Esxi 6.7 and 7.0 Licenses

[hammer197221]

Hi All

Hoping you can help as I am new to VMware. I need to purchase some licenses for our ESXi hosts as the evaluation period is about to expire. I am a bit confused as to what license will cover me legally.

I have 4 esxi Servers, each server has 2 CPU that are 32 cores each. 2 of the physical servers are older ones running 6.7 and we have purchased to new ones running esxi version 7

When reading the VMWare web site I am not sure if the foundation license will cover me or if I need a Standard license. The article I was reading states the foundation covers up to 4 hosts and the Standard 2000 Hosts (Assuming hosts = virtual Machine)

If it is a Standard License that I require, will that cover all 4 physical servers or do I need a standard License per physical server, as the same article mention maximum 2 CPU?

We are a very small ESXi shop and do not require all the bells and whistles that come with Enterprise license but would like to make use of vCenter.  Any help would be appreciated as I don't want to get this wrong

[basteku73]

Hi, 

If you only have 4 hosts and you don't intend to expand the environment, then a Foundation licence is fine.

Regards, 

Sebastian

[a_p_]

I think you're mixing up two things.

For the ESXi hosts, you need a CPU license per physical socket. As of vSphere 7.0 one license covers a socket/processor with up to 32 cores. From what I understand, you have 4 hosts with 2 CPUs each, so you'll need 8 ESXi CPU licenses (Standard, or Enterprise Plus).
If you want to manage the hosts via vCenter Server, you also need a license for vCenter Server. A vCenter Server Foundation license allow you to manage up to 4 hosts, while a vCenter Server Standard license can manage up to 2,500 hosts.

If this is the first time your company purchases vSphere licenses, you may want to take a look at VMware's "Acceleration Kits". These are basically starter bundles at a reduced price. VMware offers (or at least used to offer) two version, one that includes vCenter Server Standard + 6 CPU licenses, and another one that includes vCenter Server Foundation + 8 CPU licenses. Both Kits are available for the different ESXi editions.

Considering costs, you could save a lot of money, if you stay with no more than 3 hosts. This will allow you to use a vSphere Essentials (Plus) Kit. The Essentials Kits contain a vCenter Server for Essentials license, and 6 ESXi CPU licenses. Note that these Kits can not be expanded.

André