ERAS 4.0.136 still has the Linux license bug

This has been a long-standing issue with the license manager in the ERAS. I've already got a ticket open with ESET on this (since last year), but I wanted to post here so everyone is aware in case they've run into the same issue.

The ERAS license manager only allows you to upload Windows Business Edition licenses, not Linux licenses. However, we have both Windows and Linux machines in our company, all of which are using ESET antivirus products and all of which "phone home" to the ERAS for statistics and alert tracking. The problem is that when a Linux client connects to the ERAS, the ERAS assigns a *Windows* license to it. This means we end up running out of Windows licenses on the ERAS, which starts to cause issues.

The only work-around I'm aware of at this time is for ESET to issue you a batch of Windows Business Edition license of equivalent count to your Linux licenses. In our case, we have about 400 Windows clients and 400 Linux clients. So for us, we end up getting 400 Linux licenses, and 800 Windows licenses assigned to us. This means all 800 of our clients (both Windows and Linux) get assigned a Windows licenses in the ERAS.

I started using the ERAS with version 3.1.11, and this problem existed then and still exists with the latest ERAS 4.0.136.

 

In Enterprise Security a license is per client, not per OS. Since Clientversion 3 a client is identified mainly by MAC-Address.

If u have separate licenses, eset should provide an key for the ERA for all clients.

AFAIK ERA did not differ between client os.

Regards

 

The real problem lies in the fact that the ERAS license manager will only accept licenses for the Windows-based Business Edition Smart Security and NOD32 products. When you buy licenses from ESET for other product, there are different license types you get for those other products. Those other license types, though, won't install into the ERAS License Manager.

If ESET wants to only use one type of enterprise license that's perfectly fine with me, but they should only issue *one* type of license and make it compatible with all of their products. As it currently stands, the only work around is for ESET to issue you an ERAS-compatible license for every single client you own, regardless of type, and then *also* issue you client-specific licenses as required. This makes for some messy licensing overlap.

If your company happens to *only* use NOD32 or Smart Security, then you won't be affected by this. This really only applies to companies which are using non-Windows clients and having them connect to the ERAS.

 

Than they should deliver you 2 lic files... one for the linux hosts and one for eras

 

They do deliver two license files, just as you suggest. The problem is that you cannot import the Linux license file into the license manager in the ERAS. The ERAS license manager only accepts Windows licenses. However, when a Linux client connects to the ERAS, the license manager happily assigns a Windows license to the Linux client.

So as I said above, if you have 400 Linux clients and 400 Windows clients, you need 800 total licenses in the ERAS license manager. However, you can only import the 400 Windows licenses. So when your 800 total clients connect to the ERAS, your licenses are consumed rapidly and you run out, since the 400 Windows licenses get spread between both the 400 Linux clients and 400 Windows clients.