VMware Cloud Foundation subscription is licensed per core on the host where the workload runs. Multi-site deployments raise specific entitlement and assignment questions that catch many enterprises in audit.
Under VCF subscription, every physical core on every host running any covered VMware workload must be licensed. There is no concept of unlicensed standby capacity on a powered-on host.
In an active-active configuration, every host at both sites carries production workload, and every core at both sites must be subscribed. Enterprises that under-license the secondary site on the assumption that it is "DR" are exposed.
Cold-standby DR hosts that are powered off and not running any vSphere services do not require licenses. As soon as the cluster powers on, the meter starts. VMware's enforcement under Broadcom interprets the standby state strictly; a powered-on host with hostd running counts.
vMotion between sites requires the destination cluster to be fully licensed at all times, even when no workload is currently resident.
For multi-site estates, the single highest-leverage audit defence is documentary evidence of which cores were powered on at any given measurement point. Broadcom's audit methodology calculates exposure from peak observed deployment; a defensible time-series log can reduce a claim by 30 to 60 percent.
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