VMware vSphere

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  • 1.  Does a powered off guest consume a ROBO license?

    Posted Jun 07, 2023 10:34 AM

    As the title says, I've been asked by a customer whether a powered-off guest consumes one of their 25 available licenses?

    I cannot find a definitive answer so if anyone has an official document/article to back any answer up that would help tremendously.

    Thanks.



  • 2.  RE: Does a powered off guest consume a ROBO license?

    Posted Jun 08, 2023 06:56 AM

    Hi,

    The answer is:

    The license key keeps track of how many powered on virtual machines you have based on the ROBO license key applied to each host.

    please see the below document:

    http://burdweiser.com/vmware-robo-license-usage/

    There are three main licensing models for vSphere:

    • Per CPU licensing that covers one CPU with up to 32 cores.
    • Per virtual machine licensing.
    • Subscription based licensing

    Check the below document for "Per Virtual Machine Licensing Model for vSphere"

    https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-vcenter-esxi-management/GUID-710CD935-DBF4-4AF6-A4F7-ED35E552DE4C.html

     



  • 3.  RE: Does a powered off guest consume a ROBO license?

    Posted Jun 15, 2023 09:46 AM

    Thanks but an external article from 8 years ago isn't authoritative enough in this case.

    Nor does the second link answer the question in any way as far as I can see.

    It is a very specific question about a very specific use case. Do powered down machines consume a ROBO license?



  • 4.  RE: Does a powered off guest consume a ROBO license?

    Posted Jun 16, 2023 06:28 AM

    Hi,

    ROBO licensing is based on a per-virtual machine license model and as per definition of per virtual machine license, these are used for powered on vm.

    I hope this clarifies your query.

    Regards,

    Sachchidanand



  • 5.  RE: Does a powered off guest consume a ROBO license?

    Posted Jul 06, 2023 08:18 AM

    License counts per deployed virtual machine regardless of the power state of the virtual machines. 25 means 25.
    If you are unshure about the licensing terms&conditions you can always have it confirmed by the official vmware support.
    Just open a non-technical support request. They will also provide the current EULAs for the product to you.


    https://customerconnect.vmware.com/support



  • 6.  RE: Does a powered off guest consume a ROBO license?

    Posted Jul 06, 2023 08:20 AM

    Thanks but that's contradictory to what I was told by a vmware representative - powered VM's only. If a guest is off, it does NOT consume a license.