NAKIVO Licensing Policy

This page offers an overview of the NAKIVO Backup & Replication licensing policy. The policy includes the licensing models for different platforms and the type of technical support provided with each model.

• Licensing for NAKIVO Backup & Replication

  • Perpetual Licenses

  • Per-Workload Subscription Licenses

  • License Units

  • NAS File Share Backup Rules

  • License Expiration

• Licensing for Backup for Microsoft 365

• Real-Time Replication for VMware Licensing

• IT Monitoring Licensing

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Additional Resources

Licensing for NAKIVO Backup & Replication

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is available in 5 editions with a Perpetual License or a Subscription License depending on the platform to be protected and an organization’s data protection requirements.

Perpetual Licenses

Perpetual Licenses are available for virtual machines, physical machines, NAS, and Oracle Database on the following terms:

• For VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV virtual machines (VMs), and Proxmox VEs the solution is licensed per CPU socket. That is, a license is required for each CPU socket on hosts with VMs to be backed up or replicated. Licensed sockets can be used for any of the four platforms and may be reassigned at any time.

• For physical machines, the solution is licensed per server and per workstation. Perpetual Licenses for physical machine backup (servers or workstations) are sold in bundles of 5 servers/workstations.
  

  Note
  A per-server Perpetual License cannot be used for physical workstations, and a per-workstation Perpetual License cannot be used for servers.
  

• It is possible to purchase a license for a single bundle of 5 physical servers in case you also purchase a license for a bundle of 10 physical workstations along with it.

• For NAS backup, the solution is licensed per terabyte (see NAS File Share Backup Rules for more details).

• For Oracle Database, the solution is licensed per database (available with the Enterprise Plus edition only).

Perpetual Licenses come with one year of Standard Support. Additional years of support can be purchased upfront. Upgrades to 24/7 Support are also available.

Notes

• Valid support is required to receive product updates.

• License calculation is based on the physical processors that are installed in the existing sockets. Therefore, empty sockets are not licensed.
  

See a breakdown of the different editions below. For a detailed comparison of each edition’s features, refer to the Editions Comparison section on the Pricing and Editions page.

Edition	Platform	License unit limitations	Overview
Pro Essentials	VMware vSphere	Min. 2 sockets Max. 6 sockets	All the features of the Pro edition but with a limit on the number of license units (see License Units)
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines	Min. 10 servers Max. 50 servers
		Min. 10 workstations Max. 150 workstations
	NAS	Min. 1 TB Max. 50 TB
Enterprise Essentials	VMware vSphere	Min. 2 sockets Max. 6 sockets	All the features of the Enterprise edition but with a limit on the number of licensed units (see License Units)
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines	Min. 10 servers Max. 50 servers
		Min. 10 workstations Max. 150 workstations
	NAS	Min. 1 TB Max. 50 TB
Pro	VMware vSphere	No limits	Includes most product features with limitations on backup to the cloud, administrative tools, and BaaS
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
Enterprise	VMware vSphere	No limits	Includes all product features except Oracle Database backup and a few administration features (see the Pricing and Editions page for the full list)
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
Enterprise Plus	VMware vSphere	No limits	The most complete edition of NAKIVO Backup & Replication
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
	Oracle Database

Per-Workload Subscription Licenses

The Per-Workload Subscription Licenses are available for virtual machines, physical machines, NAS, and Oracle Database on the following terms:

• For VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, Proxmox VE, and Amazon EC2, the solution is licensed per VM/instance.

• For physical machines, the solution is licensed per 1 server or 3 workstations.

• For NAS, the solution is licensed per 0.5 terabytes (see NAS File Share Backup Rules for more details).

• For Oracle Database, the solution is licensed per database (available with the Enterprise Plus edition only).

Subscription Licenses are annual subscriptions (1 to 5 years) that are billed upfront and include 24/7 Support for the licensed period.

See a breakdown of the different editions below. For a detailed comparison of each edition’s features, refer to the Editions Comparison section on the Pricing and Editions page.

Edition	Platform	License unit limitations	Overview
Pro Essentials	VMware vSphere	Min. 5 workloads Max. 50 workloads	All the features of the Pro edition but with a limit on the number of license units (see License Units)
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Amazon EC2
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
Enterprise Essentials	VMware vSphere	Min. 5 workloads Max. 50 workloads	All the features of the Enterprise edition but with a limit on the number of licensed units (see License Units)
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Amazon EC2
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
Pro	VMware vSphere	No limits	Includes most product features with limitations on backup to the cloud, administrative tools, and BaaS
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Amazon EC2
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
Enterprise	VMware vSphere	No limits	Includes all product features except Oracle Database backup and a few administration features (see the Pricing and Editions page for the full list)
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Amazon EC2
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
Enterprise Plus	VMware vSphere	No limits	The most complete edition of NAKIVO Backup & Replication
	Nutanix AHV
	Microsoft Hyper-V
	Proxmox VE
	Amazon EC2
	Windows/Linux Physical Machines
	NAS
	Oracle Database

License Units

License units are defined differently for Perpetual Licenses and Per-Workload Subscription Licenses as shown below. In addition, there are limitations on the number of license units with the Pro Essentials and Enterprise Essentials editions.

Units for Perpetual Licenses

Platform	License Unit	Pro Essentials/Enterprise Essentials Editions Limits*
VMware vSphere	1 CPU Socket	2-6 Units (Sockets)
Microsoft Hyper-V
Nutanix AHV
Proxmox VE
Windows/Linux Physical Server	5 Servers	2-10 Units (10-50 Servers)
Windows/Linux Workstation	5 Workstations	2-30 Units (10-150 Workstations)
NAS File Share	1 Terabyte	1-50 Units (1-50 TB)
Oracle Database	1 Database	N/A

*A Perpetual License for Pro Essentials/Enterprise Essentials can cover up to 30 units of virtual machines, physical machines, and/or NAS combined.

Below is an example of a valid order for a single Pro Essentials/Enterprise Essentials Perpetual License that combines virtual, physical, and file share protection for a total of 30 units:

• 6 Sockets (6 units)

• 40 Physical Servers (8 units in bundles of 5)

• 40 Physical Workstations (8 units in bundles of 5)

• 8 TB of file share space (8 units)

Workloads in Per-Workload Subscription License

Platform	License Unit (Workload)	Pro Essentials/Enterprise Essentials Editions Limits
VMware vSphere	1 VM	Minimum of 5 workloads Maximum of 50 workloads
Microsoft Hyper-V
Nutanix AHV
Proxmox VE
Amazon EC2	1 Instance
Windows/Linux Physical Server	1 Server
Windows/Linux Workstation	3 Workstations
NAS File Share	0.5 Terabyte
Oracle Database	1 Database

NAS File Share Backup Rules

File share backup has a few additional rules and details regarding licensing. Licenses are consumed based on the following rules:

• License consumption is calculated based on backed up source file share data, determined during each file share backup job run.

  • NAKIVO Backup & Replication sums up the last-known amount of protected source data across all file share backup jobs.

  • If the same file share and/or its contents are protected by multiple jobs, the source data is still summed.

  • If a job run reaches or exceeds the licensed data size, the job will become disabled. It will not be possible to create new file share backup jobs, and the current job cannot be re-enabled until it is edited to exclude a sufficient amount of backup data.

• Adding shares to inventory does not consume licenses.

• File share backup metadata does not contribute to licensed file share size.

In addition, there are specific rules regarding the calculation of licenses for protected source data:

• If the total source data size is greater than zero and less than or equal to 0.5 TB, one license unit is consumed.
  

  Note
  In this section, license unit refers only to 0.5 TB. While file share backup is licensed per-Terabyte in a Perpetual License, license consumption is counted in 0.5 TB increments for both Perpetual and Per-Workload Subscription license types.
  

• If the total source data size exceeds 0.5 TB, the number of consumed licenses is determined as follows:

  1. The total source data size is rounded down to the nearest multiple of 0.5 TB

  2. The rounded amount is divided by 0.5 TB

  3. The resulting value is the number of licensed units consumed

     Example: Total backed up source data of 1850 GB (1.85 TB) is rounded down to 1.5 TB and divided by 0.5 TB to get 3 license units consumed.

License Expiration

For both single-tenant and multi-tenant modes, NAKIVO Backup & Replication enters grace period mode for 15 days after license expiration. During this period, the product continues operating normally. After the grace period mode has ended or if the product does not have a license, NAKIVO Backup & Replication enters limited mode. In this mode, the following occurs:

• All backup, backup copy, replication, and site recovery jobs are disabled.

• Jobs that are currently in progress are disabled after completion.

• Real-time replication jobs are stopped and disabled.

• Recovery jobs can still be run in limited mode as normal.

Limited mode is disabled upon changing to the active license.

 

Licensing for Backup for Microsoft 365

Backup for Microsoft 365 is licensed per user on an annual basis (1 to 3 years). A user is defined as a unique Microsoft 365 account that has access to Exchange Online, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, and/or Teams. Each user is equivalent to one license unit.

Organizations may purchase a Subscription License for Backup for Microsoft 365 as a standalone offering or combine it with any existing NAKIVO Backup & Replication edition and license type (Perpetual or Per-Workload Subscription). Subscription Licenses come with 24/7 Support covering the licensed period.

See the overview below of possible pairings for a Microsoft 365 Subscription License with any edition of NAKIVO Backup & Replication.

When combining a Subscription License for Backup for Microsoft 365 with a NAKIVO Backup & Replication Perpetual License of any type, the following technical support conditions apply:

• The end date for support coverage must be the same for both licenses.

• You may upgrade Perpetual License Standard Support to 24/7 Support, or keep it at the default Standard Support.

Note

Users with a Microsoft 365 Student SKU do not require a license. Users with a Microsoft 365 Student SKU and another non-student SKU (e.g. Faculty) still require a license.

The following Student SKUs are supported:

SharePoint Online Backup Licensing Rules

In addition to regular Microsoft 365 Subscription Licensing rules, there are conditions specific to SharePoint Online backup licensing.

• License units for SharePoint Online backup:

  • A user (including a user in groups) that has "Edit" or "Full Control" permissions for a site consumes 1 license unit.

  • For personal sites, only the owner of the personal site consumes a license unit. Other users with access to this personal site do not consume any license units.

  • A personal site owner with access to a regular site requires only one license unit.

• License units are matched to a given email account, meaning the following rules apply for mailbox backup:

  • Users with access to a SharePoint Online site who also have a mailbox under the same email account require only one license unit.

  • If a mailbox does not correspond to a licensed email account, a separate license unit is required to back it up.

• License units are not given per SharePoint site or affected by the size of a site.

Real-Time Replication for VMware vSphere Licensing

Real-Time replication for VMware vSphere is available with a Perpetual License (per socket) or Per-Workload Subscription License (per VM), and can be purchased separately from NAKIVO Backup & Replication. A Real-Time Replication license can also be combined with an existing license of the same type and edition of NAKIVO Backup & Replication.

Perpetual Licenses for VMware Real-Time Replication

• Licensed per CPU socket: A license is required for each CPU socket on hosts with VMs selected for real-time replication.

• Enterprise Essentials edition requires a minimum of 2 sockets and allows up to 6 sockets.

• Perpetual Licenses come with one year of Standard Support. Additional years of support can be purchased upfront. Upgrades to 24/7 Support are also available.
  

  Note
  Valid support is required to receive product updates.

Subscription Licenses for VMware Real-Time Replication

• Licensed per VM

• Annual subscriptions (1 to 5 years) that are billed upfront

• Include 24/7 Support for the licensed period

If purchased together with NAKIVO Backup & Replication, the licenses for both products must have the same:

• Edition

• Support end date

• Type of support (Standard or 24/7)

IT Monitoring Licensing

IT Monitoring for VMware vSphere virtual machines is available with a Perpetual License (per socket) or Per-Workload Subscription License (per VM), and can be purchased separately from NAKIVO Backup & Replication. An IT Monitoring license can also be combined with an existing license of the same type and edition of NAKIVO Backup & Replication.

Perpetual Licenses for IT Monitoring

• Licensed per CPU socket: A license is required for each CPU socket on hosts with VMs to be monitored.

• Perpetual Licenses come with one year of Standard Support. Additional years of support can be purchased upfront. Upgrades to 24/7 Support are also available.
  

  Note
  Valid support is required to receive product updates.

Subscription Licenses for IT Monitoring

• Licensed per VM

• Annual subscriptions (1 to 5 years) that are billed upfront

• Include 24/7 Support for the licensed period

• License unit limits for the Pro Essentials/Enterprise Essentials editions: 5-50 workloads

If purchased together with NAKIVO Backup & Replication, the licenses for both products must have the same:

• Edition

• Support end date

• Type of support (Standard or 24/7)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a socket?

A: A socket refers to the socket on the motherboard onto which a CPU is inserted. For a Perpetual license, only the number of sockets is counted; the number of CPU cores per socket is not taken into account.

Q: Does adding another Transporter require an additional license?

A: NAKIVO Backup & Replication is not licensed per Transporter. You can install additional Transporters regardless of the licensing model (Perpetual or Subscription).

Q: Do I need to license both source and target hosts in a disaster recovery scenario?

A: Only the source side of replication requires a license. For a scenario wherein you replicate a VM from Site A, recover it in Site B, then failback to Site A, only hosts on Site A side need to be licensed.

Q: Will updating the product to its new version reset my current license?

A: Updating to a major (e.g. 10.8 to 11.0), minor (e.g. 10.0 to 10.5), or sub-minor version (e.g. 10.0.0 to 10.0.1) will not reset the current license of the product.

Additional Resources

NAKIVO Pricing & Editions

NAKIVO Customer Support Policy

NAKIVO Customer Support Agreement

End-User License Agreement