Link old VMware account and existing perpetual free ESXi 8 license to new Broadcom Site ID

[Steven Maddox]

Hello,

Previously before the Broadcom acquisition I had a VMware Customer Connect account.

On that account I had a VMware account number (but unsure what that number was) and within that I had listed my free perpetual ESXi 8 license key.

When the license key was originally provided it looked like the below... (but not blurred obviously)

I now have a new Broadcom login and I'm wondering if it would be possible to get a Site ID generated and link this existing license to that Site ID as an entitlement/contract?  Obviously I wouldn't expect support.

I can provide the license key that I have already, if it makes it easier to find the old VMware account number.

Thank you

p.s. I know this is an incredibly tall ask, but it would be nice to get an official 'No' and a reason all the same :)

[a_p_]

Not an "official" answer. However, only licenses with active support contracts were migrated to the new portal. In addition, the free Hypervisor is not offered anymore, so make sure that you don't loose your license.

André

[Steven Maddox]

Oh I'm expecting that as an answer :) 

I'd just like to see it in black and white if possible, what the Broadcom position is on these perpetual licenses.

Particularly worried if there was anything the original T&C's (when these licenses were generated) that allowed VMware to revoke the use of them at any future date.

It wouldn't surprise me if they've completely lost all records of these licenses and who they were issued to.  If true, this would mean people could just go around sharing each others free perpetual 8.x ESXi license keys (which is against the T&C's)... probably being under the impression that Broadcom wouldn't have a clue who is meant to be using them at all at this point.  I mean, you do know... Broadcom?  right?  Certainly listing them on our Broadcom accounts would prove that you DO know?

Also if these were PAID licenses with active SnS that had since expired... I've read a few people saying that the EULA forbids upgrades and updates after that SnS expires, even if updates will continue to download just fine (e.g. 'esxcli software profile update' or the vSphere Update Manager), you're not allowed to run them.

So does this same EULA restriction apply with the free perpetual licenses, since they're now discontinued to generate new ones?.. does this mean we're not allowed to use 'esxcli software profile update' to upgrade past a certain version?.. and does this version correspond to the last ISO that was available for free download directly from vmware.com?

SHA256
ff062f843be45760b591096fbf7be0b1003f6469db24f2d2e40a4c8ed3d86c21  VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0U2-22380479.x86_64.iso