Getting a Radiator License
Getting a Radiator License
Radiator requires a valid license for its server services and RadiatorDB. Radiator Software offers evaluation licenses for testing and subscription or perpetual licenses for production use.
License types
Radiator supports these license types:
- Time-limited evaluation: Intended for testing during a fixed period and valid until its runtime end date.
- Request-limited evaluation: Intended for testing with a fixed allowance of counted requests per protocol during each Radiator process boot.
- Subscription: Valid until its runtime end date and for Radiator software built on or before its end-of-support build date.
- Perpetual: Has no runtime end date and is valid for Radiator software built on or before its end-of-support build date.
The end-of-support build date is both the end of support and the newest Radiator software build that can use the license. Software built after that date requires a newer license.
Licensed services
A license states which Radiator servers are available (RADIUS, TACACS+, etc.) and whether RadiatorDB is included. RadiatorDB operations do not add to the server request count.
Radiator UI shows the effective status of each service across all active licenses, their expiration, and per-boot request usage when a request limit applies.
For services that are configured, the Licenses page and the dashboard warn when a license expires, or when a perpetual license stops covering newer builds, within 90 days. The warning is shown in yellow, and in red within 30 days or once the license has expired. Once a perpetual license no longer covers newer builds, the warning stays yellow, because the installed version keeps working.
Server service flags apply to incoming servers. They do not restrict backend connections. For example, the RADIUS service flag controls incoming RADIUS servers, not RADIUS backends used for proxying.
Request-limited evaluation licenses
The Requests value sets the maximum number of counted incoming requests for each licensed protocol during one Radiator process boot. All configured servers for the same protocol share that protocol's allowance.
When multiple active licenses include the same protocol, Radiator uses the highest request allowance for that protocol. If any active license permits unlimited requests for the protocol, the effective allowance is unlimited. Licenses that do not include the protocol do not affect its allowance.
The count starts at zero when Radiator starts. Reloading or replacing a license does not reset it. Radiator UI and Management API requests, RadiatorDB operations, backend requests, and RADIUS Status-Server traffic do not count. A TACACS+ continuation belonging to an already-counted request does not count again.
When a protocol's allowance is exhausted, Radiator rejects further counted requests for that protocol and logs Request rejected because licensed maximum request count was reached.
Obtain, renew, or replace a license
Send an email to sales@radiatorsoftware.com to obtain or renew a license, or to request a replacement for a missing license.
For a new license, include whether you need a testing or production license, which server services and RadiatorDB access you need, and the required requests per protocol per Radiator process boot for a request-limited evaluation. See the Radiator product page for an overview of the product. For a replacement license, include your organization name and any order reference you have.
Install a license
Once you receive the license file, upload it in Radiator UI.
After you select the file, Radiator UI shows the licensee, license type, serial number, validity dates, and licensed services before the file is uploaded. Radiator UI also lists every reason why Radiator Server would reject the license:
- The file is not a valid license, or its signature does not verify. Radiator UI shows only the error and no license details.
- The license does not cover the running Radiator Server version or build date.
- The license has expired or is not valid yet.
- The license is restricted to another operating system, hostname, or system.
- An installed license has the same serial number, or a license with the same name is configured inline in the configuration.
Radiator UI does not upload a license that has any of these problems. A license that expires within 90 days shows an expiry warning but can be uploaded. If the upload itself fails, the dialog shows the error from Radiator Server.
When you upload a .license file in Configuration -> Files with Create -> Upload file, the upload dialog shows the same details and blocks the upload in the same way.
The uploaded license is added to the pending configuration. It takes effect when you deploy the pending configuration.
You can also install license files through configuration. See the license configuration reference for directory and single-file configuration behavior.