New vSphere 5 Licensing Model: A Double-Edged Sword for vSphere Admins

Today, VMware announced the release of vSphere 5, a significant upgrade to its virtualization platform. While many features have been improved or added, such as Storage Profiling and VMFS 5, one aspect that has garnered much attention is the new licensing model. As a vSphere admin, I have mixed feelings about this change, and in this blog post, I will share my thoughts on both the positive and negative aspects of the new licensing model.

Positive Spin:

1. Evolving to a Cloud-like Consumption Model: The new licensing model is designed to enable a true cloud or utility-based IT consumption model. This means that customers can evolve their purchasing, deployment, and license management practices without disrupting established processes. This evolution can help organizations adopt a more flexible and agile infrastructure.

2. Increased Focus on Efficiency: With the new licensing model, application owners will be more conscious of memory usage, as they will have to sign purchase orders for oversized machines. This increased awareness may lead to more efficient application design and optimization, resulting in less vm sprawl and a more streamlined infrastructure.

3. Zombie VM Elimination: The new licensing model may encourage admins to identify and eliminate zombie VMs that consume valuable vRAM. This can lead to a more optimized and efficient virtualization environment.

Negative Aspects:

1. Consolidation Challenges: For highly consolidated shops, the new licensing model may require additional purchases of licenses to obtain more pooled vRAM. This could be a significant expense, especially for large organizations with many virtual machines.

2. Slow Adoption: The new licensing model may slow adoption as people have to perform audits on their infrastructure to determine what will be needed for the new licensing model. This can lead to a longer timeline for upgrading to vSphere 5.

3. Disadvantage for Big Memory Servers: For some big memory-packed beast servers, the new licensing model may prove to be a disadvantage. While there is no hard limit on vRAM usage, this may lead to increased costs for these servers.

In conclusion, the new vSphere 5 licensing model has both positive and negative aspects. While it may require some adjustments in purchasing and deployment practices, it can also encourage more efficient application design and eliminate zombie VMs. As a vSphere admin, I will have to adapt to these changes and ensure that our infrastructure is optimized for the new licensing model. Overall, this change is a double-edged sword, but with the right approach, it can be a valuable opportunity for organizations to evolve their virtualization strategies.