Which license to buy

[ibexpayroll]

Hello,
We have 4 VMware servers and a license of Veeam Backup and Replication.
3 of the VMware servers belong to a VMware Essentials installation, which allows only 3 hosts.
For that reason, the other VMware server is standalone and uses a single free license.
Our Veeam Backup and Replication is fully licensed (by socket) for those 3 servers that belong to vCenter.
I'd like to have the 4th server backed up on Veeam Backup and Replication, but since it uses an ESXi free license, it doesn't work.
Also, I don't have any additional sockets to use on my Veeam license.
Does anyone know what items I should buy to accomplish that goal?
Thanks,
Carlos

[Gostev]

Hello. How many VMs in total are you intended to protect with Veeam on these 4 VMware hosts?

[ibexpayroll]

Hi Gostev,

What we currently have is:

Server 1: 11 VMs
Server 2: 5 VMs
Server 3: 11 VMs
Server 4: 7 VMs

Server 4 is the standalone one and where vCenter runs from.

Thanks,

Carlos

[Gostev]

Hi, Carlos.

In this case, migrating your Socket license to VUL is a no-brainer.

Socket-based Veeam Essentials is limited to 6 sockets, so you cannot grow beyond 3 host with 2 sockets without leaving the Essentials offering to "normal" product.

However, VUL-based Veeam Essentials is limited to 50 workloads, which is well below of what you have. So you will be able to stay on Veeam Essentials even if you keep growing.

Thanks!

[ibexpayroll]

Hi Gostev,

Thanks for the piece of advice.

Could you confirm if besides changing the Veeam B&R license, I'd also need to buy a VMware paid license for that 4th host?

If that's the case, could you please recommend me the cheapest option that will do the job?

Thanks,

Carlos

[Regnor]

In order to create VM-backups of VMs on the fourth host, you'll have to get a VMware paid license for it. As you can't extend essentials to 4 hosts without converting the license, you would have to buy a standalone vSphere Standard license; but this is way to expensive for your amount of VMs.
So I have two suggestions:
1. Remove Server 4 from your environment and migrate those VMs to a different host
2. Convert your license to VUL and backup the VMs on the standalone host with Veeam agents.

[ibexpayroll]

Hi Regnor,
I'd really like to have all VM backups centralized.
I was thinking of buying another inexpensive Essentials Kit, which would require another vCenter server and give me 3 more licenses for VMware servers.
Then, I could even split 2 servers on each vCenter and have all VMs backed up by the same Veeam B&R.
Then, would it just be converting my Veeam license to VUL and add the 2 vCenter servers to the same Veeam installation?
Do you think this architecture would work?

[Gostev]

From Veeam's perspective there's no problem with this approach.

[Regnor]

Yes, this would work. I didn't know that there was no limitation on using multiple VMware Essentials licenses at the same site (thought there was one before); so with VUL you'll be able to backup all VMs.

[gallenat0r]

@Regnor you most likely will be in violation of the vmware EULA. If you choose to do so anyway I'd turn off any "Customer Experience Improvement Program" since it will leak your license keys back to vmware and will show the keys being used more than one place.

[mkh]

Regnor: you are correct, in the past there was a limit of only allowing one vmware Essentials per site, but it has been removed. Im not sure when.

Gallenat0r: he is not in violation if he uses 2 kits.
yes, he would be in violation if he just reused the same license keys a second time.

[Regnor]

@gallenat0r: Are you talking about using the same license multiple times or two separate Essentials licenses at the same site?
The first one of course would be a violation.
The second one isn't a violation, as this has been removed from the license requirements many years ago.
I also thought that you were still only allowed to run a single vSphere Essentials cluster per site, but after some research I found out that this isn't valid anymore.

Edit:
@mkh: Sorry didn't see your answer when posting mine. Thanks for confirming!

[ibexpayroll]

Hi guys,
We already have an Essentials license and the idea would be to buy another one, and not use the same key.
Several years ago, I asked an external consultant about that and he told me about that limitation of one per client.
However, double-checking that, he said that the restriction had been removed.