Installing and Updating a WebLogic Server License

e-docs > WebLogic Server > Installation Guide > Installing and Updating a WebLogic Server License

Installation Guide

Installing and Updating a WebLogic Server License

WebLogic Server requires a valid product license to run. The following sections explain how to acquire, install, and update a WebLogic Server license:

About the WebLogic Server License

WebLogic Server 7.0 uses an XML-format license file called license.bea. This license file, stored in the BEA Home directory, is used for the BEA WebLogic products installed on the target system. For details about the BEA Home directory, see BEA Home Directory.

For information about the licenses available for all WebLogic Platform components, see the Licensing page.

Evaluation Licenses

The first time you download and install a BEA WebLogic product, the installation program installs an evaluation license so that you can start using the product immediately. Subsequently, when you download and install additional BEA products that contain a license.bea file as part of the distribution, the installer program automatically adds the new evaluation product licenses to the license.bea file, but does not extend the evaluation period.

To use WebLogic Server beyond the evaluation period, contact your salesperson about extending the evaluation period or purchasing a development or production license.

All WebLogic Server evaluation products are licensed for use on a single server machine and allow up to 20 connections to the server.

Development and Production Licenses

When you purchase a WebLogic Server development or production license, you receive a license through e-mail to replace the evaluation license installed with WebLogic Server. After installing the WebLogic Server software and receiving the development or production license, you must update the existing license.bea file with the license file you received. See Updating Your license.bea File.

Updating Your license.bea File

You must update your license.bea file if at least one of the following is true:

You applied for and received an extension to the evaluation period of WebLogic Server.
You purchased additional BEA WebLogic software.
You obtained a new distribution that includes new products.
You possess a non-expiring license file for an earlier release of WebLogic Server and you want to upgrade to a WebLogic Server 7.0 license after downloading WebLogic Server 7.0 from the BEA Web site. You must convert the license to a WebLogic Server 7.0 license. To do so, see Upgrading Licenses from Previous WebLogic Server Releases.
You possess either a WebLogicLicense.XML file or a WebLogicLicense.class file, which are license files used in pre-6.0 versions (5.1 or earlier) of WebLogic Server. You must convert these license files to a license.bea file. To do so, see "Upgrading WebLogic Server License Files" in the Upgrade Guide.

In each case, you receive a license update file in an e-mail attachment. You then update your license.bea file by performing the following procedure:

Note: Enabling 128-bit encryption requires that the 128-bit encryption license be present in the license.bea file before you install the WebLogic Server software. For details, see Enabling 128-Bit Encryption.

Save the license update file that you received through e-mail with a name other than license.bea, in the target BEA Home directory. For example, save the file as platform_license.bea. Use this file as the license_update_file in step 4 of this procedure.
Warning: Do not overwrite or change the name of the existing license.bea file.
Open a command prompt window or a command shell and go to the target BEA Home directory.
If it is not already included, add the Java 2 SDK to your PATH variable by entering the following commands:
- On a Windows system:
```
set PATH=BEA_HOME\sdk\bin;%PATH%
```
- On a UNIX system:
```
PATH=BEA_HOME/sdk/bin:$PATH
export PATH
```
  In these commands, sdk is the directory name of the Java 2 SDK being used for this installation. For example, jdk131_06 or jrockit70sp2_131.
Merge the license update file into your existing license by entering one of the following commands:
- On a Windows system:
```
UpdateLicense license_update_file
```
- On a UNIX system:
```
sh UpdateLicense.sh license_update_file
```
license_update_file is the name to which you saved the license update file in step 1.
Save a copy of your updated license.bea file in a safe place outside the WebLogic Integration and application installation directories.

Although no one else can use your license file, you should save it in a place that is protected from both malicious and innocent tampering.

Enabling 128-Bit Encryption

Two levels of secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption are available for WebLogic Server: 56-bit and 128-bit. An evaluation license comes with only 56-bit encryption enabled, whereas a developer or production license may be purchased with either 56-bit or 128-bit encryption enabled.

The installer program must find the 128-bit encryption license in the license.bea file before the installer enables 128-bit encryption for the WebLogic Server installation. If the installer program does not find a WebLogic Server license in the license.bea file, or finds only a 56-bit encryption license for WebLogic Server in the license.bea file, the installer includes 56-bit SSL plug-ins in the WebLogic Server installation. If the installer program finds a 128-bit encryption license for WebLogic Server in the license.bea file, the installer includes both 56-bit and 128-bit SSL plug-ins in the WebLogic Server installation.

Note: A 128-bit license is required to be available before installation due to United States Export control laws. BEA is not allowed, by U.S. law, to install 128-bit capable code on any machine that does not have the appropriate license. If you already installed WebLogic Server without the 128-bit encryption license and you want 128-bit encryption, you need to uninstall the software, place the 128-bit encryption license for WebLogic Server in the BEA Home directory, and then reinstall WebLogic Server.

When creating a new BEA Home directory for a WebLogic Server installation intended for 128-bit encryption, proceed as follows:

Acquire a 128-bit encryption license for WebLogic Server.

For details, contact BEA Sales at http://www.bea.com/contact.
Create a new directory that you want use as a BEA home directory and place the 128-bit encryption license in the new directory. The license file must be named license.bea.
Install the WebLogic Server software.

For instructions, see one of the following installation procedures:

Upgrading Licenses from Previous WebLogic Server Releases

The format of the license.bea file changes with each release of WebLogic Server. To upgrade a license.bea file from a previous release of WebLogic Server to a license for the current version, complete the following steps.

For information about upgrading your WebLogic Server installation, see the Upgrade Guide.

Log in to the BEA eLicense Web site at http://elicense.bea.com.
Note: You need a BEA eLicense account to log in to this Web site. If you do not have a BEA eLicense account click the Register link on the Customer Support site to register for an account.
In the left navigation area of the Web page, click Upgrade/Downgrade and follow the instructions on the page. If the license you want to upgrade is not listed, click the Add a Missing License link in the left navigation area. The BEA Licensing team will research the missing license for you.
You will receive the upgraded license file through e-mail.