open server security gateway licensing

[AlexandruD]

Hello all,

Maybne some of you know or have tested this recently. Regarding open server security gateway licensing, as far as I know, CPU core licensing works such that the number of licensed CPU cores can be smaller than the number of CPU cores the open server has; for example one can have an 8 CPU core licensed security gateway running on a 16 CPU core open server with no issues,meaning the other 8 CPU cores will not be used at all by the security gateway; I am excluding how hyperthreading might affect the CPU core licesing, as far as I know it should be disabled for best performance on open servers. Has this licensing changed in recent times, perhaps in R81.20, such that the licensed CPU cores must exactly match the total number of CPU cores that the open server has?

Thank you

[the_rock]

From what I can see with eval license, it has not changed. But, to be sure, you can confirm with Account services.

Andy

[PhoneBoy · Accepted solution]

You can license less cores than your Open Server has.
However, you will not be able to leverage the full performance of the appliance if you do so. 

[Bob_Zimmerman · Accepted solution]

Well, won't be able to get the full performance for traffic inspection. The OS will still see and use the other cores (assuming they're enabled in the boot ROM config). If you get a system with ten cores and a license for eight, you can be really sure that even with the firewall passing as much traffic as it can, you'll always have two cores of processor capacity to handle other stuff (e.g, SSH, CPD for pushing policy, and so on).

[AlexandruD]

So it always rather helps to actually have more CPU cores available on the open server, than the licensed number of CPU cores for the security gateway.

Thanks

[the_rock]

I would say thats generally true for any CP appliance.

Andy

[AlexandruD]

That's great.

Thanks