With the release of Pentaho 10, changes have been made to licensing options, impacting what is allowed and how the license is verified, and introducing new paid licensing levels.
Pentaho has always offered a “community” version. This came with limitations: patches were only issued for the Enterprise Edition product, and some extended functionalities (e.g. big data connectors) were excluded.
For those who purchased licenses, these were issued as one-off binary keys that gave authorisation to use the Enterprise Edition product for a specific period.
Below are the 3 essential changes that users need to know.
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Pentaho 10: Key Licensing Changes
1. Developer Edition is the new Community Edition
Firstly, Pentaho 10.2 still offers a “community” version, but it is now under their new Developer Edition and can be downloaded here: Pentaho Developer Edition
The Developer Edition is licensed under multiple open-source and business licenses, including:
* GNU Library or Lesser General Public License version 20 (LGPLv2)
* GNU General Public License version 2.0 (GPLv2)
* Mozilla Public License 1.1 (MPL 1.1)
* Business Source License 1.1 (BSL)
* Apache License 2.0
This free version of the software provides access only to Spoon (the data integration ETL tool) and does not come with support, security updates or patches.
Notable Update: Developer Edition Not for Production Use
The Business Source License 1.1 (BSL) used in the 10.2 release prohibits the use of the software for production use. This authorises the use of Pentaho for development and non-production purposes and allows access to the code. Four years after the release date, the software will transition to an open-source license. For more details, refer to the BSL documentation.
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2. Licensing for Production Use
For Production environments, Pentaho 10 offers flexible options for licensing tiers.
Starter License
The Starter License provides:
- Additional data connectors
- Regular security updates and patches
- Limited support from Pentaho
Licensing fees for the Starter License are based on the number of CPU cores, and users of this license are limited to one or two cores. The Starter License includes basic support, security updates and limited scalability, based on CPU cores.
Pro and Pro-Suite Licenses
The Pro License includes:
- Cloud and container deployment
- Advanced PDI functionality
- Advanced security options
- Enterprise Support
The Pro-Suite License extends the above with the full Pentaho Reporting Suite and support for a broad range of modern authentication options.
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3. License Verification – A New Approach
The license for Pentaho 10 software will no longer be provided as an installable file. This has been replaced with a verification system linked to a Cloud License Server.
The software must verify its license against this server every time Pentaho starts up.
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BizCubed can Help!
Stay ahead of the curve by ensuring your Pentaho deployment aligns with the latest licensing requirements and best practices.
At BizCubed, we’re here to support you through these changes. Whether you need help understanding the new licensing structure, assistance transitioning to Pentaho 10, or even if you’re intending to migrate to another tech stack, our team can guide you every step of the way.
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Additional Pentaho Resources
If your organisation has Pentaho and wants to know how these changes affect you, we are here to help. Let’s talk.