Software Asset Management publisher pack for VMware

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Software Asset Management publisher pack for VMware

    The Software Asset Management (SAM) publisher pack for VMware enables ServiceNow customers to effectively track, optimize, and manage licensing for VMware software products. To utilize this pack, activate theSoftware Asset Management Professional for VMware (com.snsampvmware)plugin. VMware’s virtualization technologies run software on virtual machines (VMs) hosted on physical servers using hypervisors. This pack supports data collection via discovery tools like the ServiceNow Discovery application and provides insights into VMware license compliance through the Software Asset Workspace.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • License Compliance Tracking: View VMware license compliance status and remediation suggestions in the License usage view of the Software Asset Workspace.
    • Compliance Analysis: Access detailed compliance results via the Software Publisher Analytics dashboard (classic application) or the publisher overview in the Software Asset Workspace.
    • Support for VMware Licensing Models:
      • Subscription-based Licensing: Supports VMware vSphere software suites (Standard and Essentials Plus) using a Per Core license metric, requiring licensing of processor cores on physical hosts with minimum core requirements.
      • Perpetual Licensing: Supports individual VMware software products licensed via unique license keys with multiple license metrics such as Per Application Instance, Per Device, Per Named User, Per OSI, and Per Processor. Note that new perpetual licenses are discontinued as of December 11, 2023, but existing ones remain manageable.
    • Data Collection Integration: Leverages discovery processes for accurate identification of VMware software installations and their underlying physical and virtual environments.

    Licensing Details

    Subscription Licensing for VMware vSphere Suites: Licensing is calculated per processor core with a minimum of 16 cores licensed per processor. For Essentials Plus, licenses cover up to three physical hosts with specific processor and core limits. vCenter components are included in suites and do not consume rights.

    Example: Two hosts running VMware vSphere Standard, one with two processors x 20 cores and another with two processors x 8 cores (minimum 16 cores licensed) require a total of 72 rights (40 + 32).

    Perpetual Licensing for Individual Products: Licensing metrics vary by product usage scenario, including application instances, devices, named users, servers, or processors (licensed per 32 cores).

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Gain clear visibility into VMware software usage and license compliance within ServiceNow.
    • Optimize licensing costs by accurately tracking rights consumption based on VMware’s complex licensing models.
    • Access actionable remediation suggestions to resolve compliance issues efficiently.
    • Manage both subscription-based and legacy perpetual licenses in one platform.
    • Leverage integration with ServiceNow Discovery to maintain up-to-date asset and license information for VMware environments.

    Use the Software Asset Management publisher pack for VMware to track and optimize licensing for your VMware software products.

    To use the VMware publisher pack, activate the Software Asset Management Professional for VMware (com.sn_samp_vmware) plugin.

    VMware offers virtualization and cloud computing technologies that enable you to run software products and applications on virtual machines (VMs). The main component of VMware virtualization is the VMware hypervisor, which is a virtual machine monitor (VMM) that allows you to create and run VMs on your physical hosts. You can use either a Type 1 (bare metal) or Type 2 (hosted) hypervisor. A Type 1 hypervisor runs directly on the hardware of the underlying physical host, while a Type 2 hypervisor runs as a software layer on the operating system (OS) of the underlying physical host.

    You can collect and identify data for your VMware software installations by using a discovery tool, such as the ServiceNow® Discovery application. For more information on the discovery process, see Data collected by ITOM Visibility.

    View your VMware license compliance position in the License usage view of the Software Asset Workspace. If any of your VMware software products are out of compliance, the License usage view provides corresponding remediation suggestions. For more information, see License usage view.

    View compliance analysis results for VMware in either the Software Publisher Analytics dashboard for VMware (Software Asset Management classic application) or the publisher overview for VMware, Inc. (Software Asset Workspace). For more information on the Software Publisher Analytics dashboard for VMware, see Software Publisher Analytics dashboard for VMware in Software Asset Management classic. For more information on the publisher overview for VMware, Inc., see Publisher overview for VMware, Inc. in the Software Asset Workspace.

    VMware licensing

    The VMware publisher pack supports licensing for both subscription-based VMware vSphere software suites and individual perpetual-based VMware software products.

    Licensing for VMware vSphere software suites

    The VMware publisher pack supports licensing for both VMware vSphere Standard (VVS) and VMware vSphere Essentials Plus (VVEP), which are suite-based product offerings for VMware vSphere. VVS includes VMware vSphere Standard and VMware vCenter Standard. VVEP includes VMware vSphere Essentials Plus and VMware vCenter Essentials. Both software suites are available through the subscription licensing model.

    You can calculate licensing requirements for VVS and VVEP by using the Per Core license metric. With this license metric, you must license the processor cores on the underlying physical hosts of the VMs that are running VMware vSphere Standard or VMware vSphere Essentials Plus. Each core requires one right, and you must license a minimum of 16 cores per processor. If you're using VVEP, each license can be used on a maximum of three physical hosts with up to two processors each, and each processor can have a maximum of 32 cores. Any additional cores remain unlicensed.
    Note:
    vCenters are inferred as suite components of VVS and VVEP. They therefore don't require or consume any rights.
    For example, you have purchased a subscription to VVS. You have deployed VMware vSphere Standard on ESXHost1, which has two processors with 20 cores each, and on ESXHost2, which has two processors with eight cores each. You can determine your licensing requirements based on the following calculations:
    Host Product Number of processors Number of cores per processor Number of required rights
    ESXHost1 VMware vSphere Standard 2 20 2 processors x 20 cores = 40 rights
    ESXHost2 VMware vSphere Standard 2 8 2 processors x 16 cores (minimum) = 32 rights
    In this example, you must have a total of 72 rights (40 rights for ESXHost1 + 32 rights for ESXHost2).
    Licensing for individual VMware software products
    The VMware publisher pack supports licensing for individual VMware software products. These products are available through the perpetual licensing model using license keys, which are the unique serial numbers that unlock and activate the features and capabilities of each product.
    Important:
    As of December 11, 2023, VMware no longer offers new perpetual licenses for individual VMware software products. All VMware software products are now available through subscription-based software suites. If you still have any existing perpetual licenses, you can continue to manage them through the VMware publisher pack.
    You can calculate licensing requirements for these software products by using the following license metrics:
    • Per Application Instance: You must license the instances of an application. Each instance requires one right.
    • Per Device: You must license the underlying physical hosts on which you access the software product. Each host requires one right.
    • Per Named User: You must license the named users that access the software product. Each named user requires one right.
    • Per OSI: You must license the underlying physical and virtual servers on which you access the software product. Each server requires one right.
    • Per Processor: You must license the processors on the underlying physical hosts. Each processor requires one right for every 32 cores.