Management Center "License suspension by server avoidance in 7 days" Error

Products

• Management Center - VA
• Management Center

Issue/Introduction

Monitoring "License suspension by server avoidance" warnings via the 'show licenses' command output.

 

Environment

Management Center: 3.3.2.1 and later

Cause

Communication failures to subscription.es.bluecoat.com or validation.es.bluecoat.com are the primary triggers for this error. Management Center requires periodic validation with these servers to maintain license integrity.

Symptoms:

• The warning "License suspension by server avoidance in 7 days" appears in the UI or logs.
• The show licenses command does not reflect this specific warning, as the license is technically not yet expired.
• The 'show subscriptions' command output displays status "connection error".

localhost# show subscriptions 
subscriptions application-protection 
  license-type Subscription 
  licensed-until 2027-12-19 
  subscription-validity Valid 
  data-validity Valid 
  data-version 20260804 
  last-download-info 
    time 2026-04-18T03:31:37.715+0000 
    url https://subscription.es.bluecoat.com/application-protection/database 
    status "connection error" <------ Indicates communication failure

 

Resolution

To resolve the communication failure and clear the warning:

Verify Connectivity: Ensure the Management Center can reach subscription.es.bluecoat.com and validation.es.bluecoat.com over HTTPS (Port 443).

Check DNS Resolution: Confirm that the Management Center can correctly resolve these hostnames. Incorrect DNS settings are a frequent cause of this error.

Review Proxy Settings: If a proxy is required for internet access, confirm the Management Center configuration is correct and the proxy allows the connection.

Validate Subscription Status: Execute the show subscriptions command and check the status field.

Additional Information

Grace Period Details:
Management Center provides a maximum 7-day grace period once communication with the validation server is lost. This period may be reduced if multiple virtual appliances are detected using the same serial number.

Sample 'Show licenses' output for an expired license: 

【License expire】 
localhost# show licenses 
% failed 
% ErrorCode : -14216 
% ErrorMessage : license expired