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Licensing

What this page shows

Select Licensing in the sidebar to see the license status of the node you are connected to and every node below it in the chain. Each node gets its own card; the summary bar at the top folds the whole chain into one line, worst state first. A node that is not responding shows its last-known status marked with when it was read, and a node whose software version predates license reporting shows a short note instead of a status.

License states

State Colour Meaning
licensed green A valid license is installed and its hardware binding matches.
trial amber No license installed; the 7-day evaluation window, or the 2-hour restart continuation once that runs out, is counting down.
grace amber A previously valid license lapsed; a grace window is running.
unlicensed red No license and no trial remaining.
stopped red Enforcement has stopped the data plane.

An unrecognized state from a newer node renders in grey with its name shown as-is.

Permanent licenses and expiry

A permanent license never expires and says so. A license with an expiry date shows the date; from 30 days out the line turns amber with a countdown, and past the date it turns red. Renew before the date to avoid interruption.

A license installed through Request License Trial… (see below) is trial-origin: its card reads Trial license, expires <date> instead, and it gets no grace window when it expires - renew or request a new trial before the date.

The evaluation window

A node without a license runs one of two automatic evaluation accounts - neither one is the trial license described below, and neither needs a trial key:

  • A fresh, never-licensed node gets a 7-day evaluation window from its first start. The countdown survives restarts and is never refreshed by reinstalling.
  • Once that window (or a license's grace) has run out, each restart grants a 2-hour continuation before the node stops again. This repeats for as long as the node stays unlicensed - it keeps the node reachable, not a substitute for licensing it.

Enforcement and the grace window

A node that held a license and then falls out of license - the license expired, was revoked, was removed, or was released back to the licensing server - is not stopped straight away. It enters a grace window first: 14 days after an expiry, 72 hours after a revocation, or 2 hours after a removal or a release. A trial-origin license is the exception - it gets no grace at all. A release uninstalls through the same path a plain removal does, so the card shows Removal grace for both. The card counts down the time left, the same way it counts down the evaluation window.

The countdown warns as it crosses 7 days, 3 days, 24 hours, 12 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes, 10 minutes, and 1 minute of time remaining, whichever of those fall inside the window still open. A 2-hour removal or release grace therefore warns at 1 hour, 30 minutes, 10 minutes, and 1 minute; a 14-day expiry grace gets the full run, starting at 7 days out.

When grace runs out - or immediately, for a node with no license at all, or a trial-origin license, neither of which gets a grace window - the node stops its data plane: collection, routing, and delivery. Restarting grants the 2-hour continuation described above before it stops again. The management console, the health endpoint, the audit log, and the chain's admin channel all stay up throughout regardless, so the node stays reachable and can be re-licensed without a site visit.

Applying a license key - online

Select Apply license key on a node's card (Administrator only) and choose Online activation. The license key from your purchase is redeemed against the licensing server - for a downstream node, the node you are connected to performs the internet call on its behalf and delivers the issued license over the chain. A redeemed key is bound to that node's hardware: redeeming the same key again on the same node is safe, but the key cannot be moved to another node.

Online activation errors

A refusal from the licensing server is shown with a plain-language line under it:

What is shown What it means
This node cannot reach the licensing server This node is not set up to reach it - redeem from the top console instead, or use offline activation.
The key was not recognized Check for typos (the key reads AK1-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-CC), or contact your vendor.
The key is for a different product This key was issued for a different Flowgate product than this node.
No activations remaining Every activation on this key is already in use; free one up or get another key.
The license was revoked Contact your vendor.
A conflicting activation exists This node's hardware already holds a different activation on the licensing server; contact your vendor.
Too many attempts Wait, then try again.
The request was rejected Likely a version mismatch between this node and the licensing server; report it.
The licensing server could not be reached, or failed Retry later, or use offline activation.

Applying a license key - offline

Choose Offline activation for nodes and sites without internet access:

  1. Generate this node's activation request. Download the request file, or copy the short activation code. Both carry only hashed hardware signals - no identifying hardware value ever leaves the node.
  2. Redeem on the licensing portal. On any machine with internet access, enter your license key and the activation request, then download the license file it returns.
  3. Import the license file. The node verifies the file itself - signature, product, hardware binding, expiry - before anything is installed. A file that fails any check changes nothing.

Requesting a license trial

Select Request License Trial… on a node's card (Administrator only; shown while the node holds no license) to install a full-featured trial without a purchase.

A trial key is a short credential from H2, in the same AK1-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-CC shape as a purchase key. Trial keys rotate monthly, and a retired key keeps working for 30 days after it rotates. Each key grants one trial per system: redeeming it again on a node that still holds that trial hands back the same trial rather than issuing a new one.

Fill in the trial key and the customer details: Company, Contact name, and Contact email are required; Site, Company email, and Notes are optional.

Requesting online

The trial key and the form details are sent to the licensing server - for a downstream node, the node you are connected to performs the call on its behalf and delivers the issued trial over the chain. The issued trial is bound to that node's hardware and cannot be moved to another node.

Requesting offline

Choose the offline card for nodes and sites without internet access:

  1. Generate this node's trial request. The request document downloads automatically; use Download again if the browser blocked it or you need a second copy.
  2. Get the trial issued. Activate it at the customer licensing portal, or send the request file to H2 support. Either way, download the license file it returns. This node never needs to reach the internet.
  3. Import the trial license file. The node verifies the file itself - signature, product, hardware binding, expiry - before anything is installed. A file that fails any check changes nothing.

Trial request errors

A refusal is shown with a plain-language line under it. A few different codes share the exact same message below - the meaning and the next step are identical either way:

What is shown What it means
This system has already used this trial key Contact sales, or use the offline path.
This node's licensing-server enrolment or configured key is the problem, not the trial key Offline activation still works.
The key was mistyped, revoked, or has rotated out Ask for the current key.
The key is for a different product This key belongs to a different product than this node.
This key has reached its trial cap Contact sales.
This node already holds a license No trial is needed.
This license was revoked Contact your administrator.
Too many attempts Wait and retry.
The node sent a request the server rejected This is a defect in this build, not the key.
This node is not configured to reach the licensing server Use offline activation.
The licensing server could not be reached, or failed Retry later, or use offline activation.
A required field is empty If this names computer_name or request.node, this node's own record is the problem, not what you typed.
A field is over its length limit If this names computer_name or request.node, this node's own record is the problem, not what you typed.
A field contains a character that is not allowed If this names computer_name or request.node, this node's own record is the problem, not what you typed.
The email address is not a valid shape Check for a stray space or a missing @.
This node's own name (request.node) contains a character that is not safe in a filename A node configuration problem, not the form.

Releasing a license

Select Release license… on a node's card (Administrator only) to give its activation back to the licensing server - before decommissioning the node, replacing its license, or moving it to different hardware. Releasing cannot be undone. A released license is dead; re-licensing the node afterwards needs a fresh activation and is issued a brand new license id.

The optional release note is recorded permanently by the licensing server. Keep it to a maintenance note - never a person's name, an address, a phone number, or pasted ticket text.

Releasing needs an Administrator role on the node being released. A downstream node is released from the console: the console node contacts the licensing server on that node's behalf, so the downstream node itself never needs internet access. A node that has turned off Allow this node to be configured from a remote connection (Settings → Management and security) can only be released by signing in to that node directly.

Release online

The release document is sent to the licensing server by the node's own connection (or, for a downstream node, by the console node on its behalf). The license is uninstalled from the node only after the server confirms the release: if the server never answers, or refuses, nothing changes locally and the license stays installed, so retrying is always safe. Retrying a release that already succeeded is safe too - the server recognizes the repeat, reports that the activation was already back, and changes nothing further. The freed activation count comes back in the same answer.

Release file

Choose Release file for a node or site without internet access to the licensing server. Unlike release online, the file is written and the license is removed immediately - there is no confirmation step to wait for, because this node never dials out. The activation comes back only once this file is uploaded to the licensing portal - by you, or by whoever runs the console.

If the file is lost, the activation stays consumed until licensing support resets it. Download it before closing the dialog; closing without downloading it first asks you to confirm.

Release errors

A refusal is shown with a plain-language line under it. A few different codes share the exact same message below - the meaning and the next step are identical either way:

What is shown What it means
This node holds no license There is nothing installed to release.
This node has no licensing server configured Release it from the console node instead, or write a release file.
This node has no key with release permission Configure a licensing-server key with release permission, or use a release file.
The licensing server rejected this node's key The key must be active and carry the license.remove scope; contact your vendor or licensing administrator.
The licensing server would not accept this license It may already have been released or replaced there; check the license state before retrying.
The request was rejected Likely a version mismatch between this node and the licensing server; report it.
Too many attempts Wait, then try again.
The licensing server could not be reached, or failed Retry later, or use a release file.
The activation is back, but this node still holds the dead license Run the release again once the node is reachable - a repeat costs nothing.
The note is too long The licensing server accepts at most 200 characters.
The note contains characters the licensing server refuses No line breaks; plain text only.

Features and limits

Each card lists the features its license grants (or all features, during a trial) and any numeric limits, such as the connector or data-route caps. A feature key this console does not recognize is shown by its raw name rather than hidden: the license is the authority on what is granted.

Verification

Licenses are cryptographically signed and verified offline by the node itself - no licensing server is contacted to keep a node running, and the licensing server is never a runtime dependency. Hardware-locked licenses are checked against the node's own hardware signals; the card shows how many signals currently match.