In this article, we’ll provide an overview of three key topics that are likely top of mind for many VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation customers:
- New Unified License Model – provides an overview of the new Solution Licensing that simplifies deployments of VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation environments.
- VMware Cloud Foundation Upgrade Process – describes how eligible Per Core customers can upgrade their current per-core offering to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.
- Keyless Cloud-Connected to Key-Based On-Premises Subscription Offerings – provides an overview of the process of transitioning from cloud-connected to disconnected on-premises offerings, providing clear guidance for customers navigating this conversion journey.
1. Exploring the New Unified License Model
The release of VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1.1 and vSphere 8.0U2b marks the beginning of the transition to a new unified licensing model. Solution licensing simplifies the deployment of full-stack VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation environments by eliminating the need to manage multiple licenses for individual components.
VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation now include a solution license key that enables access to the different components from a single key. This release marks the first step towards managing each offering as a single product, and this change is being introduced in multiple phases.
Benefits of a solution license key are as follows:
- The solution license key minimizes the number of individual component keys that require separate management.
- Component licensing is applied automatically at time of connecting an endpoint component to vCenter Server (NSX, HCX, VMware Aria Suite components)
- Solution licensing allows administrators to scale their IT environments without delay, by providing a 60 day evaluation license.
Note: vSAN license key is still managed separately in VMware Cloud Foundation.
To gain a deeper understanding of the solution license key feature, see this blog post.
2. VMware Cloud Foundation Per Core Upgrade Process
VMware Cloud Foundation customers who have purchased our per-core offerings (VCF+/S (All Editions) , VCF Cloud Packs+/-S (Adv, Ent)) before February 2024 are eligible to upgrade to the latest version of VMware Cloud Foundation 5.1 from their existing environment.
To facilitate upgrading to our current offering:
- Broadcom will initiate a Zero Dollar Order (ZDO) that will place the equivalent quantity of License Keys as the original subscription purchase in your Customer Connect Portal, yet maintain the same current term limit of their purchase.
- Customers will have to replace the current license keys with the ZDO provided licenses if they would like to upgrade.
- Upon term end, Customers will have to repurchase the latest VMware Cloud Foundation offering along with any applicable add-on offers to maintain equivalent functionality at standard discounting.
- There are restrictions in place for Non-Enterprise Bundles Purchased.
To learn more about this upgrade process, reach out to your VMware by Broadcom sales team.
3. Simplifying the Transition: Keyless Cloud-Connected to Key-Based On-Premise Subscription Offerings
As shared in this blog post, Broadcom announced end of availability (EOA) of its SaaS offerings and is focused on delivering on-premises products. Customers are strongly encouraged to migrate from SaaS to on-premises deployments to benefit from our product investments and roadmap.
The new VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware vSphere Foundation, and vSAN add-on are the replacement options for the previous cloud-connected subscriptions. These new offerings are fully on-premises subscription software with no cloud connectivity.
To make the transition, customers can purchase one of the subscriptions from the new portfolio. See the mapping in the table below.
Below are the scenarios and processes to convert keyless cloud-connected Plus offerings to key-based disconnected on-premises subscription offerings:
For additional details on the conversion process, please refer to the following articles:
- Transitioning vSphere+/VCF+/vSAN+ customers to On-Premises
- Disconnect subscribed vCenter instances from vSphere+ cloud portal and apply term licenses
- Disconnect SDDC Manager and subscribed vCenter instances from VCF+ cloud portal and apply term licenses
Need help? Reach out to your sales representative, or open a ticket with our global support team. We are here to help kickstart the conversation and guide you through every step of the way.
