FAQ

What are the enterprise editions?

Cfengine Enterprise editions are commercially licensed versions of Cfengine 3 with build-time library extensions. They are directed at organizations and scenarios where the need for complex, supported management processes arises. They provide extended functionality and time-saving process simplifications to the automation of datacentres.

What features does it have?

Cfengine enterprise features are designed to both extend and simplify the use of Cfengine in enterprise scenarios, ultimately providing a single framework for self-healing, hands-free automation with integrated knowledge management. Each extension has been carefully designed to meet a specific need, replacing cumbersome and insecure technologies currently available in datacentre products.

What do the Enterprise editions mean for future development?

Cfengine Enterprise Editions are not closed-source, monolithic purchases, but subscription pathways to a process of continuous improvement. When you subscribe to an enterprise level Cfengine, you take part in its extended development, at the forefront of technological development.

Is the Enterprise edition one version or many?

Cfengine will be available at three Enterprise levels. Users may upgrade to any enterprise level at any time without affecting an existing installation. Each enterprise level adds new capabilities appropriate for an increased level of scale and sophistication.

Can I modify the Enterprise editions?

We have a number of licensed alternatives depending on your needs. For each edition we have a Commercial Open Source product. Users who meet our minimum requirements may have full access to the source code and are free to modify it without warranty. Changes may be used within the organization or shared with other license-holders. Changes may also be contributed back for use by other license holders in future releases.

What about the GPL - can Cfengine make a commercial license of its own?

Yes, as Cfengine AS owns the copyright to the Cfengine code. Any copyright holder may license their software as it sees fit. However, we do not plan to stop licensing the Community edition under GPL, simply because we believe it is to our own interest to maintain the core free.

Why keep GPL at all? Some companies do not like the GPL.

We choose to keep as much of Cfengine as possible under the GPL for the benefits it gives to users and developers alike. At the same time, we are able to provide alternative licenses to those who do not feel comfortable with GPL.

In this way we hope to secure the future of Cfengine development for users of both community and commercial editions indefinitely. Cfengine has benefitted greatly in the past from GPL through open user-testing, allowing it to be one of the most secure software products available for system management. Maintaining such openness is therefore of critical importance to Cfengine AS's business strategy.

Enterprise editions contain the community version core. The core files contain GPL license notices. Doesn't that mean that the whole program must be GPL?

As copyright holders we are free to license Cfengine under any terms we choose. The files that belong to both the community edition and enterprise editions are consequently licensed under both sets of terms. The licensee of the Enterprise edition is therefore free to choose the terms that are deemed most desirable.

How do I know that back-doors and security issues will not be present in Cfengine Enterprise editions?

Licensed users can have access to the commercial source code and the GPL core is there for all to see. We also grant security auditors and researchers access to the code on request, under Non Disclosure Agreements, for the purpose of code validation. Needless to say, the same development principles and high standards of coding that have characterized Cfengine will continue to apply to the commercial versions of Cfengine.

What happens to modifications of the Enterprise code that users make?

Under the terms of the license users may modify the code as they see fit. Changes to Enterprise edition code may only be shared with license holders at that level, or with Cfengine AS, by making a contributor statement granting Cfengine AS permission to include a version of the code.

We prefer that users treat the commercial editions in the same way that users have always interacted in the development -- by testing and contributing ideas and patches that are sent to us. We then verify and integrate appropriate changes for the community.

What happens if we stop paying the enterprise level license?

If you stop paying subscription fees, your right to use the Enterprise version of Cfengine expires. You must then delete or destroy all Enterprise code whether you have modified it or not. Alternatively, you may buy a perpetual license to the current version for a one-off fee.

Can I simply buy a version and keep the code without upgrades?

Yes, you can buy a perpetual Enterprise license for a one-off fee (of course, still subject to the Commercial Open Source License - COSL). However, you don't get new versions of the Enterprise edition since you are no longer a subscription license holder and there is an additional fee for support and maintenance. Users of the Cfengine core Community version get a perpetual license free of charge through the GPL v.3.

Are the enterprise editions plug-ins, or do I have to recompile?

If you are building the software yourself, you need to recompile.

What is an indemnification warranty?

This means that Cfengine provides you with a warranty that the version of Cfengine you are using does not infringe any third party intellectual property rights such as copyright.

Is Cfengine free software in the FSF sense?

Yes, the community edition of Cfengine satisfies all the requirements of Free Software, as it is licensed under GPL. The Enterprise editions however draw a line between paying and non-paying users, as it is licensed under COSL. For paying users the program is effectively Free, but non-paying users cannot share these freedoms, e.g. paying users cannot share code or modifications with non-paying users.

Does the use of GPL force me to share my local modifications with the entire world?

The GPL requires developers of GPL code to share changes with other users only during public redistribution of the code. It does not infringe an individual user's right to keep private changes for their own use.

If you purchase a dual-license version of the code from Cfengine AS, we can grant you the right to redistribute Cfengine derivatives without GPL for a fee.

Are commercial versions of Cfengine 2 available?

No. Development of Cfengine 2 is frozen. You can only obtain commercial support for Cfengine 2 as a path to future upgrade.

How long will Cfengine 2 be supported?

The Cfengine 2 support has been discontinued.