PingFederate Server

Installing a replacement license key

You can replace your existing PingFederate license key by importing a new license file using the PingFederate administrated console.

Steps

  1. Start PingFederate and sign on to the administrative console.

  2. Go to System → Server → License.

  3. In the License window, click Choose File, select the license file, and click Import.

    Result:

    If the license is for the wrong version of PingFederate or is found to be invalid for some other reason, PingFederate displays an error message and keeps the existing license regardless of whether the existing license has expired.

    If the new license does not include support for features found in your existing license, or if there is some other potential problem with the license, PingFederate advises and prompts you on whether to continue.

    When the license file is verified for use with your PingFederate instance, the license information is saved in the <pf_install>/pingfederate/server/default/conf/pingfederate.lic file.

    The previous license file is renamed with a timestamp in the same conf directory.

  4. If you have a clustered PingFederate environment, go to System → Server → Cluster Management and click Replicate Configuration.

    You must use the Replicate Configuration window to initiate the transmission of the license file from the console node to all engine nodes.

    When an engine node receives license information from the console node, if the issue date of the new license is not as recent as that of the existing license, the engine node ignores the new license from the console and logs the following warning message in the server log.

    License from Console node ignored as Engine node has recently obtained license.

    If you prefer to use the license from the console node, even the existing license on the engine node is more recent in terms of the issue date, manually remove or rename the <pf_install>/pingfederate/server/default/conf/pingfederate.lic license file on the engine node, then click Replicate Configuration on the Cluster Management window again.

    If the issue date of the new license is more recent than or equal to that of the existing license, the engine node saves the new license information to the <pf_install>/pingfederate/server/default/conf/pingfederate.lic license file and activates it immediately. No restart is required.

    For any engine node that was offline at the time of the import, when it restarts and joins the cluster, it consumes the new license information from the console node and applies the same processing logic.

    PingFederate no longer maintains its license information in the <pf_install>/pingfederate/server/default/data/.pingfederate.lic file, which is referred to as the secondary license file in the previous versions of PingFederate. The .pingfederate.lic file, if any, is ignored.