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VCF 9 Deployment Guide

Licensing Model

VCF 9 Licensing Model

Licensing Changes in VCF 9

Key Changes from Previous Versions:

  • Single license file replaces multiple 25-character license keys per component
  • Subscription-based licensing replaces perpetual licenses entirely
  • License keys no longer used - managed via VCF Operations and vcf.broadcom.com portal
  • Evaluation period extended from 60 to 90 days
  • License assigned to vCenter only; ESXi hosts and components licensed automatically

Broadcom Acquisition Impact:

  • Product portfolio consolidated from ~168 bundles to 4: VCF, VVF, VVS, and VVEP
  • Per-core licensing model enforced across all products
  • Customers report 8x-15x price increases post-acquisition
  • Hyperscalers (Azure VMware Solution, Google VMware Engine) now require BYOL portable licenses from Broadcom effective November 1, 2025

License Types / SKUs

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9:

  • Full private cloud stack
  • Includes: vSphere, vSAN (1 TiB/core), NSX, Aria Advanced, SDDC Manager
  • Tanzu Mission Control Self-Managed included for post-acquisition SKUs

VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) 9:

  • Narrower scope than VCF
  • Includes vSAN at 0.25 TiB/core
  • No NSX or Aria Advanced

VCF Edge:

  • Reduced minimum: 8 cores per CPU (vs 16 for standard VCF)
  • Deployment limitations apply

Licensing Metrics

Per-Core Licensing:

  • Minimum 16 cores per CPU required
  • All physical cores counted, including BIOS-disabled cores
  • Example: 2 CPUs × 12 cores each = 32 licensed cores (not 24)

Subscription Terms:

  • 1, 3, or 5 year terms available
  • Multi-year subscriptions optimize cost
  • No perpetual licensing option

License Pooling:

  • Multiple subscription purchases pooled into single capacity total
  • Example: 200 cores + 300 cores = 500 core license pool
  • Capacity reduces as subscriptions expire

Component Licensing

Bundled Components (no separate license):

  • vSphere/ESXi
  • vCenter Server
  • vSAN (1 TiB per licensed core)
  • NSX networking and security
  • SDDC Manager
  • Aria Operations (Advanced)
  • Tanzu Mission Control Self-Managed

Add-on Licenses:

  • vSAN Add-on: Additional TiB capacity when 1 TiB/core insufficient
  • VCF Operations for Networks requires VCF 9.0 licensed vCenter as data source

Migration Considerations

Existing License Migration:

  • VCF 5.x environments continue using previous license keys
  • Mixed environments supported (VCF 9 + VCF 5.x)
  • New subscriptions include both 9.0 license and 8.x license keys
  • Total usage across versions cannot exceed purchased capacity

Compliance Requirements:

  • License usage reports required every 180 days
  • Connected mode: Single button click to report
  • Disconnected mode: Manual upload/download via vcf.broadcom.com
  • 90-day grace period after license expiration

Cost Implications:

  • Significant price increases reported industry-wide
  • 16-core minimum may increase costs for lower-core-count CPUs
  • Storage add-ons needed if vSAN usage exceeds 1 TiB/core

Sources