SA6500 License Usage

[Les_G_]

I have two SA6500 in cluster mode with 350 licenses each. I know the licenses are no shared in cluster mode Active/Active but I would like the community take on if it is better to go Active/Passive and utilize all licenses or is Active/Active better?

Also does it count against your license when the SA is proxing i.e.... web links?

Thanks!

[-red-_]

Whether the licenses are shared will depend upon which licenses you actually have. Say if each of your boxes has actual user licenses (add 250 simultaneous users) vs. one box with user license and the other one with a matching cluster user licenses, then they would add up in either clustering mode. If I am not mistaken, this was introduced with 7.x code.

If one is a regular user license and the other a cluster license then you just get 350 users regardless of the mode you run (my account team is used to getting an earfull from us on this one)

As far as license usage, to the best of my knowledge, each authenticated user session will consume a license.

[Les_G_]

Thanks red!

ok, I understand they add up but I think I should have phrase my question a little different.

Our setup is a little strange we are in Active/Active mode but not using a loadbalancer so only one box is used at a time.

My question should have been do I get to use the 700 add up licenses on a single box even in Active/Active mode.

[-red-_ · Accepted solution]

Yes, as long as the devices are clustered you should be able to absorb all 700 users on one box (or across 2 boxes.) shouldnt really matter. I believe this would become an issue if you lose one of the appliances for an extended period of time.  I think there is a grace period which allows you to utilize licenses from both appliances even with one of them down, but I dont recall for how long.

I am a bit curious about your cluster set up though. Is there a particular reason you chose to do active/active without a load balancer?

[Les_G_]

This setup was in place before I arrived. Never got a good reasoning as to why it was configured that way. The engineer who was respopnsible for the SA is no longer here and he was the one that told me the licenses are not shared.

[zanyterp_]

The licenses are shared depending on what type you have and what OS you are using.

Pre-7.2 (7.1?) there was no sharing of licenses; with one of those versions, it became possible for addition of the licenses on both units to count for total user count IF there is no cluster license. (at least that is my understanding; if you have a cluster license, e.g. Share-500-users-with-another-SA, then there is no combining).