vSphere+ and vSAN+ Subscriptions

Got VMware on Your Mind?

If you’re thinking about jumping onto the vSphere+ or vSAN+ bandwagon, there’s some stuff you gotta know about figuring out your subscription needs. Don’t sweat it, though – it’s simpler than it sounds!

The Lowdown on Subscription Stuff

Alright, so your subscription depends on how many CPU cores you’ve got in your ESXi hosts. Each core needs its own license, and the deal is you gotta buy at least 16 cores per CPU, even if you’ve got fewer cores.

Quick Math for Your Subscription

Here’s the magic formula: TotalCoresNeeded=CoresperCPU×CPUsperHost×NumberofHosts

For example:

• Got 1 host with a CPU of 8 cores? You still need licenses for 16 cores.
• 1 host with 2 CPUs of 8 cores each? That’s 32 cores.
• 2 hosts, each with 2 CPUs of 8 cores? You’re looking at 64 cores.

Figuring Out What You Need

For smaller setups or if you’re not using a vCenter Server, just peek at the ‘Cores per socket’ under your host’s hardware settings. For the big leagues, VMware has a cool PowerCLI tool to help you out.

ESXi Hosts	CPUs per ESXi Host	Cores per CPU	Subscription Capacity Required	Calculation
1	1	8	16	Though the number of cores is 8, you must purchase minimum 16 cores per CPU on each ESXi host.
1	2	8	32	Though the number of cores is 8 on each CPU, you must purchase 32 cores because the minimum subscription capacity is 16 cores per CPU.
2	2	8	64	Though the number of cores is 8 on each CPU, you must purchase 64 cores because the minimum subscription capacity is 16 cores per CPU and there are 2 CPUs on each of the 2 ESXi hosts.
1	4	16	64	Subscription capacity is the total number of cores × number of CPUs × number of ESXi hosts.
1	1	24	24	Subscription capacity is the total number of cores × number of CPUs × number of ESXi hosts.
1	2	24	48	Subscription capacity is the total number of cores × number of CPUs × number of ESXi hosts.
1	1	32	32	Subscription capacity is the total number of cores × number of CPUs × number of ESXi hosts.
1	2	64	128	Subscription capacity is the total number of cores × number of CPUs × number of ESXi hosts.

You can find the entire article here: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/89116