Licensing Overview

The NetProfiler and Flow Gateway systems have the following types of licenses:

Runtime Licenses

Capacity Licenses

Option Licenses

Runtime Licenses

All devices require a runtime license. Runtime licenses permit basic system operation. If you do not have a runtime license installed, your system operates in a basic mode, which enables basic UI interaction, but does not process new flow data.

Capacity Licenses

Capacity licenses control the maximum amount of data the device can process. Capacities are set based on the maximum number of flows that the device can process each minute (for example, an F1 Flow Gateway can accept no more than 150,000 fpm).

Different types of SteelCentral devices have different flow capacities:

Flow Gateway - 150,000, 400,000, 600,000, 800,000, 1,000,000, and 2,000,000 fpm

Flow Gateway-v - 15,000, 30,000, 60,000, 90,000, 200,000, 400, 0000, 600,000, 800,000, 1,000,000, 2,000,000 fpm

NetExpress 470 - 15,000, 30,000, 60,000, 90,000, and 120,000 fpm

NetProfiler - 200,000, 400,000, 600,000, 800,000, and 1,000,000 fpm

NetProfiler-v - 15,000, 30,000, 60,000, 90,000, 200,000, 400, 0000, 600,000, 800,000, 1,000,000, and 2,000,000 fpm

Enterprise NetProfiler cluster - 1,000,000 or more, depending on the number of analyzer or expansion modules you have installed

Some SteelCentral products do not require a capacity license. The NetShark enables data to be processed up to the capacity of the system without requiring additional capacity licenses. However, the NetShark ability to export flows to a NetProfiler is limited by the license. Depending on the NetShark model, the maximum flows exported ranges from 400,000 to 1,200,000 fpm. (These limits are the maximum licensed limits, but not guaranteed limits. Actual limits vary depending on the load on the NetShark.)

Option Licenses

Option licenses enable you to add functionality to the NetExpress, NetProfiler, NetProfiler-v, or Enterprise NetProfiler cluster. Software defined network is an example of functionality that requires an option license.

The security module does not require you to purchase an additional part number. The NetExpress, NetProfiler, and Enterprise NetProfiler cluster appliances support the security module through the runtime license. On the NetExpress, you do not need to purchase an additional license for operational analytics or service monitoring. That license is included with the NetExpress runtime license.