Managing vCenter Server licenses through the vSphere Client is standard, but the command line offers unmatched speed, automation potential, and troubleshooting capability. Whether you need to assign, replace, or audit licenses across many vCenters, the command line is your most powerful tool.
Connect-VIServer -Server ://example.com -User administrator@vsphere.local -Password yourpassword Use code with caution. B. Viewing Current Licenses To view existing licenses in your vCenter inventory: powershell Get-LicenseKey Use code with caution. C. Adding a New License Key To add a new license key to the inventory: powershell New-LicenseKey -LicenseKey "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" Use code with caution. D. Assigning a License Key to vCenter Server
To view the currently assigned assets and license information directly from the vCenter Server Appliance, you can inspect the configuration files or use embedded tools:
Get-VCLicense -Status (available in PowerCLI 6.5+) provides a summary of licensed vs. used CPUs. Summary of Key Commands PowerCLI Command / Method Add Key $licMgr.AddLicense("KEY", $null) Assign to vCenter $licAssMgr.UpdateAssignedLicense($uuid, "KEY", "Name") Assign to Host Set-VMHost -LicenseKey "KEY" View Keys Get-VMHost | Select Name, LicenseKey vcenter license key command line
VMware Systems Administration Team Date: [Current Date] Document Version: 1.0
Look for id in the output.
This advanced process generally involves: Managing vCenter Server licenses through the vSphere Client
esxcli software license list
vim-cmd vimsvc/license/set <LICENSE_LABEL> <LICENSE_KEY>
To use these commands, you must first connect to your vCenter Server from a machine with PowerCLI installed: Connect-VIServer -Server Adding a New License Key To add a
He logged into the server where vCenter was running and opened a terminal. To retrieve the current license key, John recalled a useful command:
/opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/psql -U postgres -d VCDB
$license = New-VMLicense -LicenseKey "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX"
: You can use the cat and grep commands to find the instance ID or assigned asset details within the vCenter configuration files. cat /etc/vmware-vpx/vpxd.cfg | grep -i instanceid Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard
: To set a new license key via the command line: vim-cmd vimsvc/license --set "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY-HERE" Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard 3. Managing Licenses with VMware PowerCLI