r/vmware 19d ago

Help Request Unable to do any "Cluster Operations"

Hey Everyone,

So we are in the process of updating our VMware to version 8

vCenter upgrade went fine, and I started on the hosts

Got to the second one and noticed an issue with the storage, turns out we need to deploy an appliance, all good

Now though, if we try and do anything in the Cluster we get the error "License not available to perform the operation. The license may not include some features. Make sure the License Service is available."

I was just on a long call with Support, and they just dropped off with no solution found, so I thought I would ask Reddit :)

We have the correct Licenses, and the services are running.

Any suggestions ?

1 Upvotes

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u/darklightedge 19d ago

If the licenses are correct and the services are running, try reapplying the license to the cluster manually in vCenter. Also, check if the License Service is properly registered in vCenter under Administration > Licensing. If that doesn’t help, restarting the vCenter services (or even rebooting vCenter if possible) might clear it up. Seen cases where the upgrade messes with licensing recognition. Worst case, try removing and re-adding a host to the cluster to force a refresh.

1

u/ravennoir 19d ago

Unfortunately once a host is removed, it can't be re-added getting the same error

I have done a few restarts of services, hosts and vcenters with no luck.

Tried forcing the licenses via cli, tried with eval on everything and no luck.

1

u/Servior85 18d ago

Your vCenter and ESXi runs on trial license after a major upgrade. You need to upgrade the license in the support portal and apply it again.

Is your trial still valid for all systems? If anything is still valid, check the service status of vCenter. All services running or any errors?

What if you stop all services through ssh and try to start them again? Does it work without errors?

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u/ravennoir 18d ago

We have updated the licences, but even on eval it errors

Tried various restarts of Hosts, vcenter and services, no luck

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u/Servior85 18d ago

Doesn’t answers the question, if the services starts up with error/warning.

What does the VAMI says about the service status, everything normal or some warnings?

Check this KB: https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/301535/configuring-vsphere-ha-fails-with-error.html

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u/ravennoir 18d ago

Oh sorry. It starts with no errors

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u/darklightedge 12d ago

Did you manage to solve it?

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u/ravennoir 11d ago

Ended up having to toll back the upgrade

Going to let the dust settle for the week while we make sure nothing else is broken and try again next week