Is this host a or managed centrally by vCenter ?
The legacy Windows-based desktop client is the primary management interface for standalone ESXi 5.5 hosts.
Unlike ESXi 5.0, version 5.5 removed the hard physical memory limitation (previously 32 GB), allowing hosts to utilize maximum hardware RAM.
Aimed at mature data centers optimizing resource allocation. license key vmware esxi 5.5
No vCenter support, limited CPU sockets, no advanced features like vMotion, High Availability (HA), or DRS.
VMware ESXi 5.5 License Keys: Status and Solutions in 2026 VMware ESXi 5.5 is an obsolete version that reached its end of general support on September 19, 2018, and end of technical guidance on September 19, 2020. As of 2026, obtaining new or free license keys for this version is not officially supported by Broadcom. explorevm.com
Under the Software box on the left, click on . Is this host a or managed centrally by vCenter
However, if you have a legacy account that previously held a license for 5.5, it may still be viewable within your Broadcom/VMware Customer Connect portal Applying an Existing License Key
Does not support modern NVMe drives, recent CPU architectures, or UEFI enhancements.
Enables for rapid, consistent host provisioning. Increases maximum vCPUs per virtual machine to 64. 3. How to Install and Apply a License Key in ESXi 5.5 Aimed at mature data centers optimizing resource allocation
Distributed Switch (vDS), Host Profiles, SR-IOV, Flash Read Cache. How to Assign a License Key in ESXi 5.5
: The final phase of self-help support ended on September 19, 2020 .
