Managing Riverbed Licenses
This chapter describes the Riverbed licensing methods and how to manage Riverbed licenses. It includes these sections:
Riverbed licensing methods
A license is a string issued by Riverbed that embeds information that ties the license to data to prevent tampering. After you install the license, the system saves it in the configuration database and enables the functionality associated with the license. Riverbed employs the following licensing methods:
• Manual licensing - For the Early Access program, you will receive the licenses via email from Riverbed Support.
• Token method - You use tokens to activate Riverbed software, such as the Virtual SteelCentral Controller for SteelHead Mobile, Virtual SteelStore, and Virtual SteelFusion Core. For detailed information, see the respective installation guides for these products.
Manual licensing
For the Early Access program, you must install the licenses that Riverbed Support emailed to you.
Installing your license keys
Because each license key is generated for a specific appliance, ensure that you install your license key on the appropriate appliance.
To install a license using the Management Console
1. Connect to the Management Console. For details, see the SteelFusion Edge Management Console User’s Guide.
2. Choose Administration > Maintenance: Licenses to display the Licenses page.
3. Click + Add New License to expand the page.
4. Copy and paste the license key provided by the Riverbed Licensing Portal into the text box. Separate multiple license keys with a space, Tab, or Enter.
5. Click Add to display the license in the table.
To install a license using the CLI
1. Connect to the CLI of the appliance and enter configuration mode.
For details, see the SteelFusion Command-Line Interface Reference Manual.
2. At the system prompt, enter the following commands:
license install <license-key>
write memory
where <license-key> is the license key you retrieved from the Riverbed Licensing Portal.
Purchasing the token and receiving the licenses
Before you can add licenses to Virtual Edge, you must purchase a token from Riverbed. The token is associated with a model number that is assigned to SteelHead-v during licensing.
To view your purchased tokens, log in to your account at https://support.riverbed.com.
After you receive a token, you are ready to install the licenses.
Managing licenses
This section describes how to install, update, and remove a license. It also describes how to use flexible licensing to manage model configurations and upgrades.
Activating the token and installing the licenses
This section describes how to activate a token, receive the license, and install the license on Virtual Edge. The procedure in this section describes both autolicensing and manual licensing.
To activate the token and install a license
1. Restart with a clean RiOS data store.
2. Log in to Virtual Edge and display the Management Console.
3. Choose Administration > Maintenance: Licenses to display the Licenses page.
4. Under License Request Token, enter the token number and click Generate License Request Key.
Note: The console does not support pasting text directly into the field.
Virtual Edge performs autolicensing by default. With autolicensing, once you enter the token and click Generate License Request Key, Virtual Edge contacts the Riverbed licensing server and automatically downloads and installs the licensing keys.
For more information about autolicensing, including commands to enable or disable autolicensing and to configure a licensing server, see the Riverbed Command-Line Interface Reference Manual.
If you disable autolicensing or if Virtual Edge cannot connect to the licensing server, you can manually configure your licenses. With manual licensing, you enter the token and click Generate License Request Key and RiOS displays a license request key. Continue with the next step.
5. After you have obtained the license request key, go to the Riverbed Licensing Portal at
https://licensing.riverbed.com (for unregistered users) or to the Licenses tab on the Riverbed Support site at http://support.riverbed.com/ to generate your license keys. The license keys include the VBASE license as well as any other licenses needed for the Virtual Edge model.
The Licensing Portal is a public site; the Riverbed Support site requires registration.
After your licenses are generated, they appear online and are also emailed to you for reference.
6. Return to the Administration > Maintenance: Licenses page and click Add a New License.
7. Copy and paste the license key into the text box. Separate multiple license keys with a space, Tab, or Enter.
8. Click Add.
9. Click Save to save your settings permanently.
10. Choose Administration > Maintenance: Services and click Restart to restart the optimization service.