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.

Steps

  1. Go to https://⁠stonesoftlicenses.forcepoint.com.
  2. In the License Identification field, enter the POL or POS code, as follows.
    • Proof-of-license (POL) code — Identifies the license. For previously licensed components, the POL code is shown in the Licenses tree in the Administration Configuration view.
    • Proof-of-serial (POS) number — The Forcepoint NGFW appliances additionally have a proof-of-serial number that you can find on a label attached to the appliance hardware.
  3. Click Submit.
  4. Check which components are listed as included in this license, then click Register.
  5. Read the instructions on the page, then fill in the required fields for all included components.
  6. Enter the details that bind each license to a component, as follows:
    Component Details for license binding
    Management Servers
    • IP-address-bound license — Enter the IP address that you plan to use on the server. If your license allows several Management Servers in the same SMC for high availability, enter a comma-separated list of the IP addresses of all Management Servers.
    • UIID-bound license — Enter the UIID of the SMC. The UIID is automatically generated when you install the SMC. The UIID is also shown in the properties of the Management Server, Log Server, or Web Portal Server elements.
    Other SMC servers
    • IP-address-bound license — Enter the IP address that you plan to use on the server.
    • Management Server POL-bound license — Enter the Management Server’s POL code.
    • UIID-bound license — Enter the UIID of the SMC. The UIID is automatically generated when you install the SMC. The UIID is also shown in the properties of the Management Server, Log Server, or Web Portal Server elements.
    Master NGFW Engines Enter the POS code of a Forcepoint NGFW appliance (see the label attached to the appliance).
    NGFW Engines
    • For Forcepoint NGFW appliances, enter the POS code of the appliance (see the label attached to the appliance).
    • For Forcepoint NGFW software installed on your own hardware or on a virtualization platform, enter the POL code of the Management Server that you use to manage the NGFW Engine.
    Note: POS binding is always recommended when the option is available.
    Note: If the binding information is incorrect, the license is unusable. If you accidentally generated a license with the wrong binding information, request a license change through the License Center.
  7. Click Submit Request.
    The license file available for download at the License Center.