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.

The license from the VMmanager 5 control panel is not suitable for activating VMmanager 6.

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.

A trial license can be activated if no trial or commercial license has been activated on the server before.

Otherwise, when trying to activate it, the "Access error" message appears in the interface and the TRIAL_OR_COMMERCIAL_ALREADY_USED error appears in the license check log file.

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:

• configuring a high availability cluster;
• creating snapshots of virtual machines.

To switch from one version of VMmanager to another, purchase a license for the required version and update the license information in the platform interface.

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, renew your license and click Update license information in the pop-up message about the blocking. If a license token is changed, follow the instructions in the subsection If the license token has changed.

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. Go to the directory with the license files: 

   shopt -s extglob

   BASH

   cd /opt/ispsystem/license

   BASH

3. Delete all files from the directory except machine_id: 

   rm -v !("machine_id")

   BASH

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

5. In the License key field enter the value of the license token.
6. 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.

Note

Licenses purchased before the release of version 6.9.0 have a similar limitation on the number of VMs, cluster nodes, LXD containers.

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.
   

Note

The resource package has an expiration date and is purchased for a specific license. It cannot be activated in another instance of the platform.