NetScaler Console service

Upgrade a perpetual license in NetScaler MPX to NetScaler Pooled capacity

NetScaler MPX appliance with perpetual license can be upgraded to NetScaler Pooled capacity license. Upgrading to NetScaler Pooled capacity license enables you to allocate licenses from the license pool to NetScaler appliances on demand. NetScaler can use one license at a time which is either use perpetual license or use the pooled license. A customer can make a switch from a pooled license to a perpetual license. As long as the perpetual license is valid, you can reconfigure the NetScaler and remove the pooled licensing config. When a customer makes a switch from perpetual license to pooled license or pooled to perpetual license, all the NetScaler instances are restarted.

You can also configure the NetScaler Pooled capacity license for NetScaler instances configured in high availability mode. To configure NetScaler Pooled capacity license for NetScaler MPX instances in high availability mode, see Upgrading the perpetual license in NetScaler MPX high availability pair to NetScaler Pooled capacity.

Note

For upgrading NetScaler MPX appliance to NetScaler Pooled capacity license, you need to upload the MPX-Z license to the appliance.

To upgrade to NetScaler Pooled capacity:

  1. In a Web browser, type the IP address of the NetScaler appliance, such as http://192.168.100.1.

  2. In User Name and Password fields, type the administrator credentials.

  3. On the Welcome page, click Continue.

  4. Upload the zero capacity license (MPX-Z license). On the Configuration tab, navigate to System > Licenses.

  5. In the details pane, click Manage Licenses, click Add New License.

  6. In the Licenses page, select Upload license files and click Browse to select the zero capacity license from your local machine.

    Upload license files

  7. After the license is uploaded, click Reboot to reboot the appliance.

    Warning

    After applying the MPX-Z license, the features including SSL offloading on the appliance become unlicensed. The appliance stops processing HTTPS requests.

    If the Secure Access Only option is enabled on the appliance before the upgrade, you cannot connect to the appliance through NetScaler Console GUI using HTTPS.

    Reboot NetScaler instance

  8. On the Confirm page, click Yes.

    Yes

  9. After the appliance reboots, logon to the appliance.

  10. On the Welcome page, click the Licenses section.

    Save configuration and reboot

  11. In the License Server section, do the following:

    Configure license server

    1. In the Server Name/IP Address field, enter the license server details.

    2. In the License Port field, enter the license server port. Default value: 27000.

    3. If you want to manage your instance’s pool licenses through NetScaler Console, select the Register with Licensing Server for manageability checkbox and enter NetScaler Console credentials.

    4. Click Continue.

  12. In the Allocate licenses window, do the following:

    1. Select the license edition from the drop-down list.

      Allocate licenses

    2. Allocate the bandwidth to the NetScaler appliance from the Allocate menu and click Get Licenses.

      Get licenses

    3. When prompted, click Reboot to reboot the appliance.

  13. Once the NetScaler MPX appliance reboots, logon to the NetScaler MPX appliance. On the Welcome page, click Continue.

    After MPX appliance logon

    The Licenses page lists all the licensed features.

    NetScaler features

  14. Navigate to System > Pooled Licensing and click Manage Licenses.

    Manage licenses

    On the Manage Licenses page, you can view the details of the license server, license edition and the allocated bandwidth.

    License details of the license server

Upgrading the perpetual license in NetScaler MPX high availability pair to NetScaler Pooled capacity

For the NetScaler MPX appliances configured in high availability mode, you have to configure NetScaler Pooled capacity on both the primary and secondary NetScaler instances in the HA pair. You need to allocate licenses of the same capacity to both the primary and secondary NetScaler instances in the HA pair. For example, if you want 1 Gbps capacity from each instance in the HA pair, you need to allocate 2 Gbps capacity from the common pool so that you can allocate 1 Gbps capacity each to the primary and secondary NetScaler instances in the HA pair.

Important

For upgrading NetScaler MPX appliance to use NetScaler Pooled capacity license, you need to upload the MPX-Z to the appliance.

Prerequisites

Make sure that you upload the MPX-Z license to both the primary and secondary instances in the HA pair.

To upload the MPX-Z license to the NetScaler MPX instances in the HA pair:

  1. In a Web browser, type the IP address of the appliance, such as http://192.168.100.1.

  2. In User Name and Password fields, type the administrator credentials.

  3. On the Welcome page, click Continue.

  4. Upload the zero capacity license (MPX-Z license). On the Configuration tab, navigate to System > Licenses.

  5. In the details pane, click Manage Licenses, click Add New License.

  6. In the Licenses page, select Upload license files and click Browse to select the zero capacity license from your local machine.

    Upload license files

    Once the license is uploaded you are prompted to reboot the appliance.

  7. Click Reboot to reboot the appliance.

    Reboot the appliance

  8. On the Confirm page, click Yes.

Confirmation message

To upgrade an exisiting HA setup to NetScaler Pooled capacity:

  1. Log on to the secondary NetScaler MPX Instance. In a Web browser, type the IP address of the NetScaler appliance, such as http://192.168.100.1.

  2. In User Name and Password fields, type the administrator credentials.

  3. On the Welcome page, click the Licenses section.

    Welcome to high-availability setup

  4. In the License Server section, do the following:

    License server

    1. In the Server Name/IP Address field, enter the license server details.

    2. In the License Port field, enter the license server port. Default value: 27000.

    3. If you want to manage your instance’s pool licenses through NetScaler Console, select the Register with Licensing Server for manageability checkbox and enter NetScaler Console credentials.

    4. Click Continue.

  5. In the Allocate licenses window, do the following:

    1. Select the license edition from the drop-down list.

      Allocate licenses

    2. Allocate the bandwidth to the NetScaler appliance from the Allocate menu and click Get Licenses.

      Get licenses

    3. When prompted, click Reboot to reboot the appliance.

      After the secondary NetScaler MPX appliance reboots, it becomes the primary NetScaler MPX appliance in the HA pair.

  6. Log on to the existing primary NetScaler MPX appliance and reboot the appliance. Perform the following:

    1. In a Web browser, type the IP address of the NetScaler appliance, such as http://192.168.100.1.

    2. In User Name and Password fields, type the administrator credentials.

    3. On the Welcome page, click Continue.

    4. On the Configuration tab, click System.

    5. On the System page, click Reboot.

      Reboot the instance

    6. On the Reboot page, select Warm reboot and click OK.

      Save configuration and reboot

    After the primary NetScaler MPX appliance reboots, it becomes the secondary NetScaler MPX appliance in the HA pair. If required, you can change the primary and secondary instances in the HA pair to your original HA pair configuration by using the following command on any instance in the HA pair:

    > force ha failover
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Upgrade a perpetual license in NetScaler MPX to NetScaler Pooled capacity