What must you do before you can assign new licenses to added hosts in vCenter Server?

Before assigning new licenses to added hosts in vCenter Server, it is necessary to add the new licenses to the vCenter License Service through the vSphere Client. This process involves registering the licenses with the vCenter environment to ensure that they are recognized and available for allocation. Licensing in vCenter is managed centrally, allowing you to maintain an organized view of how licenses are assigned across various hosts and clusters.

After the licenses are properly registered, they can be distributed to the associated hosts as needed. This approach supports streamlined license management, ensuring compliance and proper functionality across the vSphere infrastructure.

While it might seem logical to consider options about restarting the vCenter Server, configuring host settings, or attaching licenses directly to hosts, these steps are unnecessary or not the primary prerequisite for license assignment. Ensuring that the licenses are recognized by the vCenter License Service is the critical first step in the licensing process.