Pexip Infinity license installation and usage

Before you can use the Pexip Infinity platform to make calls, you must install appropriate licenses.

Note that in addition to having sufficient licenses, your deployment must also have sufficient capacity to support the number of calls being placed. For more information, see Capacity planning.

Types of licenses

The terms of your Pexip Infinity license can vary according to your licensing agreement. However, your license ultimately permits the use of the Pexip Infinity software, and additionally specifies:

There is no limit to how many Conferencing Node servers you can deploy, or to the number of locations in which you deploy them. No special licenses are required to deploy to cloud IaaS services such as Microsoft Azure, AWS or Google Cloud Platform. Many other features and services such as registrations, call control, branding, and interoperability with Microsoft Skype for Business also do not require any additional licenses.

Examples of the different types of licenses that can be installed

Concurrent calls

Before you can place calls to Pexip Infinity services (Virtual Meeting Room, Virtual Auditoriums, Virtual Receptions and the Infinity Gateway), you must install sufficient call licenses. Two types are available:

  • port: the total number of concurrent video calls (allows video, audio, screen share, full motion HD presentations, images and PDF content sharing). Port licenses are mandatory.
  • audio: the total number of concurrent audio-only calls (the audio-only participant can also send and receive images and PDF presentation content). Audio licenses are optional.

The Live view page (Status > Live View) lets you review current and historic usage charts showing a breakdown of participants by location, protocol, license type and the different conference types being hosted.

VMRs

The vmr license specifies the total number of Virtual Meeting Rooms and Virtual Auditoriums that can be configured at any one time.

Scheduling

The scheduling license is optional and enables the VMR Scheduling for Exchange feature. If you are using this feature in your deployment, you must also have sufficient VMR licenses installed. See VMR Scheduling for Exchange for more information.

One-Touch Join

The otj license is optional and specifies the number of endpoints that can use One-Touch Join. See One-Touch Join for more information.

Google Meet

The ghm license is optional and allows you to configure Google Meet access tokens, and to provide gateway services into Google Meet conferences. The ghm license specifies the total number of access tokens you can configure. Note that appropriate call licenses are also required for each gateway call that is placed into a Google Meet conference.

See Integrating Google Meet with Pexip Infinity for more information.

Microsoft Teams / Azure tenants and Teams Room calling

The teams license is optional. It allows you to configure Microsoft Azure tenants and route calls to Microsoft Teams. The teams license controls how many Azure tenants can be configured; there is no limit to the number of Teams Connectors you can install or the number of instances within each Teams Connector. Multiple Teams tenants (tenant IDs) can use the same Teams Connector.

Additionally, the mtr license key indicates you are authorized to make and receive 1:1 calls via Microsoft Teams Room devices.

Note that appropriate call licenses are also required for each gateway call that is placed into a Microsoft Teams conference.

See Integrating Microsoft Teams with Pexip Infinity for more information.

Custom layouts

The customlayouts license is optional and allows you to upload your own custom layouts as part of a theme. See Custom layouts for more information.

Epic telehealth profiles

The telehealth license is optional and allows you to configure Epic telehealth profiles. See Epic telehealth integration with Pexip Infinity for more information.

System license

The system license permits basic operation of the Pexip Infinity platform and is always provided with every Pexip Infinity purchase. In the Administrator interface it may appear as a distinct license or it may alternatively be coupled with the port license.

Call license allocation

When a Transcoding Conferencing Node receives a request from a participant to join a conference or place a call via the Infinity Gateway, it contacts the Management Node to see whether there is an appropriate license available. If so, the call is allowed and one concurrent call license is allocated to that participant for the duration of the call. When the call is terminated, the license is returned to the pool. In general, each participant consumes a single concurrent license, and no participant can consume more than one license at a time. Specifically:

  • A port license is consumed when making any type of video call (Full HD, HD and SD).
  • If your system includes audio licenses:

    • a participant making an audio-only call will consume an audio license
    • if a participant attempts to make an audio-only call, but all audio licenses are currently in use, a port license is used instead, if one is available; otherwise the call is rejected due to insufficient call licenses as normal. If a port license has been used, the audio-only call uses the port license for the duration of the call, even if audio licenses become available while that call is still in progress
    • if a participant who is making an audio-only call (and therefore consuming an audio license) escalates that call to a video call, a port license is used, and the audio license is returned to the pool. Likewise, if a video call becomes an audio-only call, an audio license is used and the port license is returned to the pool.
  • If your system only includes port licenses, then any type of call that normally requires an audio license will consume a port license.
  • If you attempt to make a call that requires a port license and there are no port licenses currently available, but there is an audio license available:

    • the call will go ahead as an audio-only call, and consume an audio license
    • the participant sees an "insufficient video licenses" screen, and is seen as an audio-only participant by the other conference participants
    • the call will not automatically escalate to video if a port license becomes available.
  • Endpoints do not consume any additional licenses when sending or receiving presentation content or screen sharing.
  • Skype for Business / Lync participants (connected directly to a VMR) who are only sending or receiving presentations consume an audio license.
  • Gateway calls consume two licenses: one for the inbound leg of the call and one for the outbound leg (each license is audio or port as appropriate).
  • Any participants who are directly connected to an externally-hosted conference, such as a Microsoft Teams or Skype for Business meeting, or Google Meet, do not consume a call license (they report a license type of "Not required").
  • Proxying Edge Nodes do not affect the call licensing requirements for an endpoint connection.

If a Conferencing Node is unable to contact the Management Node, the call is permitted on the assumption that a license is available. After the Management Node has been out of contact for a grace period of 14 days, all calls will be rejected.

If there are no licenses available, or the existing license is invalid, the participant is advised that they cannot join the conference along with the reason why, and a corresponding message is written to the support log.

For more information about license usage, contact your Pexip authorized support representative.

Insufficient licenses

If your Pexip Infinity system reports insufficient call licenses, this means that there are valid licenses installed on the system, but at the point at which a participant tried to join a conference, all of the existing call licenses were in use. To remedy this, either wait until one or more existing conferences have completed, thus freeing up some call licenses, or add more call licenses to your system.

In some cases your licenses may include an overdraft. This is intended to cover instances where the number of concurrent calls temporarily exceeds the number of available licenses.

Note that if your system includes port licenses and audio licenses, and you attempt to make a call that requires a port license and there are no port licenses currently available, but there is an audio license available, then the call will go ahead as an audio-only call and consume an audio license. See Call license allocation above for more information.

Invalid license

If your Pexip Infinity reports an invalid license, this could mean that:

  • the license has not been activated
  • the existing license has expired
  • the existing license has become corrupt (this could occur, for example, if the Management Node reboots after an upgrade and comes back up on a different physical blade with a new MAC address).

Licenses become valid at 00:00:00 UTC on the day they start and expire at 23:59:59 UTC on the day they expire.

Viewing existing licenses and current usage

To see the licenses that are installed on your system, and the number of licenses currently being consumed, go to Platform > Licenses.

The top of the Licensing section states, for each type of license installed, how many concurrent licenses are currently being consumed out of the total available. Underneath are listed all the licenses that have been activated successfully and how many concurrent calls/VMRs they specify. You can select a license to see further information about it.

The Stored license request section lists any licenses that were not activated or returned automatically, and are awaiting manual processing.

Adding licenses

Before adding or moving a license:

  • You must have an active internet connection from the Management Node.
  • License requests are sent to activation.pexip.com. You must therefore configure your firewall to allow a connection from the Management Node to activation.pexip.com on HTTPS port 443 (unless your Management Node has a web proxy configured, in which case all licensing requests to activation.pexip.com are sent via the web proxy).

Adding a license will not affect the ongoing activity of the platform (such as current calls or registrations) and can therefore be done during normal hours of operation.

To add a new license:

  1. On the Pexip Infinity Administrator interface, go to Platform > Licenses.
  2. Select Add License.
  3. In the License entitlement key field, enter the activation key provided by your Pexip authorized support representative.
  4. Leave the Manually activate checkbox clear (unless you have been instructed to select this option by your Pexip authorized support representative, or you need to perform a manual activation due to network connectivity issues).
  5. Select Save.

Pexip Infinity will automatically generate a file containing the license request. It then attempts to contact the Pexip licensing server and send it this file to activate the license.

  • If the license is activated successfully, you are returned to the Licensing page and the new license is shown under the Licensing section.
  • If the activation attempt is unsuccessful (for example, if the Management Node was unable to establish a connection to the Pexip licensing server), or you selected Manually activate, the license is saved as a Stored license request. You must then activate it manually.

Moving a license (e.g. when redeploying a Management Node)

Before adding or moving a license:

  • You must have an active internet connection from the Management Node.
  • License requests are sent to activation.pexip.com. You must therefore configure your firewall to allow a connection from the Management Node to activation.pexip.com on HTTPS port 443 (unless your Management Node has a web proxy configured, in which case all licensing requests to activation.pexip.com are sent via the web proxy).

You may need to move a license from one Management Node to another. You would typically need to do this if you are redeploying a Management Node, such as when setting up a new test or demonstration environment, or changing the Management Node's IP address (see Moving, restoring or changing the IP address of the Management Node).

To move a license between Management Nodes, you must deactivate the existing license on your 'old' Management Node before reactivating it on the 'new' Management Node.

On the old Management Node:

  1. Go to Platform > Licenses.
  2. Select the license you want to deactivate.
  3. Make a note of the License entitlement key.
  4. Select Return license.

The system will attempt to contact the Pexip licensing server to automatically deactivate the license:

On the new Management Node:

  1. Go to Platform > Licenses.
  2. Select Add License.
  3. In the License entitlement key field, enter the entitlement key from the 'old' Management Node that you noted previously.
  4. Select Save.

The system will attempt to activate the license on the 'new' Management Node:

  • If the license is activated successfully, you are returned to the Licensing page and the new license is shown under the Licensing section.
  • If the activation attempt is unsuccessful (for example, if the Management Node was unable to establish a connection to the Pexip licensing server), or you selected Manually activate, the license is saved as a Stored license request. You must then activate it manually.

Manually processing a stored license request (offline activation/return)

To manually process a stored license request:

  1. Go to Platform > Licenses.

    The Stored license request section lists the licenses that could not be activated or returned automatically, and are awaiting manual activation/return.

  2. Select the license request you want to process.
  3. Select Export stored license request.

    This generates a file containing the request.

  4. Download the request file and send it to your Pexip authorized support representative for activation/return. They will respond with a fulfillment file.
  5. When you receive the fulfillment file, go back to Platform > Licenses, select the stored license request, and select Complete stored license request.
  6. Browse to the location of the fulfillment file you have received.
  7. Select Save.

The license should now be activated and appear in the Licensing section, or returned as appropriate.

Repairing a license

If a license becomes corrupt (for example if the Management Node MAC address has changed), a Repair trusted license storage button will appear under the license information. To reactivate the license, select Repair trusted license storage. This will normally resolve the issue automatically; in some circumstances the repair operation will result in a stored license request, in which case follow the procedure above for Manually processing a stored license request (offline activation/return). Note that a repair operation creates a single request, regardless of the number of licenses that are corrupt.

Content of the license request file

The same license request file is used for both automatic and manual license activation/return. The content of this file includes:

  • the license request information (i.e. the detail of what is being requested)
  • opaque machine identifiers (computed from various information sources, but not exposing the actual values).