How to License vCenter Operations Manager (vCOPS) 5.6 !!

In a recent engagement, I got an opportunity to work on installing the VMware Stack in a Greenfield deployment. Along with the vSphere 5.1 suite, this deployment also had the installation of vCOPS 5.6. After the deployment of the OVF template, we registered the vCenter with the vCOPS on the Admin UI.

As you know, vCOPS Foundation is now a part of vSphere 5.1 and all the editions of vSphere can deploy the vCOPS 5.6 and use the performance management features of this product for free. The snippet below shows the licensing details in all the versions of vSphere which now include vCOPS Foundation.

Once you register the vCOPS to vCenter, it will automatically show the software being registered and licensed as Foundation version. You will now be able to install the plugin and start accessing the vSphere UI to see how your infrastructure is performing. Remember you would just see one screen here which will show you all the objects of the vCenter and the health.

Since vCOPS 5.0 use to work as an a-la-carte product, VMware, like its other products and solutions, turned vCOPS into a Suite with the release of 5.6. Here is how the licensing looks like now:-

So if you are moving from vCOPS 5.0 to vCOPS 5.6 and you have other products such as VCM, VIN etc, then you can upgrade just the vCOPS key to the version which you are entitled to. This single key will support all the products in the suite.

So in our case, we have a key for vCOPS 5.6 Advanced Edition which covered all the products. As soon as this key was upgraded to vCOPS 5.6 all the other product keys (VIN, VCM etc) will be disabled in the My VMware Portal.

Now, you need to add this key on your vCenter Server under the Home -> Licensing. Now you can assign this new key to the vCOPS under the Asset option in the Licensing window.

Once you have done this, you need to ensure that the vCOPS Foundation which you installed and configured before, you need to do the following:-

1- Login to the vCops Admin UI.

2- Click on Status Tab

3- Click on Restart to restart the vCOPS services.

 Once the services are restarted, check the log to see what license has been registered. It should show up as Advanced Edition. 

Now when you login to the vCOPS vSphere UI, you will be able to see the other tabs related to Capacity Management and also license VCM, VIN and other products in the Advanced Suite.

Hope this helps you to solve the licensing troubles which you might face during upgrades and fresh installs of vCenter Operations Manager 5.6.

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