How Is License Usage Counted in OpenVPN Access Server?
How is license usage counted by Access Server? Not by users or devices but by connections.
Question: How is license usage counted in Access Server? Is it by users, devices, or connections?
Answer:
License usage for Access Server is counted based on the number of active VPN tunnels, not by user accounts or devices. This applies to all licensing types, including software, fixed, and AWS licenses. Here’s how it works across different scenarios:
Multiple Devices, One User: You can configure a single user account to establish connections from various devices simultaneously. For instance, if a user named "Andrew" connects from four different devices simultaneously, that counts as four active connections.
Many Users, Limited Connections: Conversely, you could have hundreds of user accounts set up on your OpenVPN Access Server, but if your license only supports a certain number of simultaneous connections, only that number can connect at any one time. For example, if you have 500 user accounts but only a license for 100 connections, only 100 can be connected simultaneously.
Subscription License Across Multiple Servers: A subscription license can be activated on multiple Access Servers simultaneously, allowing automatic subscription sharing. Each server can use up to the total number of allowed VPN connections. The system will disconnect users to comply with the license terms if the cumulative number of connections across all servers exceeds the subscription limit.
Example:
If you have a subscription for 100 connections and you use it across two servers (Server A and Server B):
Each server can support up to 100 connections depending on the other server’s usage.
You are within your limit if Server A has 99 connections and Server B has one connection.
If Server A has 30 connections and Server B has 71, you exceed the limit by one. The last user who connected will be disconnected, bringing the total back within the 100 connections allowed.
This flexible approach ensures you can maximize the usage of your license while adhering to the terms, regardless of how many users or devices are connected at any one time. Refer to our pricing page for details on costs.