You can add license keys and generate a license usage report. The usage report is a file in CSV format.

The following regular license types are available:

  • NSX Data Center Standard
  • NSX Data Center Professional
  • NSX Data Center Advanced
  • NSX Data Center Enterprise Plus
  • NSX Data Center Remote Office Branch Office (ROBO)
  • NSX Data Center Evaluation
  • NSX for vSphere - Standard
  • NSX for vSphere - Advanced
  • NSX for vSphere - Enterprise
  • NSX for vShield Endpoint

The following limited export license types are available:

  • VMware NSX Enterprise per Processor (Limited Export)
  • NSX Data Center Advanced per Processor (for Limited Export)
  • NSX Data Center Evaluation
  • NSX for vShield Endpoint
Add-on license type for both regular and limited export licenses:
  • NSX Distributed Threat Prevention (Distributed IDS included)

    You can add this license only if the NSX Data Center Advanced or NSX Data Center Enterprise Plus license exists. And you cannot delete the NSX Data Center Advanced or NSX Data Center Enterprise Plus license until this add-on license is deleted.

    Note: For Limited Export Release version, you can add this license only if the VMware NSX Enterprise per Processor (Limited Export) or NSX Data Center Advanced per Processor (for Limited Export) license exists. And you cannot delete the VMware NSX Enterprise per Processor (Limited Export) or NSX Data Center Advanced per Processor (for Limited Export) license until this add-on license is deleted.

When you install NSX Manager, the default license is NSX for vShield Endpoint. This license never expires but has certain restrictions. You cannot create or update the following objects:
  • Tier-0 and tier-1 logical router
  • Tier-0 and tier-1 gateway
  • Logical switch
  • Layer 2 segment (Note: You can create and update service segments.)
  • Distributed firewall
  • VPN
  • NAT
  • Load balancer
  • Service Insertion
  • NSX Intelligence
If you upgrade from a previous release, both the default vShield Endpoint license and the previous default NSX Data Center Evaluation will be available. Note the following:
  • You cannot delete the default vShield Endpoint license key.
  • You can delete the previous default NSX Data Center Evaluation license key.
  • If you add a new vShield Endpoint license, the default vShield Endpoint license will be hidden. If you remove the new vShield Endpoint license, the default vShield Endpoint license will be available again.
  • If you add a new NSX Data Center Evaluation license, the default NSX Data Center Evaluation license, if it exists because of an upgrade, will be permanently deleted. If you remove the new NSX Data Center Evaluation license, you will not have any evaluation license.
Note: About the evaluation license:

If you install the NSX Data Center Evaluation license, it will be valid for 60 days.

Note the following:
  • You have the NSX for vShield Endpoint license and the NSX Data Center Evaluation license only.
    • If the NSX Data Center Evaluation license is valid, it will be used.
    • If the NSX Data Center Evaluation license has expired, the NSX for vShield Endpoint license will be used. (Enforcement will take effect.)
  • You have the NSX for vShield Endpoint license, the NSX Data Center Evaluation license, and other licenses.
    • If the NSX Data Center Evaluation license is valid, it and the other licenses will be used.
    • If the NSX Data Center Evaluation license has expired, the other licenses will be used.

If a license has expired or will expire within 60 days, an alarm will be generated each time you log in. You can view alarms by going to Home > Alarms.

If you have only the NSX for vShield Endpoint license, after you log in, an informational banner message will let you know that the license has certain restrictions (see above). If you have any expired or expiring license, after you log in, a warning banner message will let you know.

If you have multiple keys of the same license type and want to combine the keys, you must go to https://my.vmware.com and use the Combine Keys functionality. The NSX Manager UI does not provide this functionality.

Procedure

  1. From your browser, log in with admin privileges to an NSX Manager at https://<nsx-manager-ip-address>.
  2. Select System > Licenses > Add.
  3. Enter a license key.
  4. To generate a license usage report, select Export > License Usage Report.
    The CSV report lists the VM, CPU, unique concurrent user, vCPU and core usage numbers of the following features:
    • Switching and Routing
    • NSX Edge load balancer
    • VPN
    • Distributed Firewall
    • Context Aware Micro-Segmentation - Application identification
    • Context Aware Micro-Segmentation - Identity firewall for remote desktop session host
    • Service Insertion
    • Identity Firewall
    • Enhanced Guest Introspection
    • Micro-Segmentation Planning (L4) (CPU, core, VM, and concurrent user information only)
    • Federation (CPU, core, VM, and concurrent user information only)
    • Distributed IDS (CPU information only)
    Note:

    The following features are disabled for the Limited Export Release version:

    • IPSec VPN
    • HTTPS-based Load Balancer