Get a comprehensive understanding of Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Licensing in this detailed guide. We delve into the different license types, the process of license conversion, and how to add licenses. For more information, check out the official Dell documentation here.
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In this video, we'll take you through an overview of Recoverpoint for virtual machines licensing options. Let's start by exploring the different types of licenses available. With VM-based licensing, licenses are tied to the number of protected virtual machines (VMs) per vCenter Server.
Only production VMs are considered in this count. For instance, if your license capacity is for 30 VMs, you can protect up to 30 VMs. The licensing process is initiated using the vCenter Server ID. Once you reach the maximum number of VMs supported by the license for each vCenter Server, you won't be able to protect new VMs or enable disabled consistency groups. However, the replication of existing VMs and consistency groups will continue seamlessly.
Now, let's talk about socket-based licensing. In this model, licenses are based on the number of physical CPU sockets in the ESXi hosts hosting the production VMs. Similar to VM-based licensing, reaching the maximum number of sockets per vCenter Server means you can't protect new VMs, but existing VM replication persists. If a socket-based license is installed on a system with VM-based licenses, the system will automatically convert VM-based licenses to socket-based licenses at a ratio of 15 VMs per socket. For example, if you have a capacity of 2 sockets, you can protect 30 VMs. In cases where the ratio doesn't result in an even conversion, the value is rounded up.
Both VM- and socket-based licenses may be installed as subscriptions, which have a start and end date. An alert is sent 30 days before license expiration, indicating the remaining days. Remember, the licensed vCenter should be the one where VM protection is required. For example, in uni-directional replication from production to a DR site, it's sufficient to license the production vCenter. However, in bi-directional replication between production and DR sites, both sites need licensing. Before you proceed, ensure that the system installation is complete, and the plugin server is registered with the connected vCenter Server or one linked to it.
Create your license files following the instructions in the Software Licensing Central Activation video mentioned in the video description. From the vCenter menu, select the RP4VM plugin. Within the RecoverPoint for VMs vSphere plug-in, navigate to System > Licenses > Add. Click the browse icon, choose your license file (*.lic), and click Open.
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