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How to Combine FLEXlm License Files

Details

If you have an existing license file and you purchase additional VMware products, you may need to combine all licenses into a single file. The following information describes how to combine multiple license files into one file.

Solution

Note: Beginning with VirtualCenter 2.0.1 Patch 2, VMware License Server (typically installed during VirtualCenter Server installation) no longer requires server-based licenses to be concatenated into a single file. Simply copy server-based licenses to the license directory. See KB 7252734, “ License Server Directory Support for Simplified License Management” for more information.

Determining the Type of License Key You Have

Before you can combine licenses, you need to know the type of license your organization uses for VMware products. There are 2 types of licenses:
  • Host-based licenses
  • Server-based licenses

You can determine the license type by looking at the licenseType= string in your license file.

For example, the following key is a host-based license key:

INCREMENT PROD_ESX_FULL VMWARELM 2005.05 permanent uncounted \
___VENDOR_STRING=licenseType=Host;capacityType=cpuPackage;gp=14;exclude=BACKUP;count=2 \
___HOSTID=ANY ISSUED=04-Jul-2006 NOTICE=FulfillmentId=1234 \
___SIGN="0D24 4FC5 1A99 0000 3642 6038 ED5A AA21 2345 0B92 2D84 \
___0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 \
___EAC1 0013 83D8 D9BE E494 7777 CED2"

The following key is a server-based license key:

INCREMENT PROD_ESX_FULL VMWARELM 2005.05 permanent 32 \
___VENDOR_STRING=licenseType=Server;capacityType=cpuPackage;gp=14;exclude=BACKUP \
___ISSUED=06-Jul-2006 NOTICE=FulfillmentId=1203 SIGN="0778 0B1A \
___C0FB 12DE 519B C61B F3E6 4E65 9168 6780 89DB 74B1 096C 1264 \
__ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 \
___EF5E 2A57 C6EE 641E"

Combining Server-Based Licenses

Note: Beginning with VirtualCenter 2.0.1 Patch 2, VMware License Server (typically installed during VirtualCenter Server installation) no longer requires server-based licenses to be concatenated into a single file. Simply copy server-based licenses to the license directory. See KB 7252734, “License Server Directory Support for Simplified License Management” for more information. The instructions in this section are necessary only if you have not upgraded your License Server.
 
Important: The license files by default are in UNIX format, without DOS/Windows return codes at the end of each line. Do not edit license files using Notepad. Use Wordpad or a third-party text editor that supports UNIX newlines.
  1. Make a backup copy of your original license file.
  2. Make sure both your original and new license files are server-based licenses.
  3. From your new file, copy and paste all lines starting with INCREMENT to your existing license file.
  4. Make sure your license file has only one header, as shown in the following example:

    SERVER this_host ANY 27000
    VENDOR VMWARELM port=27010
    USE_SERVER

In the example below, lines starting with # are comments


Example:

---------------------------- vmware.lic.-----------------------------
# Header from original license file
SERVER this_host ANY 27000
VENDOR VMWARELM port=27010
USE_SERVER
#
# INCREMENT line from original license file
INCREMENT PROD_ESX_FULL VMWARELM 2005.05 permanent 32 \
___VENDOR_STRING=licenseType=Server;capacityType=cpuPackage;gp=14;exclude=BACKUP \
___ISSUED=06-Jul-2006 NOTICE=FulfillmentId=1203 SIGN="0778 0B1A \
___C0FB 12DE 519B C61B F3E6 4E65 9168 6780 89DB 74B1 096C 1264 \
___0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 \
___EF5E 2A57 C6EE 641E"
#
# INCREMENT line from new license file
INCREMENT VC_ESXHOST VMWARELM 2005.05 permanent 32 \
___VENDOR_STRING=licenseType=Server;capacityType=cpuPackage \
___ISSUED=06-Jul-2006 NOTICE=FulfillmentId=1203 SIGN="15DB C49D \
___2188 324E B9C9 60DB F851 6602 F3B6 378D F411 C732 4BBD B711 \
__0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 \
___7804 8880 3043 A2FC"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Combining Host-Based Licenses

Important: The license files by default are in UNIX format, without DOS/Windows newlines at the end. Do not edit license files using Notepad. Use Wordpad or a third-party text editor that supports UNIX newlines.

  1. Make a backup copy of your original license file.

  2. Make sure both your original and new license files are host-based licenses.

  3. From your new license file, copy and paste all lines starting with INCREMENT to your existing license file.

In the example below, lines starting with # are comments

Example:

----------------------------------- vmware.lic.--------------------------------------
# INCREMENT line from original license key
INCREMENT PROD_ESX_FULL VMWARELM 2005.05 permanent uncounted \
___VENDOR_STRING=licenseType=Host;capacityType=cpuPackage;gp=14;exclude=BACKUP;count=2 \
___HOSTID=ANY ISSUED=04-Jul-2006 NOTICE=FulfillmentId=1234 \
___SIGN="0D24 4FC5 1A99 B330 3642 6038 ED5A AA21 2049 0B92 2D84 \
___0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 \
___EAC1 0013 83D8 D9BE E494 7555 CED2"
#
# INCREMENT line from new license file
INCREMENT ESX_FULL_BACKUP VMWARELM 2005.05 permanent uncounted \
___VENDOR_STRING=licenseType=Host;capacityType=cpuPackage;count=2 \
___HOSTID=ANY ISSUED=16-Jun-2006 NOTICE=FulfillmentId=5717 \
___SIGN="0D24 4FC5 1A99 B330 3642 6038 ED5A AA21 2049 0B92 2D84 \
___0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 \
___EAC1 0013 83D8 D9BE E494 7555 CED2"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information about editing the license file, see http://pubs.vmware.com/vi3/install/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm?context=install&file=install_licensing.5.24.html#955301.

For full details about configuring new license keys for VI3, see http://pubs.vmware.com/vi3/install/install_licensing.5.1.html#955301.

Keywords

combine; merge; license; file; key; flexlm; flexlmkb

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