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Online licence checks for panels/plugins
Seems like most web hosting panels and plugins have online licence check tools, e.g. https://license.directadmin.com/ https://billing.jetapps.com/verify.php https://www.softaculous.com/verify/ or https://cln.cloudlinux.com/console/check-license
When you buy a web hosting package that is using these panels/plugins, would you expect the results from these licence checks to match what the web hoster offers? What could be the reason that these licence checks don't find a licence or just show "trial" or "free" licences? Should you worry in these cases?
Comments
That probably depends on what checker you're talking about. Obviously their flaws won't be the same, it's not the same backend.
Most of these checks take A record of domain and check against records in DB. IP behind NAT, cloudflare etc. will void those checks.
The ones I have mentioned above, for example.
Most of these take an IP address, and I am using the IP address of the web hosting machine I would use to login (and as configured on the web hosting machine itself - and that IP address is not a cloudflare IP address, and there is also no NAT involved)
I have a licensed DirectAdmin host, however for some reason the check is failed on this portal. Got an update just today, so it is quite interesting to what degree this is actually reliable :D
UPD. Seems like they only remember the last IP address connected to their servers, which was IPv6 one. License check is passed for it.
That's very interesting, didn't think they accepted IPv6 addresses there. That's for the DA licence check, the others insist on IPv4 addresses.
The funniest part is that the request was done from an IPv6 address which is not visible to an end-user (i.e. they could not obtain it from neither A/AAAA or TXT aka SPF records). But this is my case, probably such setup is not that common if DA team haven't considered that.
Anytime a server has more than one IP..
Web server with multiple addresses. Server can do a license check with a different IP than you are checking.
Somekind of proxy in front of the server..
There are a few reasons.. Why do you ask?
Does cPanel have this?
https://verify.cpanel.net
Uh I don't think it's reliable.
Addon ips/extra ips won't validate this check.
But once you have access to the server (because you have bought a web hosting plan on that server), you'll be able to see what other IP addresses are configured on that server, so you can then check all of these IP addresses.
Those can explain the case where the licence check doesn't show anything that is licensed, but it wouldn't explain where the check shows a "trial" or "free" licence when the hoster offers the full version?
I want to make sure that a web hoster has properly licensed everything they are offering.
If the vendor has an agreement with the software company they may have all of their IPs set to free/trial and when they activate a host for a customer, they can 'turn on' the full license.
There is also the case some show incorrect info at times such as WHMCS many times it shows invalid but later proved the person has a licence, its valid but the checker is wrong.
Not sure we are talking about the same thing... I am talking about a web hoster offering shared hosting packages on a particular machine where the licence check for JetBackup shows "trial" for that IP address and Softaculous shows "free", but the full versions of both are available in the panel for the user to use.
That will mean
1 - they have the free version
Or
2 - did have the upgraded/pro trial
Or
3 - Are using shared licence systems (nulled/cracked) but for marketing they label them shared
Thank you, that was the missing piece.
Don't all IPs show free for Softaculous until licensed (from memory)? If the server has multiple IPs, one will show licensed, the rest will show as free.
The JetBackup showing trial, seems odd and is a red-flag, but it can happen for some legitimate reasons.. Ask the host would be my suggestion.
Guess I'm using nulled... lol.
https://i.ibb.co/fn4bMQM/image-2024-03-03-113915641.png
The fastest way to check what IP is stored at DA database is to login to your client portal and see what session they see on their end.
I guess they switched to key-based licensing. I can't see any IP showing in my DA portal.
Your license is assigned to LayerBridge SRL, provider license.
License info is only visible on Global ip fyi.
Damn... I ruled out the possibility that they'd prefer IPv6.
No, this is not a case for me:
However at directadmin client portal it is
2a09:b280:fe00:ffff::15Ah.
Fuck DA's licensing system then.
I think almost any license check behaves similarly - basically what they do is HTTPS request without binding to any local IP address, so on dualstack systems consequent checks may have different IP addresses (this happened to us with both WHMCS and VirtFusion, however is fixed after reaching out their technical support). Moreover, in case when IPv6 prefix is routed using additional IPv6 address, the situation I mentioned above occurs - IPv6 address that is used for user/client facing things is different from an IPv6 address used to make outgoing connections.
Not a big issue but makes almost all license checks not verifiable by external parties.
Actually the one who prefers IPv6 is your system. See
/etc/gai.conffor more info.I think it's better to ask them before you sign up for a service. Many hosts mention clearly that they will offer unlicensed control panel or operating system to their customers.
Really? Here on LET? Shouldn't those be banned?
Why? I've seen this too.. Along the lines of 'the install template is offered but you need to provide your own license'.
Right. Yes... but offering CloudLinux based shared web hosting would still seem a bit strange when each customer has to bring their own CloudLinux licence...