VOS Device License and Subjugation FAQs
This article provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to Versa Operating SystemTM (VOSTM) device licenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the default behavior of a new VOS device with regards to the factory license key?
Each VOS device has a default trial license key that is valid for 45 days. During the trial period, no session restrictions are applied to the VOS device.
If the VOS device is never brought under Director management, the license key expires after 45 days. When the license key expires, a VOS device is restricted to only 30 concurrent sessions. To avoid this restriction, subjugate the VOS device to a Director node through a Netconf session. The Director node must have a valid license to manage the VOS device.
What happens when a VOS device is disconnected from the Director node that is managing the device?
The VOS can stay disconnected from the Director node for a period of time before anything happens. The length of this grace period depends on its software version, as shown in the table below.
| Software Version | Grace Period |
|---|---|
|
The following releases with a build dated 2024-09-18 or later:
|
30 consecutive days |
| Any build dated before 2024-09-18 | 7 consecutive days |
After a disconnect, this is what happens:
- During the grace period, nothing changes. There is no countdown and no session limit.
- After the grace period, each additional day of disconnection is deducted from whatever is left of the 45-day trial license key.
- If the trial license key reaches 0, the VOS device is limited to 30 concurrent sessions.
- When the Director node reconnects, the countdown stops and any session limit is removed.
What if the trial key had already run out before the disconnect?
The grace period still applies. During the grace period the VOS device keeps working normally and raises an alarm like this one:
[softwareKeyAboutToExpire] [2025-08-07T00:00:03+0000] Netconf not connected in 13 days (remaining: 17)
This example comes from a VOS device with the 30-day grace period. It has been disconnected for 13 days, so 17 days of grace remain. If the Director node does not reconnect before the grace period ends, the 30-session limit applies.
What happens when a VOS device connects to the Director node intermittently?
Only consecutive days count toward the grace period, so short outages are not cumulative.
For example, a VOS device that has 45 trial days left and a 7-day grace period does the following:
- It is disconnected for 6 days, then reconnects.
- A few days later it is disconnected for another 6 days, then reconnects.
Because neither outage was longer than 7 days, the trial license key does not lose any days and still has 45 remaining. On a build with the 30-day grace period, an outage would have to last more than 30 consecutive days for the 45-day trial period to clock down.
What happens to an unexpired key on a VOS device that is not subjugated to a Director node?
- If a VOS device is not subjugated and is running for 25 days, then there are 20 days remaining of the 45-day trial period.
- If the VOS device is then connected to the Director node, subjugated through a Netconf session, and remains connected for a month, there is no decrementing of the 45-day trial period, and 20 days are still left.
- Then, if the VOS device is disconnected from the Director node:
- If the VOS device has a 7-day grace period, and is disconnected for 9 days, 2 days are deducted (9 days disconnected minus 7 days for the grace period = 2 days). This leaves 18 days remaining of the trial period.
- If the VOS device has a 30-day grace period, and is disconnected for 32 days, 2 days are deducted (32 days disconnected minus 30 days for the grace period = 2 days). This leaves 18 days remaining of the trial period.
- In both cases, there is no session restriction applied because the trial license key did not reach 0 days.
- When the connectivity to the VOS device is restored through a Netconf session, the countdown stops and the license key is valid for 18 days.
What happens when a license key expires on a VOS device that was not subjugated to a Director node?
When a license key expires on a VOS device that is not subjugated to a Director node, the maximum concurrent sessions allowed by the VOS device is restricted to 30 sessions. To remove the limit, onboard it to a licensed Director.
What is the difference between Netconf disconnected and southbound locked on a VOS device?
There is no difference between southbound locked and Director node Netconf session hard down from the VOS device perspective. In both cases, there is no Netconf connection to the VOS device. When there is no Netconf connection from the Director node, the VOS device uses the 45-day trial period. The same grace period and countdown rules described above apply. After the trial period, the VOS device switches to minimal mode (maximum 30 sessions).