If your host is managed by vCenter 5.5, the license is managed centrally. Log in to vCenter and go to Home > Administration > Licensing Manage vSphere Licenses Follow the wizard to Add License Keys tab, right-click your ESXi host, and select Assign License Pick the key you just added and click ⚠️ Critical Notes for ESXi 5.5 Evaluation Period: of full feature access before a key is required. Free License Limits: The free "Hypervisor" license disables vStorage APIs
This works for any license type, even if you have no network connection. license key vmware esxi 5.5
Broadcom has officially discontinued the free version of the ESXi hypervisor for newer versions. If your host is managed by vCenter 5
: Unlike 5.0 and 5.1 (which capped free users at 32GB), ESXi 5.5 has no physical RAM limit for the free license. Broadcom has officially discontinued the free version of