Nebula - License 2.0

With Nebula Phase 11 comes a new license system.
This guide will give you all the information you need about it.

 

Table of Content

1. License Model Overview

2. What can we do with Licenses?

 

1. License Model Overview

Anyone can use the basic Nebula features but will require a license for the more advanced features.

Types of licenses:

• PRO Pack License
• PLUS Pack License
• NSS License

Each Nebula organization displays different status based on the different types of active licenses.

• Base
• Trial
• Plus
• Pro

You can find the differences between the licenses here:

Differences between Nebula Free & Nebula Pro Pack Features

 

Trial Organization

New organizations created by any Nebula account have 30-day full access to all PRO Pack and NSG-based Security Service features.
There is no limit to the number of sites or devices that can be added to an organization.

NCC sends an email notification when the trial period expires in 21/14/7/1 day(s).

It is optional to activate the trial during the final step of creating a new organization:

Please keep in mind that this is the only time where you can activate the trial period.
You won't get a second chance later.

 

Types of Licenses – Summary

 

License – MSP Pack

• Bound on: Nebula Account
• Available as: Add-on License
• Scope: MSP
• Duration: 1-year/2-year/1-month
• Description: Unlocks MSP menu and all features included
  • MSP Branding
  • Admins & Teams
  • Cross-org synchronization

Look into Nebula Licensing 2.0 - MSP Portal License Trial and Information for more information.

 

License – PLUS Pack

• Bound on: AP, Switch or Security Gateway
• Available as: Add-on License
• Scope: Organization
• Duration: 1-year/2-year/1-month
• Description: Unlocks PLUS pack features; Upgrades Organization Tier to PLUS

 

License – PRO Pack

• Bound on: AP, Switch or Security Gateway
• Available as: Bundled License, Add-on License
• Scope: Organization
• Duration: 1-year/2-year/1-month
• Description: Unlocks PRO pack features; Upgrades Organization Tier to PRO

 

License – Nebula Security Service (NSS)

• Bound on: Any Nebula Security Gateway (NSG) model
• Available as: Bundled License, Add-on License
• Scope: Per-device
• Duration: 1-year
• Description: Unlocks Security Services supported by NSG
• Additional Info: NSS licenses come with a specific NSG model

 

License – UTM Security Pack

• Bound on: Any USG FLEX model
• Available as: Bundled License, Add-on License
• Scope: Per-device
• Duration : 1-year/2-year/1-month
• Description: Unlocks Security Services supported by USG FLEX
• Additional Info: UTM licenses come with a specific USG FLEX model

 

License – Secure WiFi

• Bound on: Any USG FLEX model
• Available as: Add-on License
• Scope: Per-device
• Duration: 1-year/2-year/1-month
• Description: Unlocks Remote AP for Teleworker solution
• Additional Info: Secure WiFi licenses come with a specific USG FLEX   model

 

Bundled License vs Add-on License

• Bundled Licenses
  • It comes with purchasing a Nebula, NebulaFlex Pro or USG FLEX device
  • Permanently assigned to the bundled device
  • The license cannot be transferred from a bundled device
• Add-on (Digital) Licenses
  • Purchased from the marketplace or resellers
  • The license can be assigned to different devices
  • The license can be transferred from one device to another

 

Devices with bundled licenses

• Nebula AP comes with:
  • 3-year NCC PRO Pack
• Nebula Switch comes with:
  • 1-year NCC PRO Pack
• NebulaFlex Pro devices come with:
  • 1-year NCC PRO Pack
• Nebula Security Gateway comes with:
  • 1-year NCC PRO Pack
  • 1-year NSS Pack

• USG FLEX (0101F version) comes with:
  • 30-day UTM Security Pack
• USG FLEX (0102F version) comes with:
  • 30-day UTM Security Pack
  • 1-year UTM Security Pack

 

Bundled Licenses/Service

Mode	UTM Security Feature	30-Day	1-Year
Standalone/Cloud	Web Filtering*	30 days	366 days
	Application Patrol	30 days	366 days
	Anti-Malware	30 days	366 days
	IDP	30 days	366 days
	CDR	30 days	366 days
	SecuReporter	396 days	None
Cloud only	Nebula PRO Pack	30 days	366 days
	Security Profile Sync	30 days	366 days
Standalone only	Email Security	30 days	366 days
	Hospitality Pack	30 days	None

 

2. What can we do with Licenses?

Previously licenses could be added, assigned and counted. With License 2.0, they can also be unassigned and transferred.

 

License Activation Process

 

Adding Licenses

• Nebula administrators can input license keys to add add-on licenses to an organization
• Bundled licenses are added to organizations at the same time its bundled device is added
• Added licenses all start in an inactive state.
  • Licenses in an inactive state mean it has not started its expiration countdown/timer

 

Assigning Licenses

• Add-on PRO/PLUS Pack licenses can be assigned to any product model
• Add-on NSS Pack licenses can be assigned to NSG only
• Add-on UTM Pack licenses can be assigned to USG FLEX only
• All bundled license starts-off assigned (permanently) to its device
• Multiple add-on (PLUS and PRO) licenses can be assigned to the same device

 

Activating Services (PRO/PLUS/NSS/UTM)

• Nebula administrators cannot directly or selectively activate licenses
• Nebula administrators must use the [Upgrade] button to activate services indirectly
• Services that are activated changes one of their assigned licenses to counting status

 

Counting Licenses

• Licenses assigned to devices change to counting if the service is activated
• License begins expiration countdown/timer as soon as it changes to counting status

 

Un-assigning PLUS/PRO Pack Licenses

• Allows licenses to be assigned to another device
• Licenses can be un-assigned before activation
• Licenses cannot be un-assigned after activation

 

 

Transferring PLUS/PRO Pack Licenses

• PLUS/PRO Licenses can be transferred to a different organization with the same owner or administrators with delegate authority
  • Un-assigned licenses can be transferred
  • Assigned licenses can be transferred

 

Upgrading Organization Status

• [Upgrade] button can upgrade an organization when:
  • PLUS/PRO service is not in an active status
  • All devices are assigned with PRO pack licenses
  • All devices are assigned with PLUS pack licenses
  • All devices are assigned with a mix of PRO/PLUS licenses
• Clicking [Upgrade] causes:
  • Assigned PLUS/PRO licenses to start counting its expiration countdown/timer (at most one license per device)
  • Changes organization status to PLUS or PRO

 

Upgrading Base Pack Organizations – PLUS Pack

Upgrades to PLUS organization if all devices are assigned with PLUS Pack licenses

 

Upgrading Base Pack Organizations – PRO Pack

Upgrades to PRO organization if all devices are assigned with PRO Pack licenses

 

Upgrading Base Pack Organizations – Mixed Licenses

• PRO pack licenses cover both PRO and PLUS pack tiers
• PLUS pack licenses cannot be used to upgrade the organization to PRO pack tier

 

Maintaining Organization Status

• Nebula administrators can extend PLUS or PRO period by assigning multiple licenses to a device
  • When an assigned license expires, an extra assigned license takes over and starts counting its expiration countdown/timer
• Adding new devices into a PRO organization, NCC can maintain PRO status by counting any bundled or add-on PRO pack license assigned to this device
• Order of counting multiple assigned licenses:
  • bundled à add-on (shortest duration) à add-on (longest duration)

 

Maintaining Organization Status – Assigning Extra Licenses

Any license that expires is immediately replaced with the extra assigned license:

 

Maintaining Organization Status – Adding New Device

Adding a new device to PRO/PLUS organization with a non-counting license will start counting as soon as it is added:

 

Maintaining Organization Status – Adding New Device

Adding a new device without an assigned license causes the organization to enter the grace period.

The license must be assigned and the [Upgrade] has to be pressed again.

 

Downgrading Organization – Expiration

• PLUS or PRO organization downgrades if any counting license expires
• Licenses may not share the same expiration date because licenses may be transferred from different organizations
• NCC initiates a 15-day long grace period when one or more licenses expire
  • Organization downgrades if nothing is done after the grace period ends
  • The grace period provides administrators time to assign new licenses

 

Downgrading Organization – Expiration (and Recovery)

• Administrators can assign a license to a device with an expired license
• Must select [Upgrade] to recover organization status

• Administrators can remove the device with an expired license
• Must select [Upgrade Now] to recover organization status

 

Downgrading Organization – Adding New Device

• The organization may downgrade if a new device is added or transferred to the organization carrying none or a lower license tier license
  • PRO/PLUS organization downgrades to BASE if added/transferred device has no assigned license
  • NCC initiates a 15-day long grace period before the downgrade

 

Changing Organization Status – PLUS -> PRO

 

Downgrading Organization – Email Notification

• NCC sends an email notification to the owner account when any counting license expires before 15 days
• MZC sends an email notification to the owner account when any counting license expires in 90/60/30/14/7 days

 

Compensation – Point Conversion

• The system will automatically compensate users with NCC or NSS points remaining in their organizations during the conversion date
• License Points will be converted to time-based PRO pack licenses
• The organization must have devices added in the organization to convert

 

• If a Pro pack organization has added devices and NCC/NSS points,
  • Each device are assigned and activated with PRO/NSS bundled licenses that expire at the expiration (co-termination) date

 

Compensation – Limited Lifetime Licenses

• Any organization that has upgraded using at least one limited lifetime licenses is changed to LLL status
• LLL-AP/LLL-SWT/LLL-GW/LLL-UP can only be assigned to its respective product line
• LLL organizations may add and assign PRO pack licenses to new devices to maintain LLL status
• LLL organizations can still downgrade (after the grace period) to a BASE organization if new devices are added without licenses
• LLL organizations do not support mix with PLUS license

 

Removing Device from Organization

• To avoid user misunderstanding, the register/unregister device action was changed to add/remove
• The device that is removed from a Nebula organization:
  • It is still registered on the MyZyxel
  • Still continues any activated license expiration countdown/timer
  • Requires QR code scan with Mobile App to add this device to an organization owned by a different account
• USG FLEX on cloud mode that is removed from a Nebula organization returns to standalone mode and does not require device registration again

 

USG FLEX License Activation

• USG FLEX UTM Pack license activates all security service for both cloud and standalone mode
• Activating  PRO/UTM pack service via NCC activates standalone UTM services as well
• Activating standalone UTM service via MyZyxel website also activates cloud PRO/UTM pack service as well
• For UTM Pack service activated before Phase 11 launch, PRO Pack and UTM Pack still shares the same expiration date

 

Back to our Nebula Phase 11 Overview.