To minimize downtime when increasing throughput on a flexible-license VM-Series firewall running on ESXi, the following steps should be taken: Increase the vCPU within the deployment profile: This is the first step. By increasing the vCPU allocation in the licensing profile, you prepare the license system for the change. This does not require a VM reboot. Retrieve or fetch license keys on the VM-Series NGFW: After adjusting the licensing profile, the firewall needs to retrieve the updated license information to reflect the new vCPU allocation. This can be done via the web UI or CLI and usually does not require a reboot. Power-off the VM and increase the vCPUs within the hypervisor: Now that the license is prepared, the VM can be powered off, and the vCPUs can be increased within the ESXi hypervisor settings. Power-on the VM-Series NGFW: After increasing the vCPUs in the hypervisor, power on the VM. The firewall will now use the allocated resources and the updated license. Confirm the correct tier level and vCPU appear on the NGFW dashboard: Finally, verify in the firewall's web UI or CLI that the correct license tier and vCPU count are reflected. This order minimizes downtime because the licensing changes are handled before the VM is rebooted. Reference: While not explicitly documented in a single, numbered step list, the concepts are covered in the VM- Series deployment guides and licensing documentation: VM-Series Deployment Guides: These guides explain how to configure vCPUs and licensing. Flex Licensing Documentation: This explains how license allocation works with vCPUs. These resources confirm that adjusting the license profile before the VM reboot is crucial for minimizing downtime.