Riverbed licensing methods

Current versions of Riverbed products use a common licensing management framework (CLMF) to obtain, apply, and manage license keys.

A license key is a string of characters 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:

• Automatic—Once you connect your appliance to the network, it automatically contacts the Riverbed Licensing Portal, which downloads and installs the licenses.

• Manual—You can manually fetch and activate licenses for Riverbed products using the Riverbed Licensing Portal. Go to https://licensing.riverbed.com/index.htm and follow the instructions to retrieve license keys. After you manually retrieve your license keys, you need to install them on the appropriate appliance.

• Factory—You can have all your Riverbed licenses installed at the factory for a small fee.

• Customer key—You use your customer key to activate Riverbed software. This method applies only to virtual products. When you purchase your first virtual Riverbed product, you are given a customer key. When you need to apply licenses, you use your customer key to validate the license keys.

• Air-gapped—You license air-gapped products through a challenge-response process. After you receive your keys through email or the Riverbed license server, you log in to the air-gapped product’s management console and generate a challenge. Then, on a different system that is connected to the internet, you log in to the Riverbed Licensing Portal and enter the challenge. After successfully submitting the challenge, you are provided with a response, which you apply to the air-gapped product to valid your license keys.

Automatic licensing enables products with access to the internet to automatically contact the Riverbed Licensing Portal and install available license keys. Automatic licensing simplifies inventory management and provides an automated mechanism of fetching licenses for Riverbed products without having to manually activate individual appliances and licenses. Automatic licensing also works over a web proxy.

If you are behind a firewall, you can retrieve licenses at the Riverbed Licensing Portal using the email option or by downloading an XML file to a Controller appliance.

After a product successfully completes automatic licensing, the Management Console Licensing page displays a success message. If automatic licensing is unsuccessful, the Alarm Status page reports an actionable error message.

For automatic license renewals, the product contacts the portal and downloads the new licenses. You do not need to delete the expired license. The system uses the license with the latest expiration date.

Licenses can be fetched on demand, but only administrators can do this. To fetch a license on demand, display the Management Console Licenses page, and then click Fetch Updates Now.

For manual and token methods, you can retrieve and manage Riverbed licenses using the Riverbed Licensing Portal. After you retrieve a license from the portal, you need to add it in your product.

The portal requires a unique product identifier to retrieve a license. Depending on the product, the identifier can be a serial number, license request key (activation code), customer key, or token. The steps to retrieve a license vary based on the product identifier. Online instructions guide you through the process. The portal displays license information for all purchased products associated with the unique identifier.

Serial numbers are on a label located on your appliance and also appear in the Support tab of the Management Console. Customer keys are typically provided through email, or directly from your Riverbed representative.

To retrieve your licenses from the Riverbed Licensing Portal, go to the portal and follow the instructions there.