topic License database is not available at this time in ONTAP Discussions

License database is not available at this time

zhouyuxi — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:07:05 GMT

FAS2554 (Data ontap 8.2.5P5 7-mode), after a reboot , input "license show "command ,hint "License database is not available at this time". according to KB, reboot FAS2554,The problem still exists. it can be used normally,input "licence add <mylicense>",hint "license add: invalid license key "xxxx", reason: "License database is not available at this time.
", skipping."

Can who help me .

Re: License database is not available at this time

chamfer — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:49:14 GMT

@zhouyuxi ,

You need to manually input a valid license key. The KB article that you referenced that is here Error "License database is not available at this time" when running "license show" - NetApp Knowledge Base advises the next step is to contact NetApp Technical Support and reference this article for further analysis and assistance.

You would need to have a valid support contract before contacting NetApp Technical Support.

If you are not the original owner of this FAS2554 and do not have the licenses, then I feel that you may be out of luck.

Re: License database is not available at this time

zhouyuxi — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 03:35:11 GMT

Thank you for your reply.
Yes, I am the owner of the equipment, and I obtained the license for the device through NetApp's customer service. When I tried to execute the "license add key" operation, it prompted "invalid license key" and "License database is not available at this time". However, I am certain that the license is correct and there is no issue with the input format.
After the equipment malfunctioned, I have already moved the production data out and plan to handle the problem and then switch it to test use.
NetApp has stopped the maintenance of this equipment. I have no way to obtain effective support. Maybe reinstalling the system is a solution, but I have no relevant experience. I hope someone can offer help. Thank you very much.