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

When you install NSX Manager, the default license is NSX for vShield Endpoint. This license never expires but has certain restrictions. For more information about licenses, see License Types. You cannot create or update few objects, for example:
  • 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

NSX licenses are applied at the NSX Manager level. Once a valid license key is added to the NSX Manager, it automatically enables the respective features on all the managed hosts.

If you upgrade from a previous release, all the license keys will be carried forward to the target release. Note the following:
  • You cannot delete the default vShield Endpoint license key.
Note: About the evaluation license: If you install the NSX Data Center Evaluation license, it will be valid for 60 days.
  • 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 can add evaluation, and other purchased license together. For example, 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. (Evaluation license takes priority.)
    • 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.

You can retrieve details of licenses by using the following API.

GET https://<nsx-mgr>/api/v1/licenses

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.

You can add multiple license keys for the same edition of NSX (Formerly known as NSX-T Data Center).

Procedure

  1. With admin privileges, log in to NSX Manager.
  2. Select System > Licenses > Add License.
  3. Enter a license key.
    You will get an error message if you enter an invalid license key or enter an add-on license without the required base SKU.
  4. To remove a license, select a license and click Delete.
    You will get an error message if you remove a base SKU and there is an add-on license that depends on it.
  5. 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
    • Identity Firewall
    • Distributed IDPS
    • Context Aware Micro-Segmentation - Identity firewall for remote desktop session host
    • Distributed Firewall
    • URL Categorization
    • Multi-tenancy
    • DPU Acceleration
    • Service Insertion
    • Distributed Malware Prevention
    • Context Aware Micro-Segmentation - Application identification
    • NSX Federation (CPU, core, VM, and concurrent user information only)
    • VPN
    • Distributed Load Balancer
    • NSX Edge load balancer
    • Anomaly Detection
    • Endpoint Context
    • Micro-Segmentation Planning (L4) (CPU, core, VM, and concurrent user information only)
    • Micro-Segmentation Planning (L7)
    • Enhanced Guest Introspection
    Note:

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

    • IPSec VPN
    • HTTPS-based Load Balancer