Upgrading to VMware vSphere License Keys
You must obtain new licenses to deploy VMware vSphere 5. Your existing VMware vSphere 4 licenses will not work on vSphere 5.
NOTE: vSphere 5 has changed entitlements around CPU cores and memory use. vSphere 5 has also introduced a small change to the entitlement process around what is known as virtual memory or vRAM. For more details, please refer to the vSphere 5 pricing and packaging white paper. You can also model the impact to your licenses by downloading the VMware vSphere License Advisor tool.
Upgrade Eligibility
Licenses will be upgraded to the new version according to these rules:
- Only licenses, or portion of licenses, that have active support and subscription contracts as of the day when VMware vSphere 5 becomes generally available (in the following known as "the GA date") will be eligible for upgrade. If subscription has expired or will expire prior to the GA date you will retain access to the VMware vSphere 4 licenses, but you will not be eligible to upgrade to VMware vSphere 5 license keys.
- If your support and subscription has expired prior to the GA date you can choose to reinstate it later. If you do so, you will be eligible to upgrade to VMware vSphere 5 licenses at that time.
- Within the new licensing portal, upgraded license keys are visible to users that are designated to an authorized role on a support and subscription contract. Contract roles include Primary License Administrator "PLA" and Secondary License Admistrator "SLA" and each role grants a specific level of access within the portal.
NOTE: In some cases an individual may have previously registered vSphere 4 license key(s) and will therefore have an assigned role of "Registered User" for those licenses. As only the Primary License Administrator "PLA" and Secondary License Administrator(s) "SLA" on a contract can upgrade licenses please see KB Article 1012219 for instructions on how the PLA can add the "Registered User" as SLA to a contract.
How to Get Your vSphere 5 Licenses
Process for Obtaining Your New Keys
If you have license keys for VMware vSphere 4 with active support and subscription, you are eligible to upgrade these license keys to VMware vSphere 5 for free on the VMware license portal:
- Log into the vSphere License portal using your VMware.com account credentials
- Locate the VMware vSphere 4 product name for the license key(s) you would like to upgrade
- Expand the product name and click the "Upgrade" button
- Follow the prompts to upgrade your license key(s) to VMware vSphere 5
Expected Timeframe to Receive Your vSphere License Keys
Upgrades will be available on the portal shortly after VMware vSphere 5 becomes generally available. All license keys with active support and subscription contracts with an end date on or after General Availability are eligible for an upgrade.
Entitlement Mapping
The following table explains how your VMware vSphere 4 licenses will be mapped to VMware vSphere 5. Customers who currently have vSphere 4 Advanced edition will be mapped to vSphere 5 Enterprise edition.
| VMware vSphere 4.x Edition | VMware vSphere 5.0 Edition |
|---|---|
| Enterprise Plus | Enterprise Plus |
| Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Advanced | Enterprise |
| Standard | Standard |
| Essentials Plus | Essentials Plus |
| Essentials | Essentials |
Preparing for Your License Upgrade
In order to ensure a problem-free license upgrade, VMware requests your cooperation in verifying that your license and subscription data are correct. Please take the time to review your account and contact Support if the information is not consistent with your expectation. If corrections are needed it is preferable to make them prior to the delivery of your VMware vSphere 5 licenses.
1. Review Your Support Contracts
Go to the VMware Support Contracts Portal and, using the same login, review your support contracts. Review the status and end-dates of all contracts that contain vSphere 4 and vCenter 4 components. If some contracts are expired or have an end-date before the General Availability (GA) date for vSphere 5, you may not be eligible to upgrade your licenses to VMware vSphere 5 for the quantities on those contracts. To request a renewal or reinstatement of contracts, use the contract renewal web form.
2. Verify Your Role
Go to the VMware Support Contracts Portal and, using the same login, verify your role on each of the contracts by going to the Administrators tab. The primary license admin (PLA) and secondary license admin (SLA) will receive an alert in the licensing portal indicating that some or all of their vSphere 4 licenses are eligible (see Upgrade Elibility above) to be upgraded to vSphere 5 licenses. The PLA on each contract has the ability to add, remove, and edit the SLAs and SAs on the contract (via the interface shown below). Verify that the appropriate individuals are designated as SLA and/or SA on your contracts, and make changes as necessary.
Version Downgrade
Converting vSphere 5 Licenses to vSphere 4 or VI3 – "Downgrades"
If you have purchased VMware vSphere 5 licenses and wish to convert some or all of them, to increase your available VMware vSphere 4 or VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3) licenses, you may downgrade the desired number of the licenses on the vSphere license portal.
Downgrading from vSphere 5 to vSphere 4 via vSphere License Portal
- Log into the vSphere License portal using your VMware.com account credentials
- Locate the VMware vSphere 5 product name for the license key(s) you would like to downgrade
- Expand the product name and click the "Downgrade" button
- Follow the prompts to downgrade your license key(s) to VMware vSphere 4
Downgrading from vSphere 5 to VI3 via vSphere License Portal
- Log in to the vSphere License portal
- Select the downgrade link
- Select vSphere order number(s) to be downgraded – only whole orders can be downgraded
- After approx. 30 minutes, additional license quantity is added to VI3 license portal
- Licenses displayed on vSphere/vCenter portal will not be decreased or affected
vSphere Licensing Roles
VMware Support Contract FAQ explains what the different licensing administrator roles (PLA, SLA, and SA) mean.
Further Licensing Questions
For additional questions related to licensing, contact Support.
