In a Grid, you can transfer the valid licenses of a NIOS virtual appliance from one ESX/ESXi server to another without going through the RMA (returned materials authorization) process. You can also transfer licenses from one independent NIOS virtual appliance to another. Before you transfer licenses, obtain new license keys through the Infoblox Support web site. The new licenses replace the original ones. Note that when you replace licenses on NIOS virtual appliances, service interruptions can occur.

Complete the following steps to transfer NIOS virtual licenses from one NIOS virtual appliance to another:

1. Obtain replacement license keys from Infoblox.
2. Install the new licenses on the new NIOS virtual appliance.
   or
   As a best practice to minimize service downtime, you can set up an HA pair and force a failover during a license transfer.
3. Remove the original NIOS virtual appliance from the Grid. You can skip this step for independent NIOS virtual appliances.
4. Shut down the original NIOS virtual appliance.
5. Verify that all licenses are now current. For information, see the Verifying and Monitoring section.

After you transfer NIOS virtual licenses, you can view information about the new and replaced licenses from Grid Manager. Though you can transfer licenses among NIOS virtual appliances more than once, Grid Manager displays information about the first license transfer only. For more information about managing and viewing licenses, refer to the Infoblox NIOS Documentation. You can also use the CLI command show license revoked to view information about the replaced licenses. For information, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.

Obtaining Replacement NIOS Virtual Licenses

To obtain replacement license keys for your NIOS virtual appliance, do the following:

1. Log in to the Infoblox Support Center web site at http://www.infoblox.com/support.
2. Click License Key in the left panel.
3. In the Software Licensing Tools panel, select vNIOS for VMware License REVOCATION.
4. On the Virtual Appliance License Key page, complete the following:
   
   • Existing Appliance Serial Number: Enter the hardware ID of the NIOS virtual appliance that you want to replace.
   • New Appliance Serial Number: Enter the hardware ID of the new NIOS virtual appliance. Select one of the following:
     • Display to Screen: Select this to display the license keys on the screen.
     • Send to file: Select this to receive a license file that contains the new license keys.
     • CSV text: Select this to receive the license keys in CSV format.
5. Click Generate Key.
   Infoblox generates new license keys for your new NIOS virtual appliance.

Installing New NIOS Virtual Licenses

To install replacement licenses on a NIOS virtual appliance, do the following:

1. Configure the new NIOS virtual appliance and join it to the Grid if it is not already in the Grid, as described in Configuring NIOS Virtual Appliances as Grid Members.
2. Log in to the Grid Master GUI.
3. From the Grid -> Licenses tab, click the Add icon and complete the following to add the new license keys:
   • Upload License File: Click Select File and navigate to the new license file you obtained from Infoblox.
   • Paste License(s): Paste the license keys in this text field. You must paste the entire string in CSV format: serial number, hardware ID, license type, end date, and license string. If you are pasting multiple licenses, start each string on a new line.
     You can also use the CLI command set license to install the new licenses. For information, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
4. Click Save License(s).
   Grid Manager displays a confirmation dialog box listing information (license type, license string, and hardware ID) about the member you want to replace and asks if you want to continue. Click OK to install the licenses on the new member, or click Cancel to cancel the operation.
   The new licenses automatically replace the old ones, and the replaced NIOS virtual appliance is evicted from the Grid.
5. Proceed to remove the replaced appliance from the Grid.

Configuring HA Pairs for License Transfers

To minimize service downtime during a NIOS virtual license transfer, you can set up an HA pair and force a failover during a license transfer:

1. Create an HA member. Configure the existing NIOS virtual appliance as the active node. Install temporary licenses on the new NIOS virtual appliance and configure it as the passive node, as described in Configuring NIOS Virtual Appliances as Grid Members. For more information about how to configure an HA pair, refer to the Infoblox NIOS Documentation.If you are using NIOS versions earlier than 8.6.x, if you configure an HA pair, both nodes in the HA pair must be NIOS virtual instances. You cannot configure a physical NIOS appliance and a NIOS virtual instance in an HA pair in versions earlier than 8.6.x.
2. Provision the HA member on the Grid Master and rejoin the HA member to the Grid so that the passive node can synchronize with the Grid Master. For information, see Provisioning NIOS Virtual Members on the Grid Master.
3. Reboot the active node to force a failover on the HA pair. The new NIOS virtual appliance now becomes the active node.
4. Log in to the Grid Master GUI.
5. From the Grid -> Licenses tab, click the Add icon and complete the following steps to add the new license keys to the HA pair:
   • Upload License File: Click Select File and navigate to the new license file you obtained from Infoblox.
   • Paste License(s): Paste the new license keys in this text field. You must paste the entire string in CSV format. Note that the new license key is longer because it contains the hardware ID of the existing NIOS virtual appliance.
     You can also use the CLI command set license to install the new licenses. For information, refer to the Infoblox CLI Guide.
6. Click Save License(s). Grid Manager displays a confirmation dialog box listing information (license type, license string, and hardware ID) about the member you want to replace and asks if you want to continue. Click OK to install the licenses on the new member, or click Cancel to cancel the operation.
   The new licenses automatically replace the old ones, and the passive node is evicted from the Grid.
7. Proceed to remove the replaced appliance from the Grid.

Removing NIOS Virtual Appliances from the Grid

1. From the Grid -> Grid Manager -> Members tab, select the appliance whose licenses were removed. Grid Manager displays a license violation warning for this appliance.

2. Click the Delete icon to remove the appliance from the Grid.
   You can also log in to the NIOS virtual appliance whose licenses are being replaced, and then use the CLI command reset licenses all to reset the licenses and remove the appliance from the Grid.
   You must stop using the virtual appliance and remove it from the Grid once its licenses are replaced.