For closed-network environments running multiple Chariot instances that share a pool of concurrent license seats. License validation stays entirely inside the deployed network.

What is a Floating License Server?

A Floating License Server (FLS) is a small server application that holds Chariot licenses and tracks how many Chariot instances are using it at any given time. Instead of binding a license to one specific Chariot server, the FLS lets multiple Chariot instances share a pool of concurrent license seats.

When a Chariot instance starts, it asks the FLS for a seat. When the Chariot instance shuts down, it releases the seat back to the pool. As long as there are available seats, additional Chariot instances can activate against the same FLS.

The FLS runs entirely inside the local network, with no inbound/outbound internet from Chariot or the FLS for license validation.

Hosting a Floating License Server (FLS)

The FLS is provided by License4J as free software. For installation, configuration, and administration, see License4J's Floating License Server page.

Once the FLS is running, see Purchasing and Activation to purchase and activate a Self-Hosted Floating license against it.

Activating Floating Licenses

Prerequisites

Before requesting a Self-Hosted Floating license, you should already have:

  • A running License4J Floating License Server inside your network. See Hosting a Floating License Server above for setup.
  • Network connectivity from each Chariot host to the FLS on the FLS's listening port (default 16090).
  • Have purchased licenses with Chariot Support that are ready to deploy to the Floating License Server. 


Make sure to purchase the number of licenses that the system requires under its highest load

Request a License Usage

Send Cirrus Link two pieces of information from your FLS so Cirrus Link Support can issue a license usage keyed to the specific FLS.

Log in to the FLS admin UI (default is port 16090,  http://<fls-host>:16090)


Open the Actions dropdown.



Select View Server Info.



Note the Hostname and Fingerprint values.


Send Cirrus Link the FLS hostname, fingerprint, and your seat count.

Cirrus Link Support will generate a license and respond with an email containing the usage hash. This can take up to 24 hours.

Install the License on the FLS

Log in to your FLS admin UI (default is port 16090,  http://<fls-host>:16090)

Navigate to License Management → New License.


Paste in the usage hash provided by Cirrus Link and save.


The license appears in the FLS license grid, and the FLS is ready to serve seats to Chariot instances.


Activate Chariot Against the FLS

In the Chariot UI, navigate to the License page.

Select I have a license key and want to activate.


Select Floating and click Next.

Fill in the activation details:

    • Floating license server URL —  FLS host plus port and the /fls path. Example: http://10.0.0.10:16090/fls
    • License Features — the feature set this Chariot instance will use. This must match the features on the license issued to the FLS:
      • MQTT Server
      • IoT Bridge for Snowflake
      • Full product

Click Next, then Finished on the Complete step.

Chariot will contact the FLS, lease a seat, and display a success screen.

Important: The /fls path on the URL is required. 

Important: The License Features selected in Chariot must match the features on the license installed on the FLS. Mismatched features will cause activation to fail.


Repeat for each Chariot instance.

Add More Chariot Instances

Each running Chariot instance leases one seat from the FLS. As long as there are available seats on the installed license, additional Chariot servers configured with the same FLS URL and matching License Features will activate automatically.

Floating License Deactivation

In order to deactivate the floating license, log into the Chariot MQTT Server Web UI and from the left hand menu bar select License as shown below.


Select "Deactivate" for the license to be remotely deactivated so that it can be potentially activated on another Chariot MQTT Server instance.


If the server is terminated, deleted, or destroyed without deactivating the active Chariot License, that license will permanently lose one of its total number of activations


Once deactivation is successfully complete you will be returned back to the license activation wizard


 

It can take up to 10 minutes for a floating license to deactivate


Upgrade a Self-Hosted Floating License

When upgrading a Self-Hosted Floating license — for example, changing feature flags or adding seats —  uninstall the previous license from your FLS before installing the new one. If both are installed at once, the FLS will reject the new license.

  1. Contact Cirrus Link Support to request the upgrade. Provide your existing license key and the changes you need.
  2. Cirrus Link will issue a new usage hash for the existing FLS hostname and fingerprint.
  3. After receiving the new usage hash:
    1. Log in to the FLS admin UI.
    2. Uninstall the previous license from the license grid.
    3. Install the new license using the usage hash from Cirrus Link.
  4. On each Chariot instance, click Reactivate on the License page to pick up the updated features without restarting Chariot.


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