A license key is a signed file that MongoDB issues to confirm that your MongoDB Enterprise Advanced order is active. You install the license key in Ops Manager, and Ops Manager uses it to show the license key status of your installation and to warn you before your order end date.
MongoDB is introducing license keys to bring Enterprise Advanced licensing into general alignment with the wider software market. License keys give you clear visibility of your license key status and renewal timeline inside Ops Manager.
License keys apply to Ops Manager 9.0.2, 8.0.28, and later. If you run an earlier version, you don't need a license key.
Important
Ops Manager doesn't restrict any operation in any license key status. Your deployments, backups, and restores keep working, and you can always install a license key.
License Key Lifecycle
A license key goes through four stages. The following sections describe each stage in order.
You generate a license key in the Key Portal for the Key Manager ID of your installation.
You install the license key in Ops Manager. Ops Manager verifies the license key itself, so you can install it without a connection to MongoDB.
Ops Manager calculates the license key status and warns you before and after the order end date.
Before the order end date, you generate a renewed license key. A connected installation installs it automatically. Otherwise, you install it yourself.
Get and Install a License Key
You generate a license key in the Key Portal at https://support.mongodb.com/keyportal. To generate a license key, add your Ops Manager installation to the Key Portal by its Key Manager ID.
The Key Manager ID identifies an Ops Manager installation, including every instance in a high-availability setup. Ops Manager rejects a license key that MongoDB issued for a different Key Manager ID.
If you can't generate a license key, your MongoDB order might be expiring or pending renewal. Contact the person who manages your MongoDB Enterprise Advanced order or your MongoDB account team.
Ops Manager verifies each license key with public keys that are built into your Ops Manager installation. To find the Key Manager ID and install a license key, see Manage License Keys in Ops Manager. To learn about the errors that Ops Manager returns when it rejects a license key, see Troubleshoot Install Errors.
License Key Status
Ops Manager calculates the license key status every hour. Ops Manager also recalculates the status immediately after you install or release a license key.
A license key that fails verification provides no coverage. Ops Manager treats an installation that has only unverified license keys the same as an installation with no license key.
Status Values
The License Key Manager page and the API describe the same status with different names. The following table maps each Ops Manager interface status to the enforcement.effectiveState value that the API returns:
Interface Status | API State | Description |
|---|---|---|
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| A license key covers your installation, and no renewal warning is open. |
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| A license key covers your installation, and a renewal warning is open. The |
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| Your installation has no current coverage, and the grace period is running. This status applies when your order end date passes or when you haven't installed a usable license key. |
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| Your order end date passed, and the grace period ended without a new license key. |
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| You haven't installed a usable license key, and the grace period ended. |
Grace Period
The grace period lasts 90 days. After your order end date passes, Ops Manager enters the GRACE state. If you don't install a new license key within 90 days, the state changes to EXPIRED.
If you install Ops Manager, or upgrade to a version that supports license keys, without installing a license key, the grace period starts when Ops Manager first calculates the license key status, within an hour of startup. If you still haven't installed a license key after 90 days, the state changes to UNLICENSED.
To return to the Active status, install a license key that covers your installation. To learn how, see Manage License Keys in Ops Manager.
Renewal Reminders
Ops Manager opens a renewal warning before your order end date:
For orders of two years or longer, the warning opens six months before the order end date.
For shorter orders, the warning opens four months before the order end date.
While the warning is open, the status is Needs attention.
Notifications
Ops Manager notifies you about license key status in the following ways:
A banner at the top of the Ops Manager interface.
A warning icon on the License Keys item in the Admin navigation.
Messages on the License Key Manager page.
System alerts.
Ops Manager shows the banner, the icon, and the page only to users with the Global Owner role.
Banner
The banner links to the License Key Manager page. The banner doesn't appear on that page.
The banner is yellow when the status is Needs attention or Grace period. The yellow banner shows the following message:
You are at risk of not meeting your license key requirements.The banner is red when the status is Expired or Unlicensed. The red banner shows the following message:
You are not meeting your license key requirements.License Key Manager Page Messages
The License Key Manager page shows a message that matches the status:
Status | Message |
|---|---|
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System Alerts
Ops Manager creates the following system alerts by default. By default, each alert sends a notification again every week while the alert stays open.
Alert | Opens When |
|---|---|
| The state is |
| The state is |
The detail of each alert includes the current state. If Ops Manager projects a state change, the detail also includes the next state and the date of the change. The alert email includes a link to the License Key Manager page.
By default, Ops Manager sends the alert email to the Admin Email Address. To change the notification settings, see Modify Notification Settings for a System Alert.
Renew a License Key
Before your order end date, generate a renewed license key in the Key Portal for the Key Manager ID of your installation. If your Ops Manager installation can connect to MongoDB, Ops Manager checks for new license keys every hour and installs the renewed license key automatically. Automatic installation is always on and you can't turn it off.
You must install the first license key of an installation manually. If Ops Manager can't connect to MongoDB, or if an automatic install fails, Ops Manager tries again at the next check. You can also install a license key yourself at any time. To learn how, see Manage License Keys in Ops Manager.
If your renewal is still in progress, contact your MongoDB account team to request a temporary extension. MongoDB must approve any temporary extension.
Telemetry and License Keys
Ops Manager sends MongoDB product usage telemetry to help MongoDB provide better support, understand your deployment models, and identify areas for investment. A license key can include a telemetry exemption, which gives you the option to turn off product usage telemetry.
The License Key Manager page shows the exemption under Entitlements.
If your license key doesn't include a telemetry exemption, Ops Manager sends product usage telemetry. In this case, the Ops Manager interface rejects requests to disable product usage collection with the following error:
Product usage collection requires a license telemetry exemptionFor more information about the data that Ops Manager collects, see Ops Manager Telemetry Overview.
Related Pages
For more information about license keys, see the following pages: