VMware Licensing
VMware VI3 Comparison Table VMware Multi-Core Pricing & Licensing Policy Frequently Asked Questions VMware Single Processor Pricing & Licensing Policy
How is VMware Licensed?
There are 2 catagories of Vmware products the first is the Server catagory and the 2nd is the Desktop Catagory.
With the servers you have the Vmware Infrastructure which consists of 3 versions the Starter, Standard and Enterprise editions, these are all Licenced per 2 physical CPU not per core. For example if you have a single server consisting of 4 physical CPU's each with 2 cores, then you will need to purchase 2 Licences of Vmware Infrastructure 3 (VI3).
When you purchase Vmware Infrastructure Software you are required to purchase Support and Maintenance this is mandatory for the Server based products.
VMware Infrastructure 3 consists of a number of components depending on the version of the software you purchase will determine which set of components come with it.
Components |
Vmware Infrastructure Foundation Edition |
Vmware Infrastructure Standard Edition |
Vmware Infrastructure Enterprise Edition |
| Virtualization for Small Business or Branch Office | Enterprise-class Infrastructure Virtualization Suite for Any Workload | Enterprise-class Infrastructure Virtualization Suite for the Dynamic Data Center | |
ESX Server Platform for virtualizing servers, storage and networking. |
NAS or local storage only. Deploys on any server with up to 4 physical CPUs, and up to 8 GB physical memory. |
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VMFS High-performance cluster file system for storage virtualization. |
Local storage only. Does not include cluster file system. |
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| Virtual Center Agent Connects VMware ESX Server with the VirtualCenter Management Server | |
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| Update Manager** | |
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| Virtual SMP Multi-processor support for virtual machines. | |
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| Vmotion**Live migration of virtual machines without service interruption. | |
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| Storage Vmotion** | |
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| Vmware HA**Cost effective high availability for virtual machines. | |
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| Vmware DRS** Dynamic balancing and allocation of resources for virtual machines. | |
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| Consolidated Backup ** Centralized backup software for virtual machines. | |
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| Virtual Center Server Centralized management, automation and optimization for IT infrastructure. | Available as a separately Licenced product. Licenced on per-server basis separate from VMware Infrastructure 3 editions. |
**These products require VirtualCenter Server (previously VirtualCenter Management Server).
VMware Single Processor Pricing & Licensing Policy
Effective April 1, 2008
This is a notification of policy clarification for customers and partners with regard to the licensing of VMware ESX and VMware Infrastructure Suites (VI).
Effective immediately, customers may install VMware ESX and VI licenses on single processor, physical hosts that are included on our Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). This includes servers with two sockets that are populated with a single processor. Each processor may contain up to four cores. Please note that licenses of VMware ESX and VI are still sold in minimum increments of two processors. With this announcement, VMware is clarifying that a two processor license grant may now be split and used on two, single processor, physical hosts.
In order to install licenses in single processor increments, a customer must use the Centralized License Server model for installing and managing VMware license files, as described in the VMware Installation and Upgrade Guide.
When using this licensing model, a single license file is stored on a license server, which manages your entire license pool and makes licenses available to one or more hosts.
VMware Multi-Core Pricing & Licensing Policy
Effective November 1, 2006
This policy defines a processor for licensing purposes as up to four cores per processor. For example, this means that a customer who purchases a two-way quad-core server is only required to purchase 2 processors of VMware Infrastructure 3 or related products for that server. This allows customers to take advantage of increased processor performance for virtual environments without a corresponding increase in licensing cost.
Please note that this policy applies to VMware Infrastructure server products licensed on a per-processor basis (e.g., ESX Server, VirtualCenter, VMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler, VMware HA, Consolidated Backup) and physical servers on the systems compatibility guides for specific product versions.
Effective May 28, 2008
Effective immediately, VMware has modified its current policy with regard to VMware Converter Starter. Subject to your compliance with the VMWARE CONVERTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, the following is added in Section 9.1(a) of the VMWARE CONVERTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT:
VMware Converter Starter is intended for your own personal non-commercial use only. If you are interested in distributing VMware Converter Starter for internal or external use, promotion, review or as part of a solution, please apply at www.vmware.com/go/distribution.
Unless otherwise modified herein, the remaining terms of the VMWARE CONVERTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT shall remain in full force and effect and in the event of a conflict, the terms in this notice shall control.
This policy change will also be reflected in the next applicable version of the VMWARE CONVERTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a dual- or quad-core processor?
Intel and AMD have announced new x86 processors that combine two or four independent central processing units ("cores") on a single silicon chip. These processors, generally referred to as multi-core processors, offer increased performance compared to conventional processor designs. Multi-core processors also reduce heat dissipation relative to single-core designs, a benefit referred to as "higher performance per watt."
What benefits should VMware customers expect to see from multi-core processors?
Published benchmarks for multi-core systems show impressive performance gains over single-core systems. Each processor core provides a dedicated CPU for one or more virtual machines, increasing the scalability of VMware virtual infrastructure and offering even more fine-grained resource isolation. Server consolidation in virtual machines will particularly benefit from the naturally partitioned processing capacity provided by additional cores. Intel has recently advertised that quad-core systems improve performance by approximately 50% over similar dual-core processors.
How does VMware license its products for dual- and quad-core systems?
VMware licenses its server products on per processor basis. A processor is defined as a single physical chip that contains no more than four processor cores.
Which VMware products does this affect?
This policy affects VMware Infrastructure 3, VMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler, VMware HA and Consolidated Backup and any other server products licensed on a per-processor basis. VMware Workstation and VMware ACE products for the desktop do not use processor-based licensing.
How does this policy affect my licensing costs?
Customers upgrading their hardware to multi-core technology will not need to pay additional licensing fees for a processor with multiple cores (up to four cores per processor) compared with a single-core design. This means that a customer who purchases a two-way quad-core server is only required to purchase 2 processors of VMware Infrastructure 3 for that server.
What dual-core server models are supported?
Only servers listed in the Systems Compatibility Guide for VMware Infrastructure 3 are supported. As VMware certifies additional servers with multi-core processors they will be added to the Systems Compatibility Guide.
When will this licensing change be effective?
This licensing policy is effective as of November 1st, 2006. Support for specific multi-core processors is effective when servers containing this processors have been certified and added to the relevant systems compatibility guides. ESX Server 2.1.x and VirtualCenter 1.2.x and prior versions will not include support for multi-core processors. Customers on these versions must upgrade to subsequent versions for dual- or quad-core processor support.
How do customers order licenses for multi-core systems?
Because VMware is building multi-core licensing support into its products, no special ordering procedures will be necessary for new customers. Existing VMware customers with subscription service can upgrade to the new releases and get multi-core support.
Does this policy apply to all the future multi-core systems? In other words, what happens when 8-core chips are available?
This policy applies only to dual- and quad-core processors. VMware will revisit its licensing policies as x86 processors with a greater number of cores become available.
If I want to understand more about dual-core technology, where should I go?
Learn more at:
http://www.intel.com/technology/computing/multi-core/
or
http://multicore.amd.com/
This policy updates the definition of a "Processor" as outlined in Section 1.6 of the VMWARE MASTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT as to mean a single, physical chip that houses no more than four (4) processor cores. This policy change will also be reflected in the next applicable version of the VMWARE MASTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. Unless otherwise modified herein, the remaining terms of the VMWARE MASTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT shall remain in full force and effect and in the event of a conflict, the terms in this notice shall control
