This article contains frequently asked questions about the licensing requirements for Secure Copy, prior to version 7.
NOTE: Please see Sol. 119874 How Secure Copy is licensed in version 7 for version 7 licensing. The information below is for versions 5.x and 6.x only.
How is Secure Copy licensed?
Secure Copy is licensed per named server. A separate license is required for each named server/device that is a source or target during a migration. The license cannot be moved to another source or target server once the job has been executed, even if the job is started and stopped.
Note: It is important to confirm your source and target prior to starting the configured job.
How many licenses of Secure Copy do I need to purchase?
A license is required for each and every source and target machine that is involved in the copy operation. One separate license is required for each named server/device that will be a source or target. A license is not needed for the machine that Secure Copy is installed on, unless it is also a source or target machine.
Example 1:
I am replacing 1 old file server with 1 new one using Secure Copy to copy the data. This configuration requires 2 licenses.
Example 2:
I am consolidating 10 old file servers onto 1 new NAS server using Secure Copy to copy the data. This configuration requires 11 licenses.
Example 3:
I run a weekly incremental copy from a file server at a remote site into my headquarters file server using Secure Copy. This configuration requires 2 licenses—one for the source and one for the target.
License Matrix:
| Program Installation | Source | Target | Licenses Required |
| Machine "A" | Machine "A" | Machine "A" | 1 |
| Machine "A" | Machine "B" | Machine "C" | 2 |
| Machine "A" | Machine "C" | Machine "D" and Machine "E" | 3 |
Note: Every machine that is referenced in a saved job will consume a license.
Does it matter how many CPUs or NICs are in a server?
No. Only the number of servers are counted. For NAS and SAN systems, it is only the number of named server(s) that is counted—not the number of storage nodes or disk arrays.
How is Secure Copy licensed in a Clustered Environment?
In a clustered configuration there are a few basics to keep in mind. If you target a node it will license the node. If you target the cluster it will license the cluster. It all comes down to how you task your jobs!
Example 1:
I am running a job in an environment where I have multiple sources. Where my source cluster is \\CorpCluster\Data, source server is \\CorpServerA and target is \\CorpServerB. How many licenses will I need? This configuration will need 3 licenses, one for the cluster "CorpCluster", one for the file server "CorpServerA", and one for the file server "CorpServerB".
Note: When using multiple sources, one being the cluster and one being a file server (node) in the cluster they will be treated like any other file server.
Example 2:
I am running a job in an environment where my cluster name is "CorpCluster." My Source path is "\\CorpCluster\Accounting" and my Target path is "\\CorpServer2\BackupsAccounting." How many licenses will I need? This configuration will need 2 licenses, one for the cluster "CorpCluster" and one for the file server "CorpServer2."
Example 3:
I am running a job in an environment where my cluster name is "CorpCluster". My Source path is "\\CorpCluster\Data2011" and my Target path is "\\CorpCluster\Yearly_Data_Archives2011." How many licenses will I need? This configuration will need 1 license, for the cluster "CorpCluster".
Note 1: In a clustered environment, data is typically copied to one server in the cluster, so only one target license is required.
Note 2: The cluster host machine will not require a license unless the host machine is referenced in the copy job.
Note 3: In order to treat the whole cluster as a licensed server; ensure to copy only to and from CLUSTER resources.
How is CIFS (Common Internet File System) licensed?
If the server is presented as multiple server names through DNS, a license is needed for each server name. Secure Copy is license per named server, so if accessing these files through different server names, they all must be licensed, regardless of the physical device on which the data resides.
Do I need a license for every server/device on my network?
No, one separate license is required for each named server/device that will be a source or target.
How are virtual machines licensed?
One separate license is required for each named server/device that will be a source or target. The Virtual Machine host machine will not require a license unless the host machine is referenced in the copy job.
Example:
Any Virtual Machine’s running on Windows host machine or NetApp vFilers running on a NetApp device.
Why do you sell a 1-server license when I need a license for each source and target?
The 1-server license is for additions to existing perpetual Secure Copy licenses only! They are for special situations and should be discussed with your account representative.
Example:
An organization already owns 5 Secure Copy licenses for copying between 4 source servers and 1 target. They now want to add an extra source server, so they only require 1 additional license.
Note: In this situation you must discuss this with your account representative so the new license will be added to the existing license. Only one license key can be applied at a time.
Can I move license from one server to another?
No. Secure Copy licenses can only be used with the server/device they are purchased for.
What are the 30-day and 90-day license for?
All license keys for Term Licenses must be applied to the product immediately upon receipt of the license key. The time limit for each Term License begins once the license key is delivered and expires on the respective date of the Term. Products with perpetual license keys do not have restrictive time limits and should be used instead of Term Licenses in the event functionality is needed past the respective Term.
30-day and 90-day licenses cannot be extended or upgraded into non-term or perpetual licenses.
The process is the same for all products; contact your reseller or Account Representative to purchase more licenses.
Link to Sales - Find your Sales representative or Licensing Assistance
When your order has been processed you will be provided with a new electronic license for the total quantity of licenses you purchased.NOTE: In this situation you must discuss this with your account representative so the new license will be added to the existing license. Only one license key can be applied at a time.
What happens if I exceed my license count?
Secure Copy will not run jobs when the number of servers you have created jobs for exceeds the number of licenses available. You need to purchase more licenses.
Is an evaluation available? What restrictions does it have?
Yes, the product will run in evaluation mode when no license is applied. In evaluation mode, the product will only copy files under 1 MB in size.
How do I find out how many licenses I have installed?
Starting with version 6.5 open the Secure Copy console and click on the link "License Status" at the top of the window. In previous versions go to Help | License | License Status.
How do I find out how many licenses I've used?
You can view how many licenses have been used in the "License Status Report" screen in the Help-License menu. You will also be notified when you try to run a job if there are more servers in the job list than you have licenses available.
Secure Copy licensing can also be found at Secure Copy Frequently Asked Questions
