VMware

FAQ

What vSphere products are there? 

VMware offers various editions of vSphere perpetual licenses tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses:

• vSphere Essentials Kit – ideal for small businesses: this entry-level package provides essential virtualization features. It supports up to 3 servers, each with 2 CPUs.
• vSphere Essentials Plus Kit – aimed at small and medium businesses: building upon the Essentials Kit, this edition includes additional advanced features to enhance virtualization capabilities.
• vSphere Standard – for organizations with larger infrastructures: this edition offers scalable virtualization without the limitation of CPU counts. It allows businesses to purchase licenses based on their specific CPU requirements, providing flexibility and scalability.
• vSphere Enterprise Plus – for enterprises with high demands: this edition encompasses advanced features and functionalities catering to complex environments.  It delivers enhanced performance, security, and automation capabilities to drive efficiency and innovation.

We’ve compiled a short summary of the main differences between the 4 vSphere editions in the table below:

	vSphere Essential Kit	vSphere Essential Plus Kit	vSphere Standard	vSphere Enterprise Plus
Maximum number of servers/CPUs	up to 3 servers, up to 2 CPUs each	up to 3 servers, up to 2 CPUs each	unlimited	unlimited
vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi)
vCenter Server Essentials
vSphere High Availability (HA)
vSphere vMotion
vSphere vShield Endpoint
vSphere Replication
vSphere Trust Authority
VM encryption

For detailed information about Standard and Enterprise editions, please refer to the official product leaflet: VMware vSphere Product Line Comparison

What is the end of support for VMware vSphere products? 

End of Technical Guidance for: 

• vSphere 7.x: April 2027
• vSphere 8.x: November 2029

For detailed information about VMware products' life cycle visit lifecycle.vmware.com.
For build numbers and version information go to: Build numbers and versions of VMware ESXi/ESX (2143832)

Is the Support and Subscription (SnS) plan available for used VMware licenses?

No, it is not. Used VMware software licenses are offered without any subscription-based maintenance services. Mind those services are not needed (both legally and technically) to work with the software. 

How come you offer perpetual VMware products? 

It’s because we sell “used” VMware software. VMware was acquired by Broadcom, which led to the company switching  to subscription plans and no longer offering perpetual licenses to its customers. However, those products can still be purchased on the secondary software market. Used VMware licenses offered by our company come from their previous owners who purchased perpetual licenses before the change in the manufacturer’s distribution model was made.

Are VMware perpetual products transferable?

The transfer of non-subscription products to another owner is permitted within the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) on the condition that the product was originally purchased in the EU, or EFTA.

Can I sell my VMware products?

Yes, you can. If your company owns perpetual licenses for VMware products (versions 7.x and 8.x), and they are no longer needed, or you plan a transition to subscription-based solutions, you can sell them to Forscope. Visit our Buy-up section for more information