License Management ================== nFW is commercial software that requires a valid license to operate. This section explains how to obtain, install, and manage your nFW license. License Overview ---------------- Types of Licenses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ nFW licenses are issued by ntop.org and come in different types: 1. **Evaluation License**: Time-limited license for testing and evaluation 2. **Commercial License**: Full license for production use 3. **OEM License**: For integration into third-party products 4. **Academic License**: For educational and research institutions License Features ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Each license specifies: - **Licensed System**: Hardware identifier (System ID) - **Expiration Date**: License validity period - **Maintenance Date**: Support and updates expiration - **Features**: Enabled functionality (standard or advanced) Obtaining a License ------------------- Step 1: Get System ID ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Run nFW with the ``--show-system-id`` option: .. code-block:: console nfw --show-system-id **Important**: The System ID is derived from hardware identifiers and must match the system where nFW will run. Step 2: Request License ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact ntop.org to purchase a license: - **Website**: https://www.ntop.org - **Email**: sales@ntop.org - **Information Needed**: - System ID - License type (evaluation, commercial, etc.) - Company/organization details - Intended use case Step 3: Receive License File ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ntop.org will provide a ``nfw.license`` file tied to your System ID. Installing a License -------------------- License File Locations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ nFW searches for the license file in the following locations (in order): 1. ``./nfw.license`` (current directory) 2. ``/etc/nfw.license`` (system-wide) Recommended Installation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Install the license system-wide: .. code-block:: console # Copy license file sudo cp nfw.license /etc/nfw.license # Set appropriate permissions sudo chmod 644 /etc/nfw.license sudo chown root:root /etc/nfw.license Verifying Installation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Check that the license is valid: .. code-block:: console nfw --check-license Expected output: .. code-block:: text License is valid Licensed to: Your Company Name Expiration: 2026-12-31 Maintenance: 2026-12-31 If the license is invalid, you'll see an error message: .. code-block:: text Invalid license: License expired Invalid license: System ID mismatch Invalid license: License file not found License Validation ------------------ Checking License Status ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Check License Validity**: .. code-block:: console nfw --check-license **Check Maintenance Status**: .. code-block:: console nfw --check-maintenance Output: .. code-block:: text Maintenance valid until: 2026-12-31 Updates and support available **Display System ID**: .. code-block:: console nfw --show-system-id Validation at Startup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When nFW starts, it automatically validates the license: .. code-block:: console sudo nfw -q 0 -z tcp://127.0.0.1:1234 If the license is invalid, nFW will not start: .. code-block:: text ERROR: Invalid license ERROR: License expired on 2025-12-31 ERROR: Please contact ntop.org for license renewal License Expiration ------------------ Grace Period ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some licenses may include a grace period after expiration, allowing nFW to continue running with warnings. Renewal ~~~~~~~ To renew an expired license: 1. Contact ntop.org sales team 2. Provide your current System ID 3. Receive updated license file 4. Replace ``/etc/nfw.license`` with the new file 5. Restart nFW (if running) .. code-block:: console sudo cp nfw-new.license /etc/nfw.license sudo killall nfw sudo nfw -q 0 -z tcp://127.0.0.1:1234 Maintenance Expiration ---------------------- Maintenance Period ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The maintenance period covers: - Software updates and bug fixes - nDPI protocol updates - Technical support - Security patches After Maintenance Expires ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When maintenance expires: - nFW continues to operate normally - New updates and features are not available - Technical support may be limited - nDPI protocol database becomes outdated **To restore maintenance**: Contact ntop.org to renew your maintenance agreement. Troubleshooting License Issues ------------------------------- License File Not Found ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Error**: ``License file not found`` **Solutions**: .. code-block:: console # Check if license file exists ls -la nfw.license /etc/nfw.license # If missing, copy license to correct location sudo cp nfw.license /etc/nfw.license # Verify permissions sudo chmod 644 /etc/nfw.license Invalid License ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Error**: ``Invalid license`` **Causes**: 1. **Corrupted file**: Re-download or request a new license file 2. **Wrong format**: Ensure binary format, not text 3. **Tampered file**: License files are cryptographically signed **Solution**: Re-download the original license file from ntop.org System ID Mismatch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Error**: ``System ID mismatch`` or ``License not valid for this system`` **Causes**: 1. **License installed on wrong system**: License is tied to specific hardware 2. **Hardware changed**: Motherboard, network cards, or other hardware changed 3. **Virtual machine cloned**: VM cloning changes hardware identifiers **Solutions**: 1. **Verify System ID**: .. code-block:: console nfw --show-system-id 2. **Contact ntop.org**: Request license transfer or update for new hardware 3. **For VMs**: Use stable hardware identifiers or request VM-friendly license License Expired ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Error**: ``License expired on YYYY-MM-DD`` **Solution**: Contact ntop.org to renew your license .. code-block:: console # Check expiration date nfw --check-license Maintenance Expired ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Error**: ``Maintenance expired on YYYY-MM-DD`` **Impact**: nFW continues to run, but updates and support are unavailable **Solution**: Renew maintenance with ntop.org .. code-block:: console # Check maintenance status nfw --check-maintenance License for Virtual Machines ----------------------------- VM Considerations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Virtual machines present special challenges for hardware-based licensing: - **VM Cloning**: Cloned VMs may have different hardware IDs - **VM Migration**: Moving VMs between hosts can change hardware - **Snapshots**: Restoring snapshots may affect licensing Best Practices for VMs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. **Use Static Hardware IDs**: Configure VM with stable MAC addresses and disk UUIDs 2. **Request VM-Specific License**: Some licenses can be tied to software identifiers instead of hardware 3. **Document VM Configuration**: Keep records of VM settings for license requests 4. **Test Before Deployment**: Verify license works after VM cloning/migration License Backup -------------- It's recommended to keep backup copies of your license: .. code-block:: console # Backup license file sudo cp /etc/nfw.license ~/nfw.license.backup # Store in version control or secure location # IMPORTANT: Do not share license files publicly **Note**: License files are tied to specific systems and should be kept secure. Moving License to New Hardware ------------------------------- If you need to move nFW to new hardware: Step 1: Get New System ID ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the new system: .. code-block:: console nfw --show-system-id Step 2: Contact ntop.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Request a license transfer or new license: - Provide old System ID - Provide new System ID - Explain reason for transfer (hardware upgrade, replacement, etc.) Step 3: Install New License ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once received: .. code-block:: console sudo cp nfw-new.license /etc/nfw.license nfw --check-license License Compliance ------------------ Terms of Use ~~~~~~~~~~~~ nFW licenses typically include: - **Single System**: License is valid for one system only - **No Redistribution**: License files cannot be shared or redistributed - **No Modification**: License files must not be altered - **Commercial Use**: Requires commercial license (evaluation licenses are for testing only) Compliance Verification ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ntop.org may periodically verify license compliance. Ensure: - License file is authentic and unmodified - System ID matches licensed system - License is not expired - Usage complies with license terms Frequently Asked Questions -------------------------- Can I use one license on multiple systems? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No. Each license is tied to a specific System ID and can only be used on one system. What happens if my hardware fails? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact ntop.org to transfer your license to replacement hardware. Provide both old and new System IDs. Can I run nFW without a license for testing? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ nFW requires a valid license. Contact ntop.org for an evaluation license for testing purposes. How long is the license valid? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ License validity periods vary. Check with ``nfw --check-license`` or review your license agreement. What's the difference between license and maintenance expiration? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - **License Expiration**: nFW stops working - **Maintenance Expiration**: nFW continues working, but no updates or support Do I need a new license for nFW updates? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No. Your license remains valid for all nFW versions during your maintenance period. Can I transfer my license to a virtual machine? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes, if the VM has a stable System ID. Contact ntop.org if you encounter issues. Support and Contact ------------------- For license-related questions or issues: - **Sales**: sales@ntop.org - **Support**: support@ntop.org - **Website**: https://www.ntop.org - **Phone**: Check website for regional contact numbers When contacting support, please provide: - System ID - License file name - Error messages - Output of ``nfw --check-license`` Next Steps ---------- - Complete the :doc:`install` process - Follow the :doc:`quick_start` guide - Review :doc:`configuration` options