Licensing vCenter Server

vCenter Server provides management for vSphere environments. One instance of vCenter Server is required to centrally manage virtual machines and their hosts and to enable all vSphere features.

vCenter Server is available in two packages:

• vCenter Server Essentials integrated management for vSphere Essentials kits and

•vCenter Server Standard which manages and controls all of the virtual machines in a vSphere environment.

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vCenter’s licensing metric is per instance.

vCenter is typically required to get full functionality from vSphere products.

There have been 3 versions:

•vCenter 5,

•vCenter 4,

•vCenter for Vmware infrastructure/virtual center.

vCenter Foundation is one edition of vCenter which is licensed the same why but can manage a maximum of three vSphere hosts like vCenter Essentials however without the CPU restrictions.