Generate licenses
Generally, each SMC component and NGFW Engine must have a separate license. Some additional features might also require a separate license.
There are some exceptions:
- In a high availability environment where there are multiple Management Servers, all Management Servers in the same SMC share a single license.
- All currently available Forcepoint NGFW appliance models can fetch a license automatically through the Management Server if automatic updates are enabled. If automatic licensing fails, the appliances have a 30-day temporary initial license to allow time for manual licensing.
- Forcepoint NGFW Engines deployed in the AWS cloud with the Bring Your Own License image must have a license in the SMC. Forcepoint NGFW Engines deployed in the AWS cloud with the Hourly (pay as you go) license image do not require a separate license in the SMC.
Licenses always indicate the newest software version that you are entitled to, but they are valid for licensing any older software versions as well.
Note: Your SMC might be able to automatically generate licenses for new Forcepoint NGFW appliances. For automatic
licensing to work, install a license for the SMC components and make sure that automatic updates are enabled on the Management
Server. The temporary initial license is automatically replaced with a permanent POS-bound license after the policy is first installed on the appliance.