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VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation licensing

From the LICENSEWARE WikiLast edited 21 ReferencesCited

This article is about current Broadcom subscription licensing of VMware vSphere, VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware vSphere Foundation, and the vSAN add-on. It does not replace existing VMware or Broadcom white-paper galleries.

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VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) are licensed by Broadcom as subscription software on a per Core license metric, with a minimum of 16 Core licenses per Processor. VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) uses the same Core metric. VMware vSAN, as a purchased add-on, is licensed on a per TiB metric (TiB = 2^40 bytes) for raw physical storage claimed by vSAN. VMware Cloud Foundation Edge (VCFE) is a separate SKU on per Core with an 8-Core-per-Processor floor. Controlling terms are Specific Program Documentation (SPD) PDFs; educational techdocs and KBs do not override SPDs.

Editions

Current subscription programs named in retrieved SPDs (June 2026 VCF/VVF/VCFE; May 2026 vSAN; February 2026 vSphere editions).[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Program (SPD name) Primary UoM Floor Included vSAN Included vCenter 
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) per Core 16 Cores / Processor 1 TiB per licensed Core 1 Instance (use restriction in SPD) 
VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) per Core 16 Cores / Processor 0.25 TiB per licensed Core 1 Instance (use restriction in SPD) 
VMware vSphere Standard per Core 16 Cores / Processor No vSAN row in this SPD 1 Instance (broader SnS management language) 
VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus per Core 16 Cores / Processor No vSAN row in this SPD 1 Instance (broader SnS management language) 
VMware vSphere Essentials Plus per Core; sold as a 96-core license pack 16 Cores / Processor No vSAN row in this SPD vCenter Server Essentials: up to 3 Servers, 2 Processors each, 32 Cores per Processor 
VMware vSAN (add-on) per TiB None named on the add-on This is the TiB product n/a 
VMware Cloud Foundation Edge (VCFE) per Core 8 Cores / Processor 1 TiB per licensed Core 1 Instance 

The 96-core license pack is a commercial pack size for Essentials Plus, still on the per Core metric. The SPD does not state whether packs may be stacked, or whether 96 is a maximum; the vCenter Essentials cap (3 Servers × 2 Processors × 32 Cores) is a management-scope limit, not a stated pack-stacking rule.[7]

vCenter Server is an included Instance entitlement in these SPDs, not a separately purchased current-era capacity metric. Educational 9.1: vCenter Server does not consume primary/solution license capacity; ESX hosts consume Core capacity.[9]

Included vSAN TiB ratios (1 TiB per VCF Core; 0.25 TiB per VVF Core; 1 TiB per VCFE Core) are SPD component entitlements, not a third purchased UoM. See vSAN below.

Metrics

The catalog has three rows for VMware; definitions are on the linked rows.

# Broadcom name Catalog row Unit What Broadcom says 
1 per Core per Core Core Primary license metric for VCF, VVF, vSphere Standard, Enterprise Plus, and Essentials Plus. Core means a single physical computational unit of the Processor. Floor: 16 Core licenses per Processor. 
2 per TiB per TiB Other Purchased vSAN add-on. TiB = 2^40 bytes. License all raw physical storage claimed by vSAN on all Servers in the vSAN Cluster. 
3 per Core (VCF Edge) per Core Core VCFE only. Same physical-Core counting, 8 Core licenses per Processor, plus Edge Location caps named in that SPD. 

The VMware Licensing Glossary defines Core more broadly (including public-cloud vCPU / hyperthread mapping). Current VCF/VVF/vSphere/vSAN SPDs override that with the narrower physical-Processor Core definition and count physical Cores on the Server, including BIOS-deactivated Cores. The Glossary 2-vCPU=1-Core hyperthread rule does not apply to on-prem vSphere/VCF/VVF primary licenses unless a later SPD says so, and these on-prem SPDs publish no Core→vCPU conversion.

Counting / floors

Effective for retrieved SPDs: VCF, VVF, and VCFE June 2026 (PDF created 2026-06-19 UTC); vSAN May 2026 (PDF created 2026-05-29 UTC); vSphere Standard / Enterprise Plus / Essentials Plus February 2026 (PDF created 2026-02-06 UTC). Retrieved 2026-08-31.[1]

Physical Cores and 16-Core floor. Each Core on the Server where Software is installed must be licensed. Required Core licenses equal the number of Cores on the Server, subject to a minimum of 16 Core licenses per Processor for VCF, VVF, and vSphere editions. Processor means a single physical chip that houses at least one Core. Server means a hardware system capable of running the server software; a hardware partition or blade is a separate hardware system.[1][5] Catalog proof: 16 Cores per Processor floor — VCF/VVF/vSphere (backs 16 Cores per Processor floor).

BIOS-deactivated Cores. Cores deactivated by the BIOS must still be licensed (same physical-Core count as above).[1] Catalog proof: BIOS-deactivated Cores must be licensed (backs BIOS-deactivated Cores must be licensed).

VCF Edge 8-Core floor. VCFE uses the same physical-Core counting with a minimum of 8 Core licenses per Processor (not 16).[3] Catalog proof: VCF Edge 8 Cores per Processor floor (backs VCF Edge 8 Cores per Processor floor). The 16-core and 8-core floors are separate rules.

Included vs purchased vSAN (counting pointers). Included TiB is a Core-subscription entitlement (not a purchased per-TiB SKU); purchased vSAN add-on licenses all raw physical storage claimed by vSAN. Catalog proof: Included vSAN TiB entitlement (not a SKU) (backs Included vSAN TiB entitlement (not a SKU)); Purchased vSAN per TiB — all raw physical storage (backs Purchased vSAN per TiB — all raw physical storage). Detail under vSAN.

Same-Cores restriction. All components included in Software (for VCF: vSphere, NSX, VCF Operations, and so on) may only be utilized on, or for, the same physical Cores where the vSphere component Core license is deployed. VVF has the parallel clause.[1][2]

Educational 9.1 floor examples (Last Updated 27 August 2026; does not supersede SPD): CPUs with fewer than 16 cores use 16 cores. Examples: 1 host × 1 CPU × 8 cores → 16 required; 2 hosts × 2 CPUs × 8 cores → 64; 2 × 2 × 16 → 64; 2 × 2 × 24 → 96. “The only assets in your environment which use the capacity of your primary licenses are ESX hosts.”[9]

VCF Edge additional floors (June 2026). May not have deployed or used less than 10 Edge Locations within the first year of initial VCFE deployment; may not have deployed or used more than 256 Cores per Edge Location. Edge Location excludes data centers, colocation facilities, and public cloud services.[3]

No 72-core order minimum in retrieved June 2026 VCF/VVF or February 2026 vSphere/vSAN SPDs. No CPU-to-Core SKU conversion formula in retrieved vendor docs. The VCF SPD Qualified Legacy Offering language is a dated vSAN-metric exception, not a general CPU→Core multiplier.[1]

Pooling (educational 9.1). Same product, same UoM, same Site ID, non-overage subscriptions pool into one default license (200 cores + 300 cores → one 500-core default). Capacity drops when a contributing subscription expires.[9]

BIOS-disabled cores and scripts (mixed). SPD requires licensing BIOS-deactivated Cores. KB 313548 (informational only): if cores are disabled in BIOS, the PowerCLI counting script may produce inaccurate results; activate all physical CPU cores when running the script.[13]

vSAN

vSAN appears as an included TiB entitlement on VCF, VVF, and VCFE Core subscriptions, and as a purchased add-on on per TiB.

Purchased add-on (May 2026). Software is subscription software licensed on a per TiB license metric. Customer must license all raw physical storage that is claimed by Software on all the Servers in the vSAN Cluster. Permitted base: active subscriptions to VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware Telco Cloud Platform, and VMware vSphere Foundation, or legacy vSphere and VCF products sold prior to 13 December 2023 with valid SnS (that legacy right ceases and cannot be renewed when SnS expires or terminates).[4] Catalog proof: Purchased vSAN per TiB — all raw physical storage (backs Purchased vSAN per TiB — all raw physical storage).

Included entitlement (contractual). VCF: 1 TiB per Core licensed for VCF. VVF: 0.25 TiB per Core licensed for VVF. VCFE: 1 TiB per Core licensed for VCFE. In each case vSAN can only be aggregated and utilized across Cores where the corresponding vSphere is deployed.[1][2][3] Catalog proof: Included vSAN TiB entitlement (not a SKU) (backs Included vSAN TiB entitlement (not a SKU)). Included TiB is not a purchased per-TiB SKU.

Educational 9.1 examples (apply the Core floor then multiply): VCF 3 hosts × 1 CPU × 6 physical cores → purchase 48 cores → 48 TiB included; VVF 3 × 1 × 8 → 48 cores → 12 TiB included (0.25 × 48). Purchase 500 VCF cores + 200 TiB add-on → default vSAN license 700 TiB.[9][11]

Raw vs UI (educational). Capacity licensing is total raw physical storage contributed by all ESXi hosts to all vSAN clusters. Capacity Overview shows available datastore capacity, not raw physical storage; manual UI calculation “is NOT recommended or accurate.”[12][13]

Rounding (educational only; not in the SPD). Techdocs example: 3 hosts × 4.7 TiB = 14.1 TiB rounds up to 15 TiBs. KB 313548: VVF 0.25 TiB per core “rounded up to the next TiB.” Treat rounding as educational, not contractual.[12][13]

Witness. Educational 9.1: no separate license for vSAN witness appliances; they cannot run unrelated workloads. VCFE SPD: “vSphere for vSAN Witness” 1 Core component entitlement for the witness VM on embedded hardware/SLED at an Edge Location only.[11][3]

Stale GiB figures. vSphere 8 VVF Licensing page (Last Updated 17 July 2026) is internally inconsistent (250 GiB vs 100 GiB per core). Current VVF SPD June 2026 is 0.25 TiB per Core.[2][15]

Legacy vSAN metrics. vSAN 8 educational pages still describe per CPU and per Core vSAN. Current purchased add-on SPD is per TiB. Qualified Legacy Offerings purchased prior to 4 February 2024 may use vSAN on the original per-Core metric or 1 TiB per Core until VCF subscription expiration or upgrade to version 9 or later.[1][4] Catalog proof: Qualified Legacy Offerings vSAN exception (backs Qualified Legacy Offerings vSAN exception).

Cluster / Virtualization

Cluster is a software grouping of Servers running vSphere and/or vSAN for resource sharing. Primary Core counting is per Server (all physical Cores, including BIOS-deactivated), not a cluster-wide CPU pool that can be licensed for only some hosts. Included vSAN capacity may only be aggregated across Cores where the corresponding vSphere is deployed. vCenter cluster membership does not replace that Core-scope rule.[1][4] Floor and BIOS catalog proofs sit under Counting / floors (16 Cores per Processor floor — VCF/VVF/vSphere; BIOS-deactivated Cores must be licensed).

Stretched Cluster (vSAN SPD). A single compute and/or Cluster with three or more Servers that spans more than one Rack and uses a vSAN Witness Appliance. The Witness Appliance is a preconfigured ESXi VM distributed as an OVA.[4]

iSCSI Support (VCF, VVF, vSAN, VCFE SPDs). Only with physical, non-virtualized Servers. Caps: 128 sessions per Server, 128 targets per Cluster, 1024 LUNs per cluster. RDMs for WSFC using iSCSI target service are not officially supported on vSAN.[4]

Hosting / DIPA. Customer may use the Software to deliver Deemed Internal Purpose Application(s) via an internal or external network. Other hosting or use for the benefit of any third party is prohibited except as that DIPA paragraph allows.[1]

Retrieved SPDs do not publish a hard/soft partitioning policy analogous to Oracle’s Partitioning Policy. Oracle cluster-scope counting does not apply to Broadcom Core counting. Legacy per-CPU vSphere (one CPU license up to 32 cores) remains in vSphere 8 educational docs only; current vSphere SPDs are per Core / 16-per-Processor.[14]

Cloud / BYOL

VVF, vSphere Standard / Enterprise Plus / Essentials Plus. Customer must not (and must not allow Third-Party Agents to) use or deploy the Software on any Cloud Services. Cloud Services excludes on-premises or colocation infrastructure when the third party has no access to the Software.[2][5] Catalog proof: VVF / standalone vSphere — no Cloud Services (backs VVF / standalone vSphere — no Cloud Services).

VCF Edge — no Cloud Services. VCFE SPD likewise bans use or deploy on Cloud Services.[3] Catalog proof: VCF Edge — no Cloud Services (backs VCF Edge — no Cloud Services).

VCF license portability (June 2026). Customer must not Port the Software on any Cloud Services that are not on Broadcom’s then-current Certified Cloud Services list. Customer must Port the entire set of components and remains the licensee. Portability does not apply to Value-Added OEM Program licenses, Qualified Legacy Offering upgrades that are not Enterprise edition, or Software licensed under the Cloud Service Provider Program or Metal-as-a-Service Program. The overlay publishes no Core→vCPU mapping.[1][16] Catalog proof: License Portability — Certified Cloud Services only; no Core→vCPU (backs License Portability — Certified Cloud Services only; no Core→vCPU). Related program: License Portability.

vSAN on Cloud Services. Only when used exclusively as an add-on to a VCF license that has that entitlement; then the right matches the VCF SPD.[4] Catalog proof: vSAN Cloud Services ban except VCF add-on with portability (backs vSAN Cloud Services ban except VCF add-on with portability).

VCF Operations on listed MaaS. VCF SPD entitles VCF Operations / Automation / Operations for Networks to manage an equivalent number of Cores on license-integrated Azure VMware Solution, Google Cloud VMware Engine, and/or Oracle Cloud VMware Solution until subscription end or the MaaS offering adopts those capabilities. VMware Cloud on AWS is limited to VCF Operations Logs, quantity not to exceed VCF cores purchased.[1]

These on-prem SPDs publish no public-cloud vCPU-to-Core mapping. The Glossary hyperthread rule is not restated here as the on-prem counting rule.[8]

Programs

Retrieved documents are Specific Program Documentation under the Broadcom Agreement / Transaction Document. No ULA, Enterprise Agreement, or Passport analogue is named. The version published on legaldocs.broadcom.com on the Transaction Document date (or on the date Customer installs a Support release) is the controlling SPD; this page cites the ftpdocs.broadcom.com copies linked from Support Legal Notices, retrieved 2026-08-31.[1]

Related programs: License Portability (CCS-only portability proof License Portability — Certified Cloud Services only; no Core→vCPU); Value-Added OEM Program (sold-with infrastructure proof Value-Added OEM — infrastructure sold-with only, backs Value-Added OEM — infrastructure sold-with only).

Value-Added OEM. VAO Program licenses are infrastructure sold-with only; License Portability does not apply to VAO licenses.[1] Catalog proof: Value-Added OEM — infrastructure sold-with only (backs Value-Added OEM — infrastructure sold-with only).

Qualified Legacy Offerings vSAN exception. Dated VCF SPD exception for QLO purchased prior to 4 February 2024 (vSAN on original per-Core metric or 1 TiB per Core until subscription expiration or upgrade to version 9+); not a general CPU→Core multiplier.[1] Catalog proof: Qualified Legacy Offerings vSAN exception (backs Qualified Legacy Offerings vSAN exception).

Compliance Report (v9+). Customers who install, deploy, or use versions 9 or above must provide a verified Compliance Report 180 days from license registration and every 180 days thereafter. Failure degrades or blocks management-plane features and suspends support, including updates and upgrades. Educational 9.1: after a license is treated as expired, 90 days to update; then management operations are prevented, ESX disconnects from vCenter, and new workloads cannot start; existing workloads are not proactively stopped.[1][10]

Recovery / testing. VCF/VVF/VCFE: recovery and/or testing in aggregate up to 15 days per year using embedded evaluation mode; this does not grant extra Cores. vSphere edition and vSAN SPDs: Migration License via evaluation mode for the maximum period allowed by that feature.[1][5]

Evaluation (educational; differs by version). 9.1: up to 90 days after install/upgrade. vSphere 8 ESXi Host Client docs still say 60 days. If a VCF fleet evaluation expires unlicensed, educational 9.1 says the fleet must be reinstalled.[10][14]

Legacy perpetual upgrades. vSphere Standard / Enterprise Plus / Essentials Plus / vSAN: perpetual with active SnS may upgrade to 8.x only. VCF: legacy perpetual VCF → 5.x only.[1][4][5]

Out of scope

  • Included vSAN TiB, vCenter Instance, and the Essentials Plus 96-core pack are SPD entitlements or pack sizes, not standalone purchased metrics in Vendor License Metrics.
  • 72-core per-order minimum — not present in retrieved June 2026 VCF/VVF or February 2026 vSphere/vSAN SPDs.
  • CPU-era → Core-era SKU conversion formula and Core→vCPU conversion — not published in retrieved on-prem VCF/VVF/vSphere SPDs. The Glossary 2-vCPU=1-Core rule is not the on-prem rule.
  • Standalone vCenter Server SPD — not found. vCenter is an included Instance entitlement.
  • VMware vSphere Foundation for VDI / per-VM — VDI SPD PDF was not retrieved.
  • VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA (cores) — named as a 9.1 add-on; the Private AI SPD PDF was not retrieved. Those cores are separate from VCF primary cores.
  • legaldocs.broadcom.com controlling copies — SPDs name that host as the publication point; this page cites ftpdocs.broadcom.com PDFs from Support Legal Notices.
  • Official price list / SKU grid other than the Essentials Plus 96-core pack — not retrieved.
  • Contractual TiB rounding rule — SPD silent; educational only.
  • Existing VMware / Broadcom white papers in this wiki are archives. This page sits alongside them and does not replace or overwrite them.

Catalog rows

Sample catalog rows for this article, grouped by table.

References

  1. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Specific Program DocumentationJune 2026 (PDF created 2026-06-19 UTC)Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  2. VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) Specific Program DocumentationJune 2026 (PDF created 2026-06-19 UTC)Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  3. VMware Cloud Foundation Edge (VCFE) Specific Program DocumentationJune 2026 (PDF created 2026-06-19 UTC)Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  4. VMware vSAN Specific Program DocumentationMay 2026 (PDF created 2026-05-29 UTC)Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  5. VMware vSphere Standard Specific Program DocumentationFebruary 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  6. VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus Specific Program DocumentationFebruary 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  7. VMware vSphere Essentials Plus Specific Program DocumentationFebruary 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  8. VMware Licensing GlossaryVersion 04112024 (PDF created 2024-04-23 UTC); incorporated by SPDsRetrieved 2026-08-31.
  9. Licensing Model (VCF 9.1)Educational; Last Updated 27 August 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  10. Licensing Overview (VCF 9.1)Educational; Last Updated 27 August 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  11. Add-on Licenses Included in Your VCF Subscription (9.1)Educational; Last Updated 27 August 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  12. Per TiB License for vSANEducational; Last Updated 28 August 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  13. Counting Cores for VMware Cloud Foundation and vSphere Foundation and TiBs for vSAN (KB 313548)Educational / informational only (vendor disclaimer)Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  14. Licensing for ESXi Hosts (vSphere 8.0)Educational; Last Updated 17 July 2026; includes legacy per-CPU modelRetrieved 2026-08-31.
  15. VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) Licensing (vSphere 8.0)Educational; Last Updated 17 July 2026; stale GiB figures vs June 2026 SPDRetrieved 2026-08-31.
  16. VMware Cloud Foundation license portability — Certified Cloud Services listList referenced by VCF SPD June 2026 License Portability clause; CCS list as-of July 2026Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  17. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Specific Program Documentation — June 2026Catalog: VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Specific Program Documentation — June 2026Effective 2026-06-19. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  18. VMware vSphere Foundation Specific Program Documentation — June 2026Catalog: VMware vSphere Foundation Specific Program Documentation — June 2026Effective 2026-06-19. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  19. VMware Cloud Foundation Edge (VCFE) Specific Program Documentation — June 2026Catalog: VMware Cloud Foundation Edge (VCFE) Specific Program Documentation — June 2026Effective 2026-06-19. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  20. VMware vSAN Specific Program Documentation — May 2026Catalog: VMware vSAN Specific Program Documentation — May 2026Effective 2026-05-29. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
  21. VCF License Portability — List of Certified Cloud ServicesCatalog: VCF License Portability — List of Certified Cloud ServicesEffective 2026-07-01. Retrieved 2026-08-31.

See also

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