vim-cmd vimsvc/license --assign vmware vCenterServerLicenseKey
When the vCenter Server is down, or you are locked out due to an expired evaluation license, you can manage licenses directly from the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) Linux shell using the vim-cmd utility or custom appliance scripts. Step 1: Enable and Connect to SSH
vifs --server vcenter.example.com --username administrator@vsphere.local --list /vmfs/volumes/
vim-cmd vimsvc/license --show This will list the key under the field "serial:" if one exists. Broadcom Community Manage VMware vCenter license keys - Ansible documentation vcenter license key command line
$hostContainer = Get-Datacenter -Name 'Datacenter-X'
Method 3: Managing ESXi Host Licenses from the vCenter Command Line
Log in via SSH directly using Method 2 . Use vim-cmd license/set to input a valid commercial key, then run service-control --start --all to revive the blocked web management services. Where are licenses stored locally? Use vim-cmd license/set to input a valid commercial
Or use the newer vmafd library:
# Define the host $VMHost = Get-VMHost -Name 'your.esxi.host.com'
Get-Cluster "HR-Cluster" | Set-Cluster -License (Get-VMLicense -Key "XXXXX") The basic syntax to connect is: VMware license
First, ensure you are connected to your vCenter Server using the vicli command. The basic syntax to connect is:
VMware license keys always follow a 25-character alphanumeric format split into five blocks of five characters, separated by hyphens. Ensure no trailing spaces are copied into the command line strings.
Managing licensing at scale for clusters or datacenters is where the CLI truly shines. Instead of assigning keys to every host, you can bind a license key to a container (DataCenter or Cluster). Any new host added to that container automatically receives the default license. This is essential for vSphere Auto Deploy environments.
# Remove license from all entities Get-VMHost | Set-VMHost -License "None" # Remove the key from vCenter Remove-VMLicense -LicenseKey "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" -Confirm:$false