License management

This document describes how to register and manage Bring Your Own License (BYOL) license keys for Google Cloud VMware Engine.

BYOL license management in the Google Cloud console lets you apply VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) portable licenses—acquired directly from Broadcom or an authorized reseller—to Google Cloud. Registering license keys tracks node CPU core capacity in entitlement usage reports.

You manage licenses at the Cloud Billing account level rather than per project. Entitlements cover node CPU core capacity across all projects linked to that Cloud Billing account.

For node options and pricing, see VMware Engine pricing.

License lifecycle operations

You can perform the following lifecycle operations on license keys:

  • Add license key: Register a license key by providing the product type, key string, core quantity, effective start and end dates, and Broadcom Site ID.
  • Update license key: Adjust core counts or extend expiration dates by re-entering the existing key string with updated parameters. The new entry supersedes the existing record.
  • Sunset license key: Permanently mark an active key as retired so that VMware Engine excludes it from future usage calculations.
  • View dashboard: View a list of registered keys, their statuses (Active, Sunsetted, or Expired), and active core capacity across the billing account.

How BYOL licenses apply to usage

Ported BYOL entitlements apply to node CPU core capacity across all projects associated with the Cloud Billing account. VMware Engine aggregates active core counts across linked projects to calculate total core usage.

BYOL licenses don't apply to the following:

  • Underlying Google Cloud infrastructure spend
  • Storage and backups
  • IP addresses and network outbound data transfer
  • Third-party add-ons outside supported VCF components

Register BYOL license keys

You register license keys at the Cloud Billing account level. When a Broadcom license expires, you must renew it directly with Broadcom.

Before you begin

Before you register license keys, verify that you have the following license key attributes from your Broadcom portal:

  • Product type
  • License key string
  • Core quantity
  • Effective start and end dates
  • Broadcom Site ID

In addition, ensure that you have the required Identity and Access Management (IAM) permissions and have enabled the Enterprise Purchasing API.

Required IAM permissions

To manage or view license keys, ensure that you have one of the following IAM roles on the project:

  • roles/enterprisepurchasing.admin: Add, update, or sunset license keys.
  • roles/enterprisepurchasing.viewer: View license keys.

Custom role permissions

If you use custom roles instead of predefined roles, ensure that your custom roles include the following permissions on the project:

  • enterprisepurchasing.googleapis.com/licenseKeys.create
  • enterprisepurchasing.googleapis.com/licenseKeys.delete
  • enterprisepurchasing.googleapis.com/licenseKeys.get
  • enterprisepurchasing.googleapis.com/licenseKeys.list

For more information about roles, see VMware Engine IAM roles and permissions.

Enable the Enterprise Purchasing API

Before managing or viewing license keys, go to the API Library in the Google Cloud console and enable the Enterprise Purchasing API (enterprisepurchasing.googleapis.com):

Enable the API

To enable the API, ensure that you have the required permissions on the project:

  • Project owners and administrators: If you have the Project Owner (roles/owner) or Project Editor (roles/editor) role, you have the required permissions by default and can enable the service without additional role assignments.
  • Standard project contributors: If you have a basic viewer or resource-level role, you can't enable services by default. To grant the minimum privileges required to enable the service, an administrator must grant you the Service Usage Admin role (roles/serviceusage.serviceUsageAdmin).

Register a license key

You register license keys by using the Google Cloud console. After you register a key, VMware Engine updates available core capacity across all projects linked to the billing account.

To register a new BYOL license key, do the following:

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the License Management page.

    Go to License Management

  2. Click Add License Key.

  3. In the License Key String field, enter the license key string.

  4. In the Product Name list, select your Broadcom product.

  5. In the Quantity (Cores) field, specify the number of cores allocated to this license key.

  6. In the Start Date and End Date fields, select the effective dates matching your Broadcom agreement.

  7. In the Site ID field, enter your Broadcom Site ID.

  8. Select the compliance attestation checkbox.

  9. Click Submit.

The registered license capacity takes effect immediately for all project quota requests.

Troubleshooting

The following table describes common issues and how to resolve them:

Issue Resolution
A license key was sunsetted by mistake. Sunsetting is permanent and can't be undone. To restore the key, re-enter the license key string by using the Add License Key flow.
Unable to view or manage BYOL license keys in the Google Cloud console. Verify that the Enterprise Purchasing API is enabled on the project and that you have the roles/enterprisepurchasing.admin or roles/enterprisepurchasing.viewer role (or equivalent custom permissions) on the project.

Support

If you need support or have questions regarding your Broadcom licensing agreement, contact Broadcom or your licensing reseller. If you need support with VMware Engine, contact Customer Care.

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