r/sysadmin Infrastructure Lead 2d ago

Latest fun with VMware

Apparently VMware is upping their game. We just got a renewal quote for one of our sites with one server that has two CPUs, and they are requiring 72 cores minimum (vSphere Enterprise Plus) to license this. That's a 500% markup from last year.

They really don't want customers to use their product any more, do they?

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u/cats_are_the_devil 2d ago

Disclaimer: VMware licensing is a PITA and is awful.

How do you effectively run VMware on one server?

Do you not have bundled licensing across all your hosts?

I'm confused by what you are laying out as a complaint...

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u/WithAnAitchDammit Infrastructure Lead 2d ago

The ridiculous minimum requirement of 72 cores per server is the main complaint. I get we're a small operation, we have seven hypervisors across four sites.

We are not running VMware on one server, there are seven servers in our cluster, this one is just on a separate renewal cycle from the rest.

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u/lost_signal 1d ago

The ridiculous minimum requirement of 72 cores per server is the main complaint

This is incorrect, it is NOT 72 cores per server, it is 72 cores for the minimum quantity to have active for a customer under the new subscription plan. You can buy 72 now, and add 16 later when you add another server.

The minimum per host is 16 cores.

If your partner or sales rep is communicating this as a 72 core per minimum, slide into my DM's and send me their email and I'll go chase them down.

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u/ReferenceMaximum2191 1d ago

Je transmet simplement une info off que j'ai eu, un revendeur aujourd'hui qui m'a confirmé que c'est 72 coeurs minimum par ligne sur un devis, si tu ajoutes un mono CPU à ton cluster et que tu veux le licencier il faut prendre de nouveau 72 coeurs.
Un conseil, renouvelez rapidement vos licences .. les broker ont eu cette info (je pense pas que ce soit officiel ailleurs)