Mike Swanson
7c8488ad14
Synced files: - Session log 2026-03-19 updated (autostart, ScreenConnect, Flarum forum, theme, Node.js) - docs/forum-posts/ recovered from old btrfs home (7 forum post guides) Machine: acg-guru-5070 Timestamp: 2026-03-19 19:25:24 Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
86 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
86 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
# Fix: Reset Expired ESXi 8 Evaluation License via SSH
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## Environment
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- VMware ESXi 8 (two hosts)
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- License: Evaluation mode (60-day trial expired)
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## Problem
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ESXi evaluation period expired. The web UI shows license warnings and functionality is restricted. VMs may not auto-start after host reboots.
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```
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vim-cmd vimsvc/license --show
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# diagnostic = Evaluation period has expired, please install license.
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# expirationHours = 0
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# expirationMinutes = 0
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```
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## Fix
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### Step 1: Enable SSH (if not already)
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In ESXi web UI: **Host** → **Actions** → **Services** → **Enable SSH**
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### Step 2: SSH in and Reset
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```bash
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ssh root@<esxi-host-ip>
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# Remove current license config and restore default
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rm -r /etc/vmware/license.cfg
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cp /etc/vmware/.#license.cfg /etc/vmware/license.cfg
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# Restart services to pick up the change
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/etc/init.d/vpxa restart
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/etc/init.d/hostd restart
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```
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**Note:** After restarting hostd, the web UI will be unavailable for 15-30 seconds while it comes back up.
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### Step 3: Verify
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Wait ~15 seconds for hostd to fully start, then:
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```bash
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vim-cmd vimsvc/license --show
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```
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Expected output:
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```
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serial: 00000-00000-00000-00000-00000
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vmodl key: eval
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name: Evaluation Mode
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total: 1
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used: 1
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[evaluation] = License has not been set, evaluation Period in effect.
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[expirationHours] = 1440
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[expirationMinutes] = 0
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[expirationDate] = <60 days from now>
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```
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## Automation via Expect (for remote execution)
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If you need to script this from a Linux workstation and `sshpass` doesn't work with ESXi's keyboard-interactive auth (common issue), use `expect`:
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```bash
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# Install expect (Arch)
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sudo pacman -S expect
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# Run reset
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expect -c '
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spawn ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o PubkeyAuthentication=no root@192.168.0.122 \
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"rm -r /etc/vmware/license.cfg && cp /etc/vmware/.#license.cfg /etc/vmware/license.cfg && /etc/init.d/vpxa restart && /etc/init.d/hostd restart"
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expect "Password:"
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send "your_password_here\r"
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expect eof
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'
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```
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**Note on sshpass:** ESXi 8 uses `keyboard-interactive` authentication, not `password` auth. `sshpass` fails with exit code 5 even with correct credentials. `expect` handles keyboard-interactive properly.
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## Important Notes
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- This resets the 60-day evaluation timer — it does not provide a permanent license
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- The reset can be repeated when the evaluation expires again
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- VMs configured to auto-start should resume normal operation after the license is active
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- If you have a legitimate license key, apply it via the web UI instead: **Manage** → **Licensing** → **Assign license**
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