Licensing

A license is required to use VMmanager. You can buy it in your client area at eu.ispsystem.com or reseller company. The license has an expiry date and a limited number of used physical CPU cores on cluster nodes.

If you are using the VMmanager Infrastructure version, you can purchase an additional package to increase the available CPU cores.

Licenses purchased before the release of version 6.9.0 have restrictions on:

• validity;
• number of virtual machines (VM);
• the number of cluster nodes;
• number of LXD containers.

When purchasing a license, you can choose a free trial period of 30 days to learn about the features and test VMmanager. The trial license allows you to use up to 100 physical CPU cores on cluster nodes.

Three days before the license expiry, VMmanager interface displays a message prompting to renew it. After renewing the license, you need to update the license information in VMmanager.

Versions of VMmanager

The VMmanager platform has two versions: VMmanager Hosting and VMmanager Infrastructure. The differences between the versions are shown in the table below:

In the current implementation of the platform, the VMmanager Infrastructure version includes the following additional functionality:

• NAS storage support;
• creating linked clones;
• clusten node balancer.

To switch from Hosting to Infrastructure or from Infrastructure to Hosting, contact your distributor's technical support.

How to update the license information

Before expiry date

To update the license information, go to  → System information → Update the license.

After expiry date

After expiry of the license, VMmanager will be blocked. Cluster nodes and VMs operation will not be affected, but management via VMmanager will no longer be available. To reactivate VMmanager:

1. Renew your license in the client area.
2. Click the Settings button in the pop-up message about the blocking or click → System information in the right menu.
3. In the License token field enter the value of the license token.
4. Click the Activate button.
5. If the activation failed, generate a new license token in your client area and follow the instructions in the subsection If the license token has changed.
   

After restoring from backup

After restoring the platform from a backup, you have to reactivate the license. For Infrastructure version, the activation has to be performed within seven days after the restore. After this period expires, the platform will be blocked. For more information about backups, see Creating platform backups.

If the license token has changed

If you change the company purchasing the license, the license token value will change. For example, if you ordered a trial period in your client area at eu.ispsystem.com, and then purchased a license from an ISPsystem license reseller company.

To update information about such a license:

1. Connect to VMmanager via SSH protocol with superuser permission (the default level is root).

2. Delete all files from the /opt/ispsystem/license/ directory except machine_id:  

   find /opt/ispsystem/license/ -type f -not -name 'machine_id' -delete

3. In VMmanager interface, go to → System information.

4. In the License token field enter the value of the license token.
5. Click the Activate button.

Limited number of devices

VMmanager license has a limit on the number of used physical CPU cores on cluster nodes. When this limit is reached, the ability to add VMs will be blocked. To enable adding new VMs, delete the unused ones or purchase a license with the ability to use more CPU cores.  VMmanager Infrastructure users can purchase an additional package to increase the available CPU cores.

Activating packages

After you purchase a resource package, you need to activate it:

1. Go to → System information → Activate package.
2. Enter the code from your resource package certificate.
3. Press Activate.
   

License management via terminal

You can manage the license via the terminal using the vm systemd-service. Possible actions:

vm license update -t <license_token>

vm license info

vm license logs

vm license check