License Information¶

Mailborder V6 uses a flexible licensing model designed to accommodate organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.

License Types¶

Trial License¶

A fully-featured trial license is available for evaluation purposes.

Features: - Full functionality (no feature restrictions) - 30-day evaluation period - Up to 10 domains - Up to 10 networks - Unlimited number of users - Technical support via email - No credit card required

Purpose: - Evaluate Mailborder in your environment - Test integration with existing infrastructure - Assess performance and effectiveness - Train administrators

Obtaining a Trial: - Trial licenses are generated automatically during installation - Or request via Mailborder website - Activation requires Internet connectivity for validation

Trial Expiration: - Warning emails sent at 7 days, 3 days, 1 day remaining - After expiration, system continues to function but displays warnings - Purchase a license to remove restrictions

Standard License¶

For small to medium-sized deployments.

Features: - Full product functionality - Perpetual or subscription options - Email and phone support - Software updates and security patches - Virus and spam signature updates

Pricing Model: - Per-mailbox licensing - Tiered pricing (volume discounts) - Typical tiers: 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000 mailboxes

Support: - Business hours email support (24-hour response time) - Knowledge base access - Community forum access

Professional License¶

For medium to large deployments requiring enhanced support.

Features: - All Standard features plus: - Priority support (4-hour response time) - Phone support - Quarterly business reviews - Advanced configuration assistance - Custom policy development assistance

Pricing Model: - Per-mailbox licensing with lower per-unit cost - Typical tiers: 500, 1000, 2500, 5000, 10000+ mailboxes - Annual subscription recommended

Support: - 24×5 priority email and phone support - Dedicated support engineer - Remote assistance sessions - Training webinars

Enterprise License¶

For large organizations, service providers, and mission-critical deployments.

Features: - All Professional features plus: - 24×7 premium support (1-hour response time) - Dedicated account manager - Custom SLA available - On-site installation and training (optional) - Clustering and HA support - Custom development (major projects quoted separately)

Pricing Model: - Unlimited mailboxes or large-scale tiers - Annual subscription - Volume discounts for multi-year commitments - Custom pricing for service providers

Support: - 24×7×365 premium support via email, phone, chat - Named support engineers - Quarterly on-site or virtual reviews - Priority bug fixes and feature requests - Beta access to new features

OEM/Service Provider License¶

For companies reselling Mailborder or offering it as a managed service.

Features: - White-label branding - Multi-tenant management - API access for provisioning - Reseller portal - NFR (Not For Resale) licenses for demos - Marketing materials and co-branding

Pricing Model: - Custom pricing based on volume - Wholesale pricing tiers - Revenue share models available - Startup and growth programs

Support: - Technical pre-sales assistance - Integration support - Dedicated partner portal - Sales and marketing support

License Activation¶

Initial Activation¶

During installation, you'll be prompted to activate your license:

1. Trial Mode (default)
2. No license key required
3. Automatically enabled
4. 30-day evaluation period
5. 10 domains limit
6. 10 networks limit

7. Unlimited users

8. License Key Activation

9. Enter license key provided at purchase
10. Requires Internet connectivity for validation
11. License stored locally after validation

12. Periodic revalidation (every 30 days)

13. Offline Activation

14. For air-gapped environments without Internet access
15. Generate activation request file on Mailborder server
16. Transfer file to Internet-connected system
17. Submit to licensing portal
18. Download activation response file
19. Transfer back and apply to Mailborder server

License Installation¶

Via Web Interface: 1. Log in to admin interface 2. Navigate to System Settings → Licensing 3. Enter license key in the form 4. Click Activate License 5. Confirmation displayed on success

Via Command Line:

# Activate with license key
sudo mb-license --activate YOUR-LICENSE-KEY-HERE

# Check license status
sudo mb-license --status

# Offline activation (generate request)
sudo mb-license --offline-request > activation-request.txt

# Offline activation (apply response)
sudo mb-license --offline-response < activation-response.txt

License Validation¶

Mailborder validates licenses through these mechanisms:

Online Validation: - Initial activation requires Internet connectivity - Periodic revalidation every 30 days - Uses HTTPS to licensing server - Minimal data transmitted (license key, hardware ID, mailbox count)

Offline Validation: - For air-gapped deployments - Manual revalidation every 90 days - Generate request file, obtain response file, apply

Grace Period: - If revalidation fails, 30-day grace period begins - Warning messages displayed - Full functionality maintained during grace period - After grace period, system continues to function with warnings

Mailbox Counting¶

Your license is based on the number of protected mailboxes. Mailborder counts mailboxes using these rules:

What Counts as a Mailbox: - Any email address that receives email through Mailborder - Both inbound and outbound email users - Aliases that forward to the same mailbox count as one mailbox - Distribution lists do NOT count (counted by expansion)

Example: - john@example.com = 1 mailbox - j.doe@example.com (alias to john@example.com) = 0 additional (same mailbox) - sales@example.com (distribution list to 5 users) = 5 mailboxes

Automatic Counting: - Mailborder tracks unique recipient addresses - 30-day rolling average used for license compliance - View current count in System Settings → Licensing

Over-Limit Handling: - License allows 10% burst capacity (e.g., 100-mailbox license allows 110) - Warnings displayed if over license count - Grace period to add capacity or remove mailboxes - No email blocked due to licensing (high availability priority)

License Transfer¶

Licenses can be transferred between servers:

Same Organization: - Deactivate license on old server - Activate license on new server - Unlimited transfers within organization

Hardware Change: - Mailborder detects significant hardware changes - Automatic reactivation prompt - May require manual reactivation for major changes

Sell/Transfer to Another Organization: - Contact Mailborder support for transfer approval - Administrative fee may apply - New organization receives license with remaining term

Deactivation:

# Deactivate license before decommissioning server
sudo mb-license --deactivate

Upgrades and Renewals¶

License Upgrades¶

Adding Mailboxes: - Purchase upgrade to higher tier - Apply new license key (old key remains valid during transition) - No downtime or service interruption

Changing License Type: - Upgrade from Trial → Standard → Professional → Enterprise - Prorated credit for remaining time on current license - Contact sales for upgrade pricing

License Renewals¶

Subscription Licenses: - Automatic renewal available (optional) - Renewal notice 60 days before expiration - Price lock for multi-year commitments

Expired License: - Mailborder continues to function after expiration - Warning messages displayed - Technical support not available - No signature updates - Renew to restore full functionality

Clustering and High Availability¶

Clustered deployments have special licensing considerations:

Cluster Licensing: - License based on total protected mailboxes across entire cluster - Single license covers all nodes - No per-node licensing required

High Availability: - Active/passive HA: Single license for both nodes - Active/active HA: Single license based on total mailbox capacity

Example: - 3-node cluster protecting 5,000 mailboxes = 1× 5,000-mailbox license - 2-node HA protecting 1,000 mailboxes = 1× 1,000-mailbox license

Compliance and Auditing¶

License Compliance¶

Mailborder takes license compliance seriously:

What We Track: - Mailbox count (30-day rolling average) - License activation date - License expiration date - Revalidation status - Hardware ID (to detect transfers)

What We DON'T Track: - Email content - User data or personal information - Sender/recipient addresses - Detailed usage patterns

Privacy: - Minimal data transmission during validation - Encrypted communication (HTTPS) - No marketing use of licensing data - GDPR and privacy law compliant

Audit Reports¶

License status reports available:

Via Web Interface: - System Settings → Licensing → View Report - Shows current mailbox count, license capacity, compliance status

Via Command Line:

sudo mb-license --report

Report Contents: - License type and tier - Activation date - Expiration date (if applicable) - Mailbox count (current and 30-day average) - Compliance status - Last revalidation date

Getting Help with Licensing¶

Common Questions¶

Q: What happens if I exceed my mailbox count? A: You have 10% burst capacity and a grace period to upgrade. Email continues to flow; no service disruption.

Q: Can I reduce my license tier if users decrease? A: Yes, at renewal time. Contact sales to adjust tier.

Q: Do I need Internet connectivity for Mailborder to function? A: No. Internet is only needed for initial activation and periodic revalidation (every 30 days online, every 90 days offline). Mailborder functions normally without Internet after activation.

Q: What if my server hardware fails? A: Restore from backup or reinstall. Your license key can be reactivated on replacement hardware. Contact support if you encounter issues.

Q: Can I run Mailborder in a VM? A: Yes, fully supported. License is bound to hardware ID, which is stable for VMs.

Q: Do you offer educational or non-profit discounts? A: Yes, special pricing available. Contact sales with proof of status.

Contact Licensing Support¶

For licensing questions, contact:

Sales (new purchases, upgrades): - Email: sales@mailborder.com - Phone: +1-XXX-XXX-XXXX - Web: https://www.mailborder.com/contact

License Support (activation issues): - Email: licensing@mailborder.com - Phone: +1-XXX-XXX-XXXX - Include license key and server hardware ID in support requests

Next Steps¶

• Installation Overview - Plan your deployment
• Debian Installation - Begin installation
• System Settings - Manage license after installation