Understanding ImpulseVPS licensing

ImpulseCore handles licensing for ImpulseVPS, so you never enter the key in ImpulseVPS itself. ImpulseCore stores the key, checks it with the licensing server and tells ImpulseVPS whether it is active.

What the IVPS- license covers

ImpulseVPS comes in one licensed edition. An IVPS- key turns on the full feature set on every provider ImpulseVPS sells: Vultr, Hetzner Cloud, DigitalOcean and Linode. The features include power controls, reinstall, resize, snapshots, backups, additional storage, firewall, reverse DNS and the browser console. Each one is offered only where the provider supports it. For example, the browser console is available on Vultr and Hetzner Cloud, and additional storage on Vultr.

The key doesn't limit how many servers, provider accounts or server plans you have, so connecting another provider account later doesn't need a new license.

Adding your key

Install and activate ImpulseCore and then ImpulseVPS first (see Installing ImpulseVPS — step-by-step). Then:

1. Open ImpulseCore → Modules & Licensing → Licenses.
2. Expand the Cloud VPS entry (slug impulsevps).
3. Paste your IVPS- key and click Save.

ImpulseCore checks the key immediately. If it validates, ImpulseCore saves it and shows it as Active. If it doesn't validate, ImpulseCore doesn't save it and keeps the key you had before. A key that belongs to another Impulse module is refused because it doesn't match this module's key prefix.

You don't enter your install domain anywhere. The first time the key is validated, the licensing server records the domain of your WHMCS System URL and ties the key to that install.

Where to see the status

• Diagnostics → License in ImpulseVPS shows the tier and the key state. With an IVPS- key, the tier is Licensed and the state reads Active — features enabled. Without a valid key, it tells you to add one in ImpulseCore.
• The System status panel on the ImpulseVPS Dashboard has a License row. Diagnostics → Health Checks → Provisioning preflight reports a missing active license as one of the things preventing orders.
• The ImpulseVPS entry in ImpulseCore's Licenses shows a status badge: Active, In grace, Expired, Invalid or No key. It also shows when the key was last checked, any grace period and when it ends, and the Valid domain recorded for the key. Click Re-check now to check the key with the licensing server immediately.

How checks and grace periods work

ImpulseCore checks the key once a day, and either kind of failed check starts a grace period:

• 48 hours when the licensing server says the key is no longer active (for example, because it has expired or been suspended).
• 7 days when the licensing server can't be reached at all.

During a grace period, ImpulseVPS works exactly as it does with an active key. ImpulseCore emails your WHMCS administrators when the grace period starts, again at the daily check once about half of it has passed, and at the first daily check after it has run out. If the key still isn't accepted when the grace period ends, the license becomes inactive.

What happens when the license is inactive

The license state never stops, powers off or deletes a server.

These things keep working:

• Every existing server keeps running. ImpulseVPS installs nothing on the servers it sells, so customers keep their own root access.
• Suspend, Unsuspend and Terminate in WHMCS still run, so suspensions and terminations from billing work as usual.
• The ImpulseVPS admin pages stay available, so you can still see your servers and run diagnostics.

These things are refused until the license is active again:

• New servers. Customers can still order and pay, but the WHMCS Create step fails before anything is created at the provider, and the service stays Pending. WHMCS shows you the reason: the ImpulseVPS license is not active — new provisioning is blocked (existing services keep running). Fix the license in ImpulseCore → Licenses.
• Customer control panel actions. This covers power, reinstall, snapshots, backups, firewall, reverse DNS and additional storage. Customers see: Server management is temporarily unavailable — the operator licence is inactive. Your server is unaffected.
• Your own server actions. In ImpulseVPS, Power on, Power off, Reboot VPS, Reset firewall to open and Reinstall OS don't run, and the inactive license is shown as the reason. The Reboot button on the WHMCS service page is refused too.
• Plan changes. WHMCS still takes an upgrade or downgrade order, but when it runs Change Package to a different server size the resize is refused, and the server keeps its current size.

Everything works again after the next successful check, with nothing to restart or reactivate.

Developer keys

Developer keys (IVPSDEV-) aren't sold with the module. If you've been given one, it runs the full feature set with limits for testing: 3 servers, and 1 snapshot and 1 volume per server. Diagnostics → License lists the caps. Use an IVPS- key for production.

Buying, renewing and moving your key

You buy and renew ImpulseVPS licenses at www.impulsesoftware.com. A renewal extends the key you already have, so you don't need to paste it again. To have ImpulseCore pick up the renewal right away instead of at the next daily check, click Re-check now in ImpulseCore → Modules & Licensing → Licenses.

If you move WHMCS to a new domain, the key is still tied to the old one. The next check reports it as invalid, which starts the 48-hour grace period. To fix it:

1. Sign in at www.impulsesoftware.com.
2. Open the key under Licenses.
3. Use Change domain to enter the new domain.
4. Click Re-check now in ImpulseCore.

Related

• Installing ImpulseVPS — step-by-step
• Fix: ImpulseVPS license validation fails
• What is ImpulseVPS, and how does it differ from a provider's own WHMCS module?