Formore

information

on

supported

hardware

and

software,

download

the

ESX Server

CompatibilityGuidesfromwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html.

SystemscompatibilityListsthestandardoperatingsystemsandserver

platformsagainstwhichVMwaretests.

I/OcompatibilityListsdevicesthatareaccesseddirectlythroughdevicedrivers

intheESX Serverhost.

Storagecompatibility

Lists

the

combinations

of

HBAs

and

storage

devices

currentlytestedbyVMwareanditsstoragepartners.

BackupsoftwarecompatibilityDescribesthebackuppackagestestedby

VMware.

Supported Guest Operating Systems

TheVMware

GuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideincludesinformationon

supportedguestoperatingsystems.Youcandownloadthisdocumentat:

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html

ESX Serverofferssupportforanumberof64bitguestoperatingsystems.See theGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideforacompletelist.Therearespecifichardwarerequirementsfor64bitguestoperatingsystemsupport.

ForAMD

Opteron

based

systems,

the

processors

must

be

Opteron

Rev

E

and

later.

For

IntelXeonbasedsystems,theprocessorsmustincludesupportforIntelVirtualization

Technology(VT).ManyserversthatincludeCPUswithVTsupportmightshipwithVT

disabledbydefault,andVTmustbeenabledmanually.IfyourCPUssupportVTbut

youdonotseethisoptionintheBIOS,contactyourvendortorequestaBIOSversion

thatletsyouenableVTsupport.

Todeterminewhetheryourserverhasthenecessarysupport,youcanuseaCPU

CompatibilityToolathttp://www.vmware.com/download/vi/drivers_tools.html .

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/download/vi/drivers_tools.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/download/vi/drivers_tools.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html


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26 VMware, Inc.

Virtual Machine Requirements

EachESX Servermachinehasthefollowingrequirements.

Virtualprocessor

IntelPentiumIIorlater(dependentonsystemprocessor)

One,two,orfourprocessorspervirtualmachine

VirtualchipsetIntel440BXbasedmotherboardwithNS338SIOchip

VirtualBIOSPhoenixBIOS4.0Release6

NOTE Ifyoucreateatwoprocessorvirtualmachine,yourESX Servermachine

musthaveatleasttwophysicalprocessors.Forafourprocessorvirtualmachine,

yourESX Server

machine

must

have

at

least

four

physical

processors.


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VMware, Inc. 27

3

ThischapterdescribesthelicensingmodelsavailablewithESX Server 3and

VirtualCenter.


LicensingTerminologyonpage 28

ESX Server 3Editionsonpage 28

VirtualCenter ServerEditionsonpage 30

VirtualCenterandESX Server 3LicensingModelonpage 30

LicenseKeyFunctionalityonpage 33

LicenseExpirationConsiderationsonpage 35

LicenseServerAvailabilityonpage 35

UsinganExistingFLEXnetLicenseServeronpage 39

ContactingSupportonpage 40

VirtualCenter and

ESX Server 3 Licensing

Overview 3



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28 VMware, Inc.

Licensing Terminology

Termsyoumightencounterduringthelicenseredemptionandconfigurationprocess

are

defined

below: LicenseactivationcodeAlicenseactivationcode(LAC)isauniquecodethatis

associatedwithoneormoreVMwareproductspurchased.Youreceivethiscode

afteryourorderisprocessed,unlessyoupurchasedyourproductsfroman

authorizedVMwarereseller,inwhichcaseyoureceiveapartneractivationcode.

PartneractivationcodeApartneractivationcodeisauniquecodeidentifying

ordersplacedthroughVMwarepartners.IfyoupurchasedVMware

Infrastructure 3from

an

authorized

VMware

reseller,

use

this

code

to

register

your

purchasetoyourVMwarestoreaccount.

LicenseactivationportalThelicenseactivationportalisaselfserviceWebportal

thatyoucanusetoredeemyourlicenseactivationcodesanddownloadlicensefiles

forVMwareInfrastructure 3.

PartneractivationportalApartneractivationportalisaselfserviceWebportal

youuse

to

register

apurchase

made

from

an

authorized

VMware

reseller

to

your

VMwarestoreaccount.Youenteryourpartneractivationcodeintotheportaland

downloadyourlicensefilesfromthelicenseactivationportal.

ESX Server 3 Editions

DependingontheeditionofVMwareInfrastructuresoftwareyoupurchased,you

might

be

entitled

to

different

ESX Server 3

licence

types.

AfeweditionsincludelimitedaccesstothefeaturesetofESX Server 3.Certain

standardfunctionalityisavailableonlywithanoptionaladdonlicense,atadditional

cost.OthereditionsincludefullaccesstothefullfeaturesetofESX Server 3.

ESXServereditionsrequireFLEXnetlicensefilesthatcanbecentralizedoronasingle

host.Whenconfiguringyourhost,specifythelicencetypeforyourESX Server 3.For

instructions,seeToconfigurecentralizedlicensingforanESX Serverhostonpage 51.

LicensesfrompreviousreleasesofESXServerworkwithESXServer3.5.However,

licensingcapabilitiesaddedtoESXServer3.5editions(forexample,VMware

ConsolidatedBackup)arenotsupportedwithpreviouseditionsofESXServer.

Chapter 3 VirtualCenter and ESX Server 3 Licensing Overview


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VMware, Inc. 29

Table 31displaysESX Server 3featuresarrangedbyedition.

Table 3-1. Edition Features for ESX Server 3 Machines

Feature VI Foundation VI Standard VI Enterprise

Licensetype Flexlicensefiles(centralizedorsinglehost)

Flexlicensefiles(centralizedorsinglehost)

Flexlicensefiles(centralizedorsinglehost)

VMFS Yes Yes Yes

VirtualSMPsupport Yes Yes Yes

VMwareConsolidatedBackup

(VCB)

Yes Yes Yes

VMwareUpdateManager Yes Yes Yes

VMwareHA Addon Yes Yes

ServerVMotionandStorage VMotion

Addon Addon Yes

VMwareDRSandDPM

(Distributed

Resource

ManagementandDistributedPowerManagement)

Addon Addon Yes

Guidedserverconsolidation,with purchaseofVirtualCenterServer

Yes Yes Yes

ManageablebytheVI Client Yes Yes Yes

Remote

CLI

access Yes Yes YesManageablebyVirtualCenterin productionmode

Yes Yes Yes

ManageablebyVirtualCenterinevaluationmode

Yes Yes Yes

VirtualCenterManagementAgent

Yes Yes Yes



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30 VMware, Inc.

VirtualCenter Server Editions

AtleastoneinstanceofaVirtualCenterlicenseisrequiredforVIFoundation,

VI Standard,

and

VI

Enterprise

editions.

The

following

VirtualCenter

editions

are

available:

VirtualCenterFoundationThiseditionletsyoumanageuptothreeESX Server

hosts.Ifyouneedtomanagemorethanthreehosts,upgradetoVirtualCenter

edition.

VirtualCenterThisisanenterpriseleveleditionthatletsyoumanageuptothe

systemmaximumnumberofhosts.Forinformationaboutsystemmaximums,see

ConfigurationMaximumsforVMwareInfrastructure 3.TwotypesofFLEXnetlicensingareavailable:singlehostandcentralized.

For VirtualCenter,alllicensesmustbecentralized.

YoucanconvertVirtualCenterFoundationeditiontoVirtualCentereditionbyadding

anappropriatelicensefileandswitchingtheeditions.Thesoftwaredoesnotneedtobe

reinstalled.Forinformationonswitchingbetweentheeditions,seeToconfigure

centralizedlicensing

for

the


on

page 50.

VirtualCenter and ESX Server 3 Licensing Model

Unlessyouareusingevaluationmode,softwarelicensesarerequiredformost

operationsinVirtualCenterandESX Server 3,suchasaddinghoststoyour

VirtualCenterinventory.However,youcaninstall,launch,andconfigureVirtualCenter

and

ESX Server

without

a

software

license.

See Running

VMware

VirtualCenter

and

VMware ESX Serverin EvaluationModeonpage 41.Twomodesoflicensingare

available:singlehostandcentralized.

Single-Host and Centralized License Types

Forsinglehostlicenses,thelicensefilesarestoredonindividualESX Serverhosts.

Centralizedlicensesarestoredonalicenseserver,whichmakestheselicensesavailable

toone

or

more

hosts.

You

can

run

amixed

environment

using

both

single

host

and

centralizedlicensing.

VirtualCenterandfeaturesthatrequireVirtualCenter,suchasVMotion,mustbe

licensedincentralizedmode.ESX Serverfeaturescanbelicensedineithercentralized

orsinglehostmode.



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VMware, Inc. 31

Figure 31illustratesthethreetypesoflicenseenvironments.

Figure 3-1. License File Locations in Single-Host, Mixed, and Centralized Environments

Centralized Licensing

Centralizedlicensingsimplifieslicensemanagementinlarge,dynamicenvironments

byallowingaVMwarelicenseservertoadministerlicenses.Withcentralizedlicensing,

youmaintainallyourVirtualCenter ServerandESX Serverlicensesfromoneconsole.

CentralizedlicensingisbasedonFLEXnetmechanisms.Withcentralizedlicensing,a

licenseservermanagesalicensepool,whichisacentralrepositoryholdingyourentire

licensedentitlement.

ESX host

license

file

ESX host

license

file

VI Clients

host-basedlicensing

mixed: host-based &server-based licensing

ESX host

license

file

ESX host

license

file

VI Clients

ESX host

ESX host

VirtualCenter

(recommended)*

license

server

license

file

server-basedlicensing

VI Clients

ESX host

ESX host

VirtualCenter

(recommended)*

license

server

license

file

* Features such as VMotion and VMware HA require VirtualCenter.



32/120

32 VMware, Inc.

Whenahostrequiresaparticularlicensedfunctionality,thelicenseforthatentitlement

ischeckedoutfromthelicensepool.Licensekeysarereleasedbacktothepoolwhen

theyarenolongerbeingusedandareavailableagaintoanyhost.

Theadvantages

of

centralized

licensing

include:

Youadministeralllicensingfromasinglelocation.

NewlicensesareallocatedandreallocatedusinganycombinationofESX Server

formfactors.For example,youcanusethesame32processorlicenseforsixteen

2processorhosts,eight4processorhosts,four8processorhosts,two16processor

hosts,oranycombinationtotaling32processors.

Ongoinglicensemanagementissimplifiedbyallowinglicensestobeassignedandreassignedasneeded.Assignmentchangesastheneedsofanenvironment

change,suchaswhenhostsareaddedorremoved,orpremiumfeatureslike

VMotion,DRS,orHAaretransferredamonghosts.

Duringperiodsoflicenseserverunavailability,althoughnewlicensescannotbe

issued,existingVirtualCenter Serverlicensedfunctionalitycontinuestooperate

indefinitely

and

existing

ESX Server

licensed

functionality

continues

to

operate

withina14daygraceperiod.See LicenseServerAvailabilityonpage 35.

VMwarerecommendsusingthecentralizedlicensetypeforlarge,changing

environments.

Single-Host Licensing

Withsinglehostlicensing,yourtotalentitlementforpurchasedfeaturesisdivided

amongseparate

license

files

residing

on

ESX Server

hosts

and

the

VirtualCenter Server.

Withsinglehostlicensing,whensomeoneactivatesalicensedfeature,thefeaturefor

thatentitlementmustresideinthelicensefileonthathost.Withsinglehostlicensing,

youmaintainseparatelicensefilesoneachESX Serverhost.Distributionofunused

licensesisnotautomatic,andthereisnodependenceonanexternalconnectionfor

licensing.SinglehostlicensefilesareplaceddirectlyonindividualESX Serverhosts

andreplacetheserialnumbersusedbypreviousversionsofESX Serverversion 2.x.

Theadvantagesofsinglehostlicensinginclude:

SinglehostfilesrequirenolicenseservertobeinstalledforESX Serverhostonly

environments.

InaVirtualCenterandlicenseserverenvironment,singlehostlicensingallows

ESX Serverhostlicensestobemodifiedduringperiodsoflicenseserver

unavailability.



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VMware, Inc. 33

License Key Functionality

SpecificentitlementtorunVMwaresoftwareisdeterminedbylicensekeys.Depending

on

the

ESX Server

and

VirtualCenter

features

you

want

to

use,

purchase

keys

based

on

oneofthefollowing:

PerprocessorbasisToactivateafeature,ahostrequiresafeaturelicenseforeach

ofitsprocessors.

PerinstancebasisToactivateasingleinstanceofcertainfeature,asinglelicense

isrequiredregardlessofhowmanyprocessorsareused.

Licensedfeatures

also

differ

in

their

operation

based

on

whether

they

are

considered

to

beESX ServerorVirtualCenterfeatures.ESX Serverfeaturescanbelicensedusing

eithersinglehostorcentralizedlicensingmechanisms.Theydonotrequire

VirtualCenteroralicenseservertouse.VirtualCenterfeaturesrequirecentralized

licensing.ESX ServerfeaturesandVirtualCenterfeaturesalsodifferintheirbehavior

whenthelicenseserverisnotavailable.See LicenseServerAvailabilityonpage 35.

Table 32summarizesthelicensefeaturetypesforVMwareInfrastructure 3.

Per-Processor LicensingFormostVMwareInfrastructureproducts,youpurchaselicensesonaperprocessor

basis,whichmeansthatyouneedtoindicatethetotalnumberofprocessors,nothosts,

thatwillruntheproducts.Youcandeployandredeploythepurchasedprocessor

capacity,soldinincrementsoftwoprocessors,onanycombinationofhosts.

Table 3-2. Summary of License Feature Types

Feature

ESX Server or

VirtualCenter

Per-Processor or

Per-Instance

ESX Server ESX Server PerProcessor

VirtualCenter Server VirtualCenter PerInstance

VirtualCenterAgentforESX Server VirtualCenter PerProcessor

VMwareConsolidatedBackup(VCB) ESX Server PerProcessor

ServerVMotionandStorageVMotion VirtualCenter PerProcessor

VMware HA VirtualCenter PerProcessor

VMwareDRSandDPM VirtualCenter PerProcessor



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34 VMware, Inc.

For example,youpurchaseESX ServerlicensesfortenprocessorsandVMotionlicenses

forsixprocessors.Youcanthendeploythoselicensesonanyofthefollowing

combinationsofservers:

ESX Serveron

five

2processor

hosts.

Enable

VMotion

on

three

hosts.

ESX Serveronthree2processorhostsandone4processorhost.EnableVMotion

onthree2processorhosts,oronone2processorhostanda4processorhost.

ESX Serverontwo4processorhostsandone2processorhost.EnableVMotionon

one4processorhostandone2processorhost.

ESX Serveronone8processorhostandone2processorhost.VMotionbetween

thesetwohostscannotbeenabledunlessyoupurchaseanadditional4processorVMotionlicense.

Specialconsiderationsinclude:

Dualcoreandquadcoreprocessors,suchasIntelx86processorsthatcombinetwo

orfourindependentcentralprocessingunitsonasinglechip,countasone

processor.

Youcannotpartiallylicenseamultiprocessorhost.For example,a4CPUhost

requiresalicensewiththecapacityforfourprocessors.

Singleprocessorlicensingissupportedforserverbasedlicenses.Ingeneral,for

serverbasedlicensing,checkoutoflicensesinoddquantitiesissupported.

However,hostbasedfilescannotbegeneratedwithoddquantities.Theymustbe

generatedinmultiplesoftwo.

Thefollowing

features

are

licensed

on

aper

processor

basis:

ESX ServerTopoweronavirtualmachine,ahostmusthavelicensingona

perprocessorbasis.Thismeansadualprocessorhostrequirestwomatching

ESX Serverlicenses.AfourprocessormachinerequiresfourmatchingESX Server

licenses.See ESX Server 3Editionsonpage 28.

VMwareConsolidatedBackup(VCB)ToleveragethenewConsolidated

Backupcapabilitiesand

backup

of

all

virtual

machines

running

on

an

ESX Server

hostaVCBlicensekeymustbeavailableforeachprocessorwithinthathost.

See theVirtualMachineBackupGuideforadescriptionofthisfeature. VirtualCenterAgentforESX ServerThisagentisinstalledonanESX Server

hostwhenitisaddedtoyourVirtualCenter Server.Youmusthaveoneagent

licensekeyforeachESX Serverprocessortobeaddedtoyour




35/120

VMware, Inc. 35

ServerVMotionandStorageVMotionTomigrateapoweredonvirtual

machinebetweenhosts,eachESX ServerprocessorinvolvedmusthaveaVMotion

licensekey.For example,ifyouuseVMotionfromadualprocessorESX Server

hostto

another

dual

processor

host,

you

must

have

four

VMotion

licenses.

See BasicSystemAdministration. VMware HATorestartvirtualmachineswhoseESX Serverhosthasfailed,the

VirtualCenter ServermusthaveanHAlicensekeyforeachESX Serverprocessor

intheHAcluster.See theResourceManagementGuide. VMwareDRSandDPMToprovideloadbalancingofvirtualmachinesamong

hostsanddistributedpowermanagement,theVirtualCenter Servermusthavea

DRSlicense

key

for

each

ESX Server

processor

in

the

DRS

cluster.

See the

Resource

ManagementGuide.Asaprerequisite,DRSrequiresappropriateVMotionlicensekeysforallhostsintheDRScluster.

Per-Instance Licensing

Featuresthatarelicensedonaperinstancebasisrequireonlyonelicensekeyper

featureinstance,

regardless

of

the

number

of

processors

used.

The


iscurrentlytheonlyfeaturelicensedonaperinstancebasis.

ForinformationondifferenteditionsofVirtualCenter,seeVirtualCenter Server

Editionsonpage 30.

License Expiration Considerations

Whenthe

FLEXnet

license

server

expires

alicense,

the

VI

Client

does

not

immediately

displayamessageinformingyouthatthelicenseisexpiring.Themessagecanappear

anytimeinthe24hoursaftertheFLEXnetlicenseserverexpiresthelicense.

IfyouchangethelicenseserversystemtimewhiletheVI Clientisrunning,the

VI Clientmightnotreportthelicenseexpiration.

License Server AvailabilityVMwareprovidesthefollowingmechanismsthathelppreventthelicenseserverfrom

beingasinglepointoffailure.Thelicenseserveractsprimarilyasalicensedistribution

mechanism.Ifyourlicenseserverbecomesunavailable,youcannotissueanynew

licensestoenablenewhostsornewfeatures.



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36 VMware, Inc.

However,alllicensedfunctionalitycurrentlyoperatingatthetimethelicenseserver

becomesunavailablecontinuestooperateasfollows:

AllVirtualCenterlicensedfeaturescontinuetooperateindefinitely,relyingona

cachedversion

of

the

license

state.

This

includes

not

only

basic

VirtualCenter

operation,butlicensesforVirtualCenteraddons,suchasVMotionandDRS.

ForESX Serverlicensedfeatures,thereisa14daygraceperiodduringwhichhosts

continueoperation,relyingonacachedversionofthelicensestate,evenacross

reboots.Afterthegraceperiodexpires,certainESX Serveroperations,suchas

poweringonvirtualmachines,becomeunavailable.

Duringthe

ESX Server

grace

period,

when

the

license

server

is

unavailable,

the

followingoperationsareunaffected:

Virtualmachinescontinuetorun.VI Clientscanconfigureandoperatevirtual

machines.

ESX Serverhostscontinuetorun.YoucanconnecttoanyESX Serverhostinthe

VirtualCenterinventoryforoperationandmaintenance.Connectionstothe

VirtualCenter Serverremain.VI Clientscanoperateandmaintainvirtual

machinesfromtheirhosteveniftheVirtualCenter Serverconnectionisalsolost.

Duringthegraceperiod,restrictedoperationsinclude:

AddingESX ServerhoststotheVirtualCenterinventory.Youcannotchange

VirtualCenteragentlicensesforhosts.

Addingorremovinghostsfromacluster.Youcannotchangehostmembershipfor

the

current

VMotion,

HA,

or

DRS

configuration. Addingorremovinglicensekeys.

Whenthegraceperiodhasexpired,cachedlicenseinformationisnolongerstored.As

aresult,virtualmachinescannolongerbepoweredon.Runningvirtualmachines

continuetorunbutcannotberebooted.

Whenthelicenseserverbecomesavailableagain,hostsreconnecttothelicenseserver.

No

rebooting

or

manual

action

is

required

to

restore

license

availability.

The

grace

periodtimerisresetwheneverthelicenseserverbecomesavailableagain.


T bl 3 3 di l ESX S li d i i d hil h li i


37/120

VMware, Inc. 37

Table 33displaysESX Serverlicensedoperationspermittedwhilethelicenseserveris

unavailable.

Operationsthatarenotpermittedareoperationsthatrequiretheacquisitionofnew

licensesfrom

the

license

server.

Table 3-3. Permitted ESX Server Operations When the License Server Is Unavailable

Component Attempted Action

During Grace

Period

After Grace

Period

Expires

Virtualmachine Poweron. Permitted NotPermitted

Createand

delete. Permitted Permitted

Suspendandresume. Permitted Permitted

ConfigurevirtualmachinewithVI Client.

Permitted Permitted

ESX Serverhost Continueoperations. Permitted Permitted

Poweronandpoweroff. Permitted Permitted

ConfigureESX ServerhostwithVI Client.

Permitted Permitted

Modifylicensefileforsinglehostlicensing.

Permitted Permitted

RestartvirtualmachineswithinthefailedhostsHAcluster.

Permitted NotPermitted

Addorremovelicensekeys. NotPermitted NotPermitted


Table 3 4 lists Vi tualCe te lice sed ope atio s that a e pe itted he the lice se


38/120

38 VMware, Inc.

Table 34listsVirtualCenterlicensedoperationsthatarepermittedwhenthelicense

serverisunavailable.

Operationsthatarenotpermittedareoperationsthatrequiretheacquisitionofnew

licensesfrom

the

license

server.

Table 3-4. Permitted VirtualCenter Operations When the License Server Is

Unavailable

Component Attempted Action

When

License

Server Is

Unavailable

VirtualCenter Server RemoveanESX Serverhostfrominventory(seenextentry).

Permitted

AddanESX Serverhosttoinventory. NotPermitted

Connect/reconnecttoanESX Serverhostininventory.

Permitted

Moveapoweredoffvirtualmachinebetweenhosts

in

inventory

(cold

migration).

Permitted

MoveanESX Serverhostamongfoldersininventory.

Permitted

MoveanESX ServerhostoutofaVMotionDRSHAcluster(seenextentry).

Permitted

MoveanESX ServerhostintoaVMotionDRSHAcluster.

NotPermitted

Configurethe


with

VI Client. Permitted

StartVMotionbetweenhostsininventory. Permitted

ContinueloadbalancingwithinaDRScluster. Permitted

Addorremovelicensekeys. NotPermitted

NOTE Ifyoureleaselicensesforlicensedfeatureswhilethelicenseserveris

unavailable,thereleasedlicensescannotberedistributeduntilthelicenseserverbecomesavailableagain.For example,ifyouremovethenetworkadapterassociated

withVMotionwhilethelicenseserverisunavailable,thatVMotionlicenseisreleased

andisunavailableuntilthelicenseserverisavailableagain.Removingahostfromthe

VirtualCenterinventoryorremovingahostfromaclusterhasasimilareffect.


The VirtualCenter Server uses a heartbeat mechanism to check whether the license


39/120

VMware, Inc. 39

TheVirtualCenter Serverusesa heartbeat mechanismtocheckwhetherthelicense

serverisreachableandtodetermineiftherehavebeenanychangesinthelicensefile.

Theheartbeatintervalisfiveminutes.ItmighttaketheVirtualCenter Serveruptofive

minutes

to

detect

if

there

are

license

changes

or

if

the

license

server

has

become

unavailable.

Whenthelicenseserverbecomesunavailable,orifachangeinthelicensefilecausesa

checkedoutlicensetoberemoved,theVirtualCenter Servermarkstheaffectedlicenses

asUnlicensedUse,andthelicensedfeaturescontinuetooperateasdescribedabove.

Whenthelicenseserverbecomesavailableagain,orwhenlicensesarereaddedtothe

licensefile,theVirtualCenter Serverchecksoutthelicensesagainandrevertsthemto

theLicensed

state.

If

alicense

cannot

be

checked

out,

the

license

remains

in

the

UnlicensedUsestate.

Iflicenseserveravailabilityisaconcerninyourenvironment,consideroneofthe

followingstrategies:

InstallthelicenseserveronthesamemachineastheVirtualCenter Server.Thisis

thedefaultoptionprovidedbytheVirtualCenterinstaller.

Installthe

license

server

in

avirtual

machine,

and

place

that

virtual

machine

in

an

HAcluster.VMware HArestartsthelicenseservermachineonanotherESX Server

hostincaseoffailure.

UsesinglehostlicensefilesonESX Serverhosts.

Using an Existing FLEXnet License Server

Inmost

cases,

VMware

recommends

installing

the

license

server

on

the

same

machine

astheVirtualCenter Server.However,ifyouhaveaFLEXnetlicenseserverinyour

environmentprovidinglicensesforotherproducts,installtheVMwarelicenseserver

onthatsystem.

ToinstalltheVMwarelicenseserveronyourexistingFLEXnetserver,usethe

standalonelicenseserverinstallerasdescribedinInstallingaLicenseServeron

page 60.ThisinstallstheVMwarelicenseservervendordaemon,whichcancoexist

withothervendordaemonsinstalledontheserver.

NOTE TheVMwarelicenseserverissupportedonlyonWindowsoperatingsystems.

YoucannotinstalltheVMwarelicenseserveronaLinuxbasedFLEXnetserver.

See License

Server

Software

Requirements

on

page 21.


Contacting Support


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40 VMware, Inc.

Contacting Support

Ifyourequireassistancewithlicensing,contactVMwareforsupportasfollows:

Ifyou

have

not

received

license

activation

codes

for

your

VI3

purchase

or

have

difficultiesusingyourlicenseactivationcodestoobtainlicensefiles,sendemailto

[email protected].

Ifyouobtainlicensefilesandhavedifficultiesconfiguringortroubleshooting

licensedfeatures,fileasupportrequestathttp://www.vmware.com/support.

4
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.vmware.com/supporthttp://www.vmware.com/supportmailto:[email protected]


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VMware, Inc. 41

ThischapterprovidesinformationonhowtoinstallandrunVirtualCenter 2.5and

ESX Server 3.5inanevaluationmodeandhowtoobtainlicenseswhentheevaluation

modeexpires.

Thischapter

contains

the

following

topics:

UsingESX ServerandVirtualCenterinEvaluationModeonpage 41

LicensingVirtualCenterandESX ServerAftertheEvaluationPeriodExpireson

page 42

Using ESX Server and VirtualCenter in Evaluation Mode

BeforepurchasingandactivatinglicensesforyourESX Server 3.5and

VirtualCenter 2.5,youcaninstallbothproductsandruntheminevaluationmode.

Whenruninevaluationmode,intendedfordemonstrationandevaluationpurposes,

yoursoftwareiscompletelyoperationalimmediatelyafterinstallation,doesnotrequire

anylicensingconfiguration,andprovidesfullfunctionalityofESX Serverand

VirtualCenterfor60daysfromthetimeyouinstallthem.

During

the

60

day

evaluation

period,

the

software

notifies

you

of

the

time

remaining

untiltheevaluationexpires.Theevaluationperiodcannotbepausedanditcannotbe

restarted.

Running VMwareVirtualCenter and

VMware ESX Server

in Evaluation Mode 4


Licensing VirtualCenter and ESX Server After the


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42 VMware, Inc.

Licensing VirtualCenter and ESX Server After theEvaluation Period Expires

Afterthe

60

day

evaluation

period

expires,

unless

you

obtain

licenses

for

your

software,youarenolongerabletoperformmostoperationsinVirtualCenterand

ESX Server.For example,youcannotpoweronvirtualmachines,addnewhosts,oruse

advancedESX ServerandVirtualCenterfeatures.

IfyoudonotlicenseVirtualCenterbeforetheevaluationperiodexpires,allofthehosts

intheVirtualCenterinventoryaredisconnected.

Table 41detailstheESX Serverbehaviorafterevaluationmodeexpires.Theoperations

thatarenotpermittedrequiretheacquisitionofnewlicenses.

NOTE

Reinstallingthe


after

the

60

day

evaluation

expires

does

notrestarttheevaluationperiodfromthebeginning.

Table 4-1. ESX Server Operations After the 60-Day Evaluation Period

Component Attempted Action After 60 Days

Virtualmachine Poweron NotPermitted

Create/delete Permitted

Suspend/resume Permitted

ConfigurevirtualmachinewithVI Client Permitted

ESX Serverhost Continueoperationsonexistinghosts Permitted

Poweron/power

off Permitted

ConfigureESX ServerhostwithVI Client Permitted

RestartvirtualmachineswithinthefailedhostsHAcluster

NotPermitted

Addorremovelicensekeys Permitted

Chapter 4 Running VMware VirtualCenter and VMwareESX Server in Evaluation Mode

Considerations When You Switch ESX Server and VirtualCenter


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VMware, Inc. 43

to Licensed Modes

WhenyouswitchyourVirtualCenterandESX Serverfromevaluationmodetothe

licensedmode,considerthefollowing:

IfthenumberofESX Serverhostsyouaddtoyourinventoryexceedsthenumber

allowedbyyourcurrentlicensingtype,youcannolongermanagetheexcesshosts.

DeletetheextrahostsfromtheVirtualCenterinventoryorusetheVI Clientto

directlyaccessthehostsandconfiguretheirlicensing.

Haveallrequiredlicensesonyourlicenseserver,otherwiseyouwillnotbeableto

useall

features

available

to

you

during

the

60

day

evaluation.



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44 VMware, Inc.

5


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VMware, Inc. 45

Thischapterprovidesproceduresforredeeminglicensefilesandconfiguringlicense

options.


LicensingProcessonpage 46

ObtainingLicenseFilesonpage 48

SettingUpCentralizedLicensingonpage 49

SettingUpSingleHostLicensingonpage 53

LicenseFileContentsonpage 56

LicenseFileLocationsonpage 58

AddingNewLicenseFilestoLicenseServersonpage 59

AddingNewLicenseFilestoSingleHostsonpage 60

InstallingaLicenseServeronpage 60

TroubleshootingLicensingonpage 61

Licensing VirtualCenter and

ESX Server 5


Licensing Process


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46 VMware, Inc.

Figure 51summarizesthelicenseconfigurationprocessesforESX Server 3.

Figure 5-1. License Configuration Process for ESX Server 3

ESX Server 3

host is licensed

Purchase and install

ESX Server 3

Power on

the host

Use in

evaluationmode

Set the editionand

add-on licenses

Install a local file

on the disk

(/etc/vmware/)

Change to

licensed mode?

Install a

license server or

enter path to .lic file

Served Local

Chapter 5 Licensing VirtualCenter and ESX Server

Figure 52summarizesthelicenseconfigurationprocessesfortheVirtualCenter Server.


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VMware, Inc. 47

Figure 5-2. License Configuration Process for the VirtualCenter Server

Purchase licenses

Yes

Yes

No Receive email from

VMware or VMware

partner

VirtualCenter is

licensed

Follow email instructions

to redeem licenses

Run installer

Deselect Evaluation

check box

Acquire VirtualCenter

installer

Run installer

Select Evaluationcheck box

Install license server

Select license file

containing purchased

licenses

(optional)

Change license server

configuration

Enter path to existing

license server and your


edition

Copy purchased

licenses to license

directory

Evaluate

VirtualCenter?

Install

license server?

VirtualCenter

60-day evaluation

No


AfteryoupurchaseVMwareInfrastructuresoftware,dothefollowingtoobtainanduse

your licenses:
http://setup_licensing.pdf/http://setup_licensing.pdf/http://setup_licensing.pdf/http://-/?-http://-/?-http://setup_licensing.pdf/http://setup_licensing.pdf/http://setup_licensing.pdf/http://setup_licensing.pdf/


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48 VMware, Inc.

yourlicenses:

1 Decidewhichlicensingmodeltouse.

VMwareInfrastructure3usesFLEXnetlicensing,whichoffersachoiceoflicense

types:centralized,singlehost,ormixed.See SingleHostandCentralizedLicense

Typesonpage 30.

2 Registeryourpurchase.

WhetheryoupurchasedVMwareInfrastructure 3fromanauthorizedVMware

resellerordirectlyfromVMware,registeryourpurchasetoyourVMwarestore

account.See Obtaining

License

Files

on

page 48.

3 Obtainlicensefiles.

Afteryouregisteryourpurchase,usetheWebbasedlicenseactivationportalto

generateanddownloadlicensefilesappropriatetothelicensingmodelyouchose

inStep 1.See ObtainingLicenseFilesonpage 48.

4 InstallVirtualCenterandESX Server.

5 ConfigureyourlicensingaccordingtothelicensetypeyouchoseinStep 1:

Toconfigurecentralizedlicensing,see SettingUpCentralizedLicensingon

page 49.

Toconfiguresinglehostlicensing,see SettingUpSingleHostLicensingon

page 53.

Toconfigure

amixed

license

environment,

see Single

Host

and

Centralized

LicensingintheSameEnvironmentonpage 54.

Obtaining License Files

Theprocessofobtaininglicensefilesvariesdependingonhowyoumadeyour

purchaseofVMwareInfrastructure 3.Thefirststepinobtaininglicensefilesistoobtain

oneormorelicenseactivationcodes,whichyoureceiveinoneofthreeways:

IfyoupurchasedVMwareInfrastructure3fromanauthorizedVMwarereseller,

suchasDell,HewlettPackard,orIBM,youreceiveanemailmessagecontaining

instructionsonhowtoredeemandactivateyourlicenses.Enterthepartner

activationcodeintothepartneractivationportaltoregisteryourpurchase.

ForothernewpurchasesofVMwareInfrastructure 3,youreceiveanemail

containingalicenseactivationcode.


Whenyoureceivetheemailcontainingyouractivationcodes,followtheinstructionsin

theemailtoregisterlicenseactivationcodesandgeneratelicensefilesthroughthe


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VMware, Inc. 49

g g g

Webbasedlicenseactivationportal.

Foradditional

information

on

the

license

activation

process,

see

the

license

activation

portalonlineHelp.

Setting Up Centralized Licensing

Youcanconfigurecentralizedlicensingatinstallationtime.Afterinstallation,youcan

makechangestolicensingthroughtheVI Client.

Installing License Files

Afteryouobtainyourlicensefiles,savethemasplaintextASCIIfilesinadirectoryyou

canaccessfromyourlicenseservermachine.Usethe.lic extensionwhensavingyourlicensefiles.

WhentheVMwarelicenseserverisinstalled,youcanimportthefilesintoyourlicense

server.Centralizedlicensefilesareplacedatthefollowingdefaultlocationonthe

machinerunningthelicenseserver:

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware License Server\Licenses

See InstallingaLicenseServeronpage 60forinstructionsoninstallingastandalone

licenseserver.

See InstallingVMwareInfrastructureManagementSoftwareonpage 71for

instructionsregardingtherecommendedlicenseserverinstallation.

Location of the License Server

VMwarerecommendsthatyoufollowthedefaultinstallationandplaceyourlicense

serveronthesamemachineasyourVirtualCenter Server.Thishastheadvantageof

simplicityof

setup,

as

well

as

guaranteeing

VirtualCenter

to

license

server

communications.Changethisonlyifyouhaveagoodreason,suchasanexisting

FLEXnetlicenseserver.Toaccessthelicenseserverdocumentation,choose:

Start>Programs>VMware>VMware License Server>VMwareLicenseServerUserGuide.

NOTE Thefileextension.lic isrequired.


Configur ing License Server Licensing

Th fi d i hi i d ib Vi lC li d li i


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50 VMware, Inc.

ThefirstprocedureinthissectiondescribesVirtualCentercentralizedlicensing

configuration.IfyourenvironmentusesthedefaultVirtualCenterinstallation,orifyou

haveno

VirtualCenter Server,

go

directly

to

To

configure

centralized

licensing

for

an

ESX Serverhostonpage 51.

To configure centralized licensing for the VirtualCenter Server

1 FromtheVI Client,chooseAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServer

Configuration.

2 ClickLicenseServerinthelistontheleft.

3 ClicktheUsetheFollowingLicenseServerbutton.

4 Tosetthelicenseserver:

a ClickEdittotherightofLicenseSources.

b ClickUseLicenseServer.

This

is

the

default

configuration.c EntertheportnumberandlicenseservermachinenameintheAddressfield,

asinport@host.

Forexample,withthedefaultlicenseserverport27000onalicenseserver

calledlicense1,yourentrymightlooklikethis:

[email protected]

d ClickOK

to

close

the

dialog

box

and

save

your

changes.

5 (Optional)IfyoudonotwantVirtualCentertooverridethehostscurrentlicense

setting,deselectthecheckboxforChangehostlicenseserversettingstomatch

VirtualCenterssettingwhentheyareaddedtoinventory.

SelectingthischeckboxcausestheVirtualCenter Servertooverridethehosts

currentlicensesettingandinsteadusethelicenseserverusedbyVirtualCenter.

6 ClickOK

to

save

your

changes.

Youdonothavetochangeanyothersettingstoenablecentralizedlicensing.

Thetotalnumberoflicensesconsumedandavailableonthelicenseserverare

summarizedontheLicensestabintheAdminviewoftheVI Clientconnectedtothe

VirtualCenter Server.(ThistabwaslabeledLicenseViewerinearlierversionsof

VirtualCenter.)


Ifyoudidnotselectthecheckboxfortheoptionalsetting,followtheprocedureinthe

nextsectiontomanuallyconfigureESX Serverhoststousecentralizedlicensing.


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VMware, Inc. 51

To configure centralized licensing for an ESX Server host

1 FromtheVI Client,selectthehostintheinventory.

2 ClicktheConfigurationtab.

3 UnderSoftware,clickLicensedFeatures.

4 Tosetthelicenseserver:

a ClickEdittotherightofLicenseSources.

TheLicenseSourcesdialogboxappears.

b ClicktheUseLicenseServerbutton.

Thisisthedefaultconfiguration.

c Enterthelicenseservermachinenameand,optionally,aportintotheAddress

field.Ifyoudonotspecifyaport,thedefaultport,27000,isused.

For example,withthedefaultlicenseserverport27000 onalicenseservercalled license-1,yourentrymightlooklikethis:

license-1.vmware.com:27000

d ClickOKtoclosethedialogboxandsaveyourchanges.

5 SettheESX Serveredition:

a ClickEdit

to

the

right

of

ESX Server

License

Type.

b Specifytheeditionforthehost,orselectUnlicensedtoreleasethishosts

licensesbacktothelicenseserver.TheESX ServerLicenseTypedialogbox

displaysonlythoseeditionsthatareavailabletoyourESX Serverhost.

c ClickOKtoclosethedialogboxandsaveyourchanges.

6 Toconfigureaddonlicenses:

a ClickEdittotherightofAddOns.

TheAddOnsdialogboxappears.

b SelecttheaddonproductsyouwanttouseandclickOK.




(This

tab

was

labeled

License

Viewer

in

earlier

versions

of

VirtualCenter.)


To configure local license server licensing for the VirtualCenter Server

1 From the VI Client, choose Administration > VirtualCenter Management Server


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52 VMware, Inc.

1 FromtheVI Client,chooseAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServer

Configuration.


3 ClicktheUselicenseservicesonthisVirtualCenter Serverbutton.

4 (Optional)IfyoudonotwantVirtualCentertooverridethehostscurrentlicense

setting,deselectthecheckboxforChangehostlicenseserversettingstomatch


Selecting

this

check

box

causes

the


to

override

the

hosts

currentlicensesettingandinsteadusethelicenseserverusedbyVirtualCenter.

MakesurethatyouuseanIPaddressthatisaccessiblefromtheESX Serverhost.

IfyouconfigureVirtualCentertousealocallicenseserverandthehostnameofthe

locallicenseserver(VirtualCentershost)isnotresolvablefromtheESX Server

host,theESX Serverhostisnotabletoacquirelicensesfromthelocallicenseserver.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.

Youdonothavetochangeanyothersettingstoenablelocallicenseserver

licensing.



VirtualCenter Server.(ThistabwaslabeledLicenseViewerinearlierversionsof

VirtualCenter.)

Changing the Default License Server Ports

Bydefault,VirtualCenterandESX ServersoftwareisconfiguredtouseTCP/IPports

27000and27010tocommunicatewiththelicenseserver.Ifyoudidnotusethedefaultportsduringlicenseserverinstallation,youmustupdatetheconfigurationoneach

ESX Serverhost.

Ifyouchangethedefaultportsforthelicenseserver,logintotheESX Serverhost

serviceconsoleandopentheportsyouwant.

NOTE Ifyoudidnotselectthecheckboxfortheoptionalsetting,followtheprocedure

inToconfigurecentralizedlicensingforanESX Serverhostonpage 51tomanually

configureESX Serverhoststouselicenseserverlicensing.


To open a specific port in the service console firewall

1 Logintotheserviceconsoleastherootuser.


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VMware, Inc. 53

g

2 Executethiscommand:

esxcfg-firewall --openPort ,tcp,out,"License Server"

Changing from Single-Host to Centralized Licensing

YoucanchangeyourESX Serverhostsfromsinglehostlicensingtocentralized

licensing.Youmustgenerateanewlicensefile,installalicenseserver(ifyoudonot

haveoneinstalled),andconfigureyourhoststousethenewlicensetype.

To change ESX Server hosts from single-host licensing to centralized licensing

1 UsetheVMwarelicenseactivationportaltogenerateanddownloadanew

centralizedlicensefilecontainingallthelicensesforyourESX Serverhostsandany

associatedVirtualCenter Serverfeatures.

Thelicenseactivationportalletsyougeneratebothsinglehostandcentralized

licensefiles

from

the

same

license

activation

code.

2 Ifyouhavenotinstalledalicenseserver,dosoasfollows:

TouseaFLEXnetlicenseserverinstalledinyourenvironment,see Usingan

ExistingFLEXnetLicenseServeronpage 39.

Toinstallastandalonelicenseserver,see InstallingaLicenseServeron

page 60.

Toinstall

alicense

server

as

part

of

aVirtualCenter

installation,

see Chapter 6,

InstallingVMwareInfrastructureManagement,onpage 65.

3 ConfigureyourVirtualCenter ServerandESX Serverhostsasdescribedin

ConfiguringLicenseServerLicensingonpage 50.

Setting Up Single-Host Licensing

SinglehostlicensingrequiresavalidlicensefileoneachESX Serverhost.

Configur ing an ESX Server Machine for Single-Host Licensing

Whenyoureceiveyourlicensefile,renameittovmware.licandplaceitonafilesystemyoucanaccessfromyourVI Client.

NOTE

Thefile

extension

.lic isrequired.


To use the VI Client to con figure single-host licensing

1 FromtheVI Client,selectthehostintheinventory.


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54 VMware, Inc.

y

2 ClicktheConfigurationtab.

3 UnderSoftware,clickLicensedFeatures.

4 ClickEdittotherightofLicenseSources.

TheLicenseSourcesdialogboxappears.

5 ClicktheUseHostLicenseFilebutton.

6 ClickBrowseandlocatethelicensefile.

Thisfilemustbelocatedontheclientmachine,notontheESX Serverhost.License

filesmusthavea.lic extensionappearinthefilebrowser.


Single-Host and Centralized Licensing in the Same

EnvironmentUsingsinglehostlicensesforESX Serverfeaturesandcentralizedlicensingfor

VirtualCenterfeaturesinthesameenvironmentispermitted.However,doingso

requireschangestothedefaultVirtualCenterconfigurationsettings.Ifyoudonot

changetheVirtualCentersettings,thesettingscanoverridesinglehostlicensefiles:

WhentheVirtualCenter Serverrestarts.

When

the

single

host

ESX Server

machines

are

added

to

inventory

again.

AnysinglehostlicensefileontheESX Servermachineremainsunchangedbutignored.

To change VirtualCenter settings to allow single-host ESX Server licensing

1 FromtheVI Client,chooseAdministration>ServerSettings.


3 DeselectthecheckboxforChangehostlicenseserversettingstomatch


CAUTION IfyourestoreanESX Servermachinetosinglehostlicensingwithout

changingtheVirtualCenterdefaultconfiguration,theVirtualCenter Serversettings

mightoverridethesinglehostsettingsontheESX Servermachine.



5 RemoveandAddanyaffectedESX Servermachineintheinventory.


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VMware, Inc. 55

NowitissafetoreconfiguresinglehostlicensingonanychangedESX Server

machines.

Configuring Licensing for a Mixed ESX Server 2.x andESX Server 3.x Environment

YoucanusetheVirtualCenter Server2.xtomanageamixedenvironmentofboth

ESX Server 2.xandESX Server 3.xhosts.Youreceivelicenseactivationcodeswith

purchasesof

VMware

Infrastructure 3

Standard

edition

and

VMware

Infrastructure 3

EnterpriseeditionthatcanberedeemedforbothESX Server 2.xserialnumbersandfor

VMwareInfrastructure 3licensefiles.

To configure licensing for the ESX Server 2.x hosts in the mixed environment

1 LeavethelicensingonexistingESX Server 2.xhostsusingserialnumbers

unchanged.

2 Fornew

ESX Server 2.x

installations,

redeem

your

license

activation

code(s)

on

the

licenseactivationportalforESX Server 2.xserialnumbers.

Providetheseserialnumbersatthetimeofinstallationorconfiguration.

3 Redeemyourlicenseactivationcode(s)togenerateacentralizedlicensefile

containinglicensesforVirtualCenter Server,VirtualCenterManagementAgents,

VMotion,andESX Server 3.x.

YourgeneratedlicensefilecanincludeESX Server 3.xlicensesforthe

ESX Server 2.xhostsforwhichyouobtainedESX Server 2.xserialnumbersin

Step 2.Thisletsyoudistributelicensestothesehostsiftheyarelaterupgradedto

ESX Server 3.x.

4 InstallandconfiguretheVirtualCenter Server2.xtousethecentralizedlicensefile

yougenerated.

See Chapter 6,Installing

VMware

Infrastructure

Management,

on

page 65.


Changing from Centralized to Single-Host Licensing

YoucanchangeyourESX Serverhostsfromthecentralizedlicensetypetothe


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56 VMware, Inc.

singlehostlicensetype.TheVirtualCenter Serverandadditionalfeaturessuchas

VMotion,VMware

DRS,

and

VMware HA

must

remain

in

centralized

mode.

To

change

thelicensetypeforyourESX Serverhosts,generatenewlicensefilesforeachhostand

configurethehoststousethenewlicensetype.

To change ESX Server hosts from a centralized license to a single-host license

1 UsetheVMwarelicenseactivationportaltogenerateanddownloadnew

singlehostlicensefilesforeachESX Serverhost.

Thelicenseactivationportalletsyougeneratebothsinglehostandcentralizedlicensefilesfromthesamelicenseactivationcode.Forsinglehostlicensing,you

needonelicensefileforeachindividualESX Serverhost.

2 IfyouareusingtheVirtualCenter Server,changeyourVirtualCenter Server

settingssothattheVirtualCenter Serverdoesnotoverridehostlicensesettings,as

describedinSingleHostandCentralizedLicensingintheSameEnvironmenton

page 54.

3 ConfigureyourESX ServerhostasdescribedinConfiguringanESX Server

MachineforSingleHostLicensingonpage 53.

License File Contents

Licensefilesaretextfilescontainingtwotypesofinformation:licensetypeandlicense

keys.LicensetypeSpecifiestheTCP/IPportsthelicenseserverusestocommunicatewith

ESX Serverhosts.VMwarerecommendsthatyounotmodifythesedefaultports.Ifyou

doneedtoedittheports,useanASCIItexteditorandvalidateyoureditedlicenseat

http://www.vmware.com/checklicense/ .

Alicensetypeheaderlookssimilartothefollowing:

SERVER this_host ANY 27000VENDOR VMWARELM port=27010USE SERVER

Thissectionappearsonlyinalicenseserverfileandindicatesthatlicensekeysshould

beservedonalicenseserver.Thereisnomodesectioninsinglehostlicensefiles.


LicensekeyContainsencryptedlicensekeys,oneforeachfeaturetowhichyouare

entitled.Table 51liststheavailablelicensekeys.

i
http://www.vmware.com/checklicense/http://www.vmware.com/checklicense/


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esx server 3 installation guide

Documents