Dell PowerFlex 4.5.x Administration Guide

License management

You can upload a Management Data Store (MDS) license and a single production license for the whole PowerFlex system. You can also upload other software licenses (for example, for CloudLink).

No license is required for the first 90 days of use. During this period, you are running PowerFlex in trial mode.

You can only upload an MDS license if an MDS Gateway has been discovered.

When you deploy a PowerFlex cloud-based cluster, you are provided with a free evaluation license. This license gives you 90 days to use the cloud-based storage cluster. After 90 days, the storage is preserved. However, you are not allowed to make configuration changes to the deployment. Once the evaluation license has expired, you must purchase a subscription or permanent license to continue using the cluster with the full range of capabilities.

PowerFlex Manager shows the start date and end date for both evaluation and subscription licenses on the License Management page. This allows you to see when your license will expire. Evaluation licenses apply only to cloud deployments, whereas subscription licenses apply to both cloud and on-premises deployments.