PRO Server FAQ: Licensing

How can I try CrashPlan PRO?

Sign up for a Master License Key and download the software to take advantage of a free, 30-day trial.

Is the free trial software the same as the "regular" software?

Yes. The free trial is fully featured and allows an unlimited number of client seats.

How do I choose between CrashPlan+ and CrashPlan PRO?

CrashPlan+ is our consumer offering and does not require technical resources to install or manage.

CrashPlan PRO is enterprise software designed for organizations with the technical resources and expertise to manage a server. If you have 10 or more clients to back up, you will benefit from the additional management features of CrashPlan PRO.

How is CrashPlan PRO licensed?

CrashPlan PRO is licensed per computer (including virtual machines) that backs up data (a seat). The PRO Server is free. Your initial seat license purchase includes a year of support and upgrades.

Am I limited to a certain amount of space per license?

No. A licensed computer can back up as much data as you have room for.

Do I have to re-purchase licenses every year?

No. Seat licenses do not expire once they've been purchased.

How can I get support and upgrades after my first year?

Your seat licenses include a year of support and upgrades. In order to continue receiving support and upgrades, purchase a support pack from our online store.

When does my support end?

Support and Maintenance has a single end date for your entire CrashPlan PRO environment. You can view the support end date from the PRO Server under Licensing.

When you purchase PRO Client Licenses, 1 year of Support and Maintenance is also included. If you purchase additional PRO Client Licenses, you receive a corresponding quantity 1-year support licenses. When you purchase additional PRO Client or Support and Maintenance licenses, PRO Server extends your support end date appropriately based on how many seats you have and how much additional support you purchased. Support always have a single end date.

Important - If you skip renewing your support license and later decide that you want to upgrade to the current version, you need to purchase support and maintenance for the time you missed, plus the time you'd like going forward.

Do you offer site licenses?

Site licenses are available for very large quantities. Contact sales@crashplanpro.com for more information.

How do I buy?

For quantities of 100 seats or less, purchase directly from our online store. For quantites of more than 100 seats, please contact us at sales@crashplanpro.com.

Can you host my server for me?

Yes! Contact sales@crashplanpro.com for full details.

Can you host a secondary destination for me?

Yes! If you're running your own PRO Server, you can add our PRO Server as a secondary backup destination. Contact sales@crashplanpro.com for full details.

I want to host my own server. What hardware should I get?

The Planning Guide describes the important concepts you need to consider when making decisions about storage. CrashPlan PRO does offer hardware that you can buy. Read this product description to learn more. Contact sales@crashplanpro.com for full details.

Do you have a partner program?

Yes! We have a partner program for service providers and OEMs. Contact sales@crashplanpro.com for details.

Do you offer education or non-profit discounts?

Yes! We offer discounts for educational institutions and 501©(3) non-profit organizations. Contact sales@crashplanpro.com for full details.

Can a computer with a CrashPlan (for Consumers) license back up to a PRO Server?

No. The consumer and business versions of CrashPlan are not compatible.

If a client is acting only as a destination, does it use a seat?

No. If a client isn't backing up to anywhere, your server does not count the client as a seat. This is automatic.

Where can I view how many seats I'm using?

On the Licensing screen, you can view how many seats are in use and how many seats you own.

How long does the Demo period last?

30 days from the creation of your Master License Key.

Can I use my Master License Key on more than one PRO Server?

Yes – the product keys too. If you buy a large product key and wish to use some of it on two (or more) servers, then go right ahead and use the keys on your second server. As long as the total number of seats in use across all servers remains below your total number of licensed seats then there's no problem.

I operate 2 PRO Servers, should I get a Master License Key for each of them?

It depends who owns the servers and the seat licenses each of them will use.

If the servers are owned by separate companies and will never be joined then they should each have their own Master Key and their own Product Keys.

If you are going to pay for and own all of the seat licenses then we recommend you use the same Master License Key across all of your servers and load the appropriate Product Key onto each server (for example, a 10-seat on one and a 25-seat on another). As long as the product keys were purchased against the same Master then you always have the option of combining the seats onto one server in the future.

Where do I enter my Support product key?

Enter all product keys for support or for seat licenses under Licensing > Add Product Key.

Do all CrashPlan PRO Clients use licenses on my server?

No. Only computers that back up data use a license and count against your total. Clients in the following situations do NOT use a license:

  • Data is not being backed up to any destination
  • Data is only being received from other clients

Where can I view how many seats I'm using?

On the Licensing screen, you can view how many seats are in use and how many seats you own.

What does License Limit Reached mean?

A license may not be available under several circumstances:

  • Demo period is over
  • Server license limit has been reached
  • Org seat quota has been exceeded

In all cases the result is the same: a client that attempts to start a backup will receive the “license limit reached” error until the licensing situation is cleared up. Please note that in this situation a CrashPlan Client may be installed, logged in to the server, receive backups and you can even press Start Backup, but backup will not occur until there is an available license.

How do I free up a license?

The seat licenses are owned by your server, not the end user's client. If the computer is deactivated or if it stops backing up data, that client's seat will be available for another computer to use.

Why can we install more seats than our quota allows?

CrashPlan allows you to install as many clients as you wish. It is not until you click the Backup button that we check org and server quotas. If you've reached a quota, we leave that computer ready to automatically start backing up as soon as the quota is lifted.

As the server administrator you will need to do one of these two things when you see that an org or server quota is reached:

  • Deactivate those computers that are not backing up because they are over a quota OR
  • Increase the org and/or server limit so those computers can automatically start backing up.

Orgs using more than their quota do count against your server licenses. It is up to you as the administrator to manage the orgs and do one of the above two steps if an org goes over it's limit.

proserver/faq/licensing.txt · Last modified: 2011/06/15 12:23 (external edit)