With vSphere 6.5 and later, VMware offers the Synchronize Licenses feature that you can use to import license keys and license key data from Customer Connect to your vSphere environment.

The Synchronize Licenses feature helps you keep your vCenter Server license keys data synchronized with the license keys data in Customer Connect. To import license keys data, you use a .CSV file that you generate in the Customer Connect reports section. After you import the .CSV file, you can view the Customer Connect data in the License List and the License Summary.

With the import feature, you can complete the following tasks:
  • Add or update Customer Connect license keys details, such as notes, custom labels, contracts, orders, and so on, in your vCenter Server license inventory.
  • Add license keys from Customer Connect to your vCenter Server license inventory.
  • Identify any license keys in your vCenter Server license inventory that have been combined, divided, upgraded, or downgraded in Customer Connect to help you with license compliance.

How to Generate a License Report in Customer Connect

To update your vCenter Server license inventory with the license keys details in your Customer Connect environment, generate a Product Licenses, Details, and History .CSV file in your Customer Connect Reports section. Upload the .CSV file to vSphere.

The .CSV file is a list of keys that are active keys in Customer Connect. The .CSV file contains up-to-date license keys information from your Customer Connect environment, including the account name and number, the product for which the license is purchased, the license quantity, various license key notes, the support level, the license support and license coverage end date, the order number, history data, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log in to https://customerconnect.vmware.com.
  2. On the Customer Connect home page, click Products and Accounts in the top left corner.
  3. Select Accounts and click Reports.
  4. In the Select a Report section, click Available Reports and select Products and Licenses Details from the drop down menu.
  5. In the Select Accounts section, select the account, for which you want to generate the report or select the check box .
  6. (Optional) Enter a name for your report.
  7. (Optional) Add notes to include in your report.
  8. (Optional) To receive an email when the report is ready, select the Send email when report is created check box All Accounts to select all available accounts.
  9. Click Create and click OK.
    Your report request is submitted and when the report is ready, you can download it from the list of saved reports.
  10. To download the .CSV file that you must import to vSphere, in the Saved Reports section, click the CSV icon next to your report.
    Do not change the formatting of the original .CSV file report. For information how to preview the .CSV file report and view the data without damaging the .CSV file, see Using License Report Files in vSphere.

Using License Report Files in vSphere

If you want to preview the data of a Customer Connect report file before you import the file to vSphere, make a copy of the .csv file. Do not open the original file in Microsoft Excel as this action might change the data formats of certain cells, which might cause issues in future releases.

If you attempt to import a .csv file that you first open in another program, the Synchronize Licenses wizard displays a warning that the file you use is not in the correct format, and that some of the data might not be available in vSphere.

Even if you successfully import the .csv file after you reformat it, the reformatting might corrupt the data, which might cause the last page of the wizard suggest some invalid actions.

Incorrect Use of a Customer Connect Report

You export the correct report in Customer Connect and generate the correct .csv file. To view the information more clearly, you open the .csv file in Microsoft Excel and reformat dates and numbers, such as the contract start and end date, the order date, the order quantity. For instance, you change the formatting of the date from 11.10.2015 to 10/11/15, which might cause the vSphere Client to display missing data for some of the columns of the .csv file.

How to Import License Key Data from Customer Connect to vSphere

Use the Synchronize Licenses feature to import license key data from your Customer Connect account to your vSphere environment.

Prerequisites

Generate a Products, Licenses, Details, and History report in your Customer Connect account and upload it to vSphere. See How to Generate a License Report in Customer Connect.

Procedure

  1. Click Menu > Administration.
  2. Expand Licensing and click Licenses.
  3. Follow the prompts in the Synchronize Licenses wizard.
    1. On the Licenses tab, click Synchronize Licenses.

      The Synchronize Licenses wizard opens.

    2. On the Upload import file page, click select a file and browse to the .CSV file that you want to upload in your vSphere environment. Click Next.

      After you upload the .CSV file to your vSphere environment, the system analyzes the data in the file and compares the data to the current license keys information in your vCenter license inventory. Based on the results of the analysis, the system concludes what actions you must perform to update your vCenter license inventory with the current details from your Customer Connect environment.

      Note: Do not open in Microsoft Excel or any other software the .CSV file that you plan to upload to your vCenter license inventory. Upload only the original .CSV file after you generate it in Customer Connect. If you want to preview the report data in the .CSV file, make a copy of the file and preview the copy instead. For information how to preview CSV files, see Using License Report Files in vSphere.
    3. On the License keys data analysis, review the results from the .CSV file analysis and click Next.

      For information about the types of actions that the system might recommend you to perform based on the .CSV file analysis, see How to Review the Results of Your License Report File Analysis.

      If the .csv file contains license keys that are missing from the vCenter license inventory, the system offers you to add those license keys.

    4. (Optional) On the Add license keys page, select license keys to add to the vCenter Server license inventory.
      • If your vCenter license inventory contains all license keys in the uploaded .CSV file, click Next.

        If your vCenter license inventory contains all license keys in the uploaded .CSV file, the list on the Add License Keys page is empty.

      • To view license key details, such as account name and number, order number, important dates, and support level, click a license key in the list.
      • To change the license key name, click the license's name in the list and enter a new name for the license key.
    5. (Optional) To remove license keys in your vCenter license inventory that have been combined, split, upgraded, or downgraded in Customer Connect, download the Combined_Split_Upgraded_and_Downgraded_License_Keys.csv report. For information how to remove manually license keys that have been combined, split, upgraded, or downgraded, see How to Remove Inactive License Keys from Your vCenter Server License Inventory.
    6. (Optional) To upgrade license keys in your vCenter license inventory that have upgrade keys available in Customer Connect, download the Upgraded_License_Keys.csv report. For information how to upgrade your assets manually, change your license assignments, and remove the upgraded license keys, see How to Upgrade License Keys in Your vCenter Server License Inventory.
    7. On the Ready to complete page, review the import process summary and click Finish.

How to Review the Results of Your License Report File Analysis

To determine what actions you must perform in order to update your vCenter Server license inventory with the current details from your Customer Connect environment, review the results from the .CSV file analysis.

After you upload the .CSV file that you generated in Customer Connect to your vSphere environment, the system analyzes the license keys in that .CSV file and compares them to the licenses in your vCenter Server license inventory. The following events occur as a result of the analysis:
  • If the .CSV report contains licenses, which are missing in the vCenter Server license inventory, the analysis automatically offers to add the missing licenses to the vCenter Server license inventory.
  • The system updates the vCenter Server licenses metadata after you finish the Synchronize Licenses wizard, to ensure that your vCenter Server license inventory contains the most up-to-date metadata from Customer Connect.
  • If the system determines that your vCenter Server license inventory contains licenses that are invalid or upgraded, or both, the system proposes actions that you can take to update your vCenter Server license inventory at the last page of the Synchronize Licenses wizard.

Based on the conclusions from the analyzed data, the system proposes actions that you must perform in order to update your vCenter Server license inventory with details from your Customer Connect environment. You can view the conclusions from the analysis on the File analysis page of the Synchronize Licenses wizard.

Depending on the results from the .CSV file analysis, the system makes conclusions about the status of the license keys details in your vCenter Server license inventory and might suggest that you perform some of the following actions, in order to update your vSphere environment with up-to-date license keys details from Customer Connect:
  • Update license keys in your vCenter Server license inventory with details from your Customer Connect, including contracts, orders, and so on. The system performs this operation automatically after you complete the wizard.
  • Add to your vCenter Server license inventory new license keys from Customer Connect, and their details. You must perform this operation manually. To select license keys to add to your vCenter Server license inventory, follow the prompts in Synchronize Licenses wizard. See How to Import License Key Data from Customer Connect to vSphere.
    Note: Some of the license keys that you add might be replacement keys for inactive keys that are currently in your vCenter Server license inventory. An inactive key is a key that is combined, divided, upgraded, or downgraded. To complete the replacement of inactive license keys with new license keys from Customer Connect, you must manually remove the inactive keys. For information about removing inactive license keys, see Remove License Keys That Have Been Combined, Divided, Upgraded, or Downgraded.

    Other license keys that you add on the Add license keys page of the wizard might be upgrade keys for some old license keys in your vCenter Server license inventory. To complete the upgrade process of old keys in your vCenter Server license inventory with new keys from Customer Connect, you must manually remove the inactive keys. For information about completing the license key upgrade process, see Upgrade License Keys in Your vCenter License Inventory.

  • View license keys in your vCenter Server license inventory that have been combined, split, upgraded, or downgraded in Customer Connect. To view the keys that have been combined, split, upgraded, or downgraded, download the generated recommendation report at the end of the Synchronize Licenses wizard.
  • Upgrade the keys in your vCenter Server license inventory that have upgrade keys available in Customer Connect. To view what keys in your vCenter Server license inventory have upgrade keys available in Customer Connect, download the generated recommendation report at the end of the Synchronize Licenses wizard.

Generated Recommendation Reports for vSphere License Synchronization

Based on the results from the Customer Connect .CSV file analysis, the system might generate recommendation reports that you can download and use to update your vSphere license inventory manually.

After you import the .CSV file that you generate in the Customer Connect reports section to your vCenter Server license inventory, the system analyzes the license keys details in that .CSV file and compares the information with the information in your current vSphere environment and might generate recommendation reports.

Note: The recommendation reports are only available on the Ready to complete page of the Synchronize Licenses wizard. Download the reports to perform the actions manually.

For information how to remove from your vSphere license inventory existing license keys that have been combined, divided, upgraded, or downgraded in Customer Connect, see How to Remove Inactive License Keys from Your vCenter Server License Inventory.

For information how to upgrade your assets manually, change your license assignments, and remove license keys from your vCenter Server license inventory that have upgrade keys available in Customer Connect, see How to Upgrade License Keys in Your vCenter Server License Inventory.

How to Remove Inactive License Keys from Your vCenter Server License Inventory

Learn how to use the generated recommendation report to manually remove from your vCenter Server license inventory any license keys that are combined, divided, upgraded, or downgraded in Customer Connect.

When you add license keys to your vCenter Server license inventory that the system proposes on the Add license keys page of the Synchronize Licenses wizard, and after you complete the wizard, you update your vCenter Server license inventory with new license keys and license keys that are replacement for some inactive keys in your vCenter Server license inventory. An inactive key is a key that is combined, divided, upgraded, or downgraded. To complete the replacement of inactive keys with new keys from Customer Connect, you must manually remove the keys that the Combined_Divided_Upgraded_and_Downgraded_License_Keys.csv report indicates as inactive.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have the Combined_Divided_Upgraded_and_Downgraded_License_Keys.csv report that is only available to download on the Ready to complete page of the Synchronize Licenses wizard.

Procedure

  1. Click Menu > Administration.
  2. Expand Licensing and click Licenses.
  3. Select the Licenses tab.
  4. Open your Combined_Divided_Upgraded_and_Downgraded_License_Keys.csv file and locate the Inactive Key in Use in vCenter column.
  5. View the inactive key in the .CSV file, select that same key in the Licenses tab in the vSphere Client, click the Remove Licenses icon, and click Yes.
    You can only remove a license if it is not assigned.
    The inactive license key is no longer in your vCenter Server license inventory and the inventory now only contains up-to-date keys from Customer Connect.

What to do next

To use product features, assign the licenses to assets after you add your license keys to your vCenter Server license inventory.

How to Upgrade License Keys in Your vCenter Server License Inventory

If you have existing license keys in your vCenter Server license inventory that have upgrade keys available in Customer Connect, use the generated recommendation .CSV file report to upgrade your assets manually, change your license assignments, and remove the outdated keys from your vCenter Server license inventory.

When you add license keys to your vCenter Server license inventory that the system proposes on the Add license keys page of the Synchronize Licenses wizard, and after you complete the wizard, you update your vCenter Server license inventory with new license keys that must upgrade some old keys in your vCenter Server license inventory. To complete the upgrade process for the old keys in your vCenter Server license inventory with new keys from Customer Connect, you must manually remove the keys that the Upgraded_License_Keys.csv report indicates as inactive.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have the Upgraded_License_Keys.csv report that is only available to download on the Ready to complete page of the Synchronize Licenses wizard.

Procedure

  1. Click Menu > Administration.
  2. Expand Licensing and click Licenses.
  3. Select the Licenses tab.
  4. Open your Upgraded_License_Keys.csv file and locate the Inactive Key in Use in vCenter column.
  5. View the inactive key in the .CSV file, select that same key in the Licenses tab in the vSphere Client, click the Remove Licenses icon, and click Yes.
    You can only remove a license if it is not assigned.
    The license key is no longer in your vCenter Server license inventory.

What to do next

To use product features, assign the licenses to assets after you add your license keys to your vCenter Server license inventory.