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Feature Restricted Licensing- Online in ColdFusion

Last update:
May 18, 2026

Learn about Feature Restricted Licensing- Online in ColdFusion and configuring the licensing options.

Feature Restricted Licensing - Online is a secure license activation method for users who require access to desktop software but are unable to use Named User Licensing. This activation requires an Internet connection to validate the license upon installation. Following the license activation, you may stay offline, as it no longer requires an Internet connection.
What is FRL Online licensing?
FRL Online licensing requires periodic internet connectivity to validate and maintain the license. It supports activation and updates via Adobe's licensing servers.
How does FRL Online differ from Offline and Isolated workflows?
FRL Online requires internet connectivity for license validation, while Offline and Isolated workflows do not need internet access.
Who is FRL Online licensing intended for?
Organizations or users with reliable internet access and minimal firewall restrictions.

Admin workflow

As an admin, create a Feature Restricted Licensing - Online package from the Packages tab in the Admin Console, and deploy it on a user machine.

User workflow

Launch the application on your computer. The license activates automatically.
When the application launches, it generates a license request that includes:
ColdFusion sends the request to an Adobe licensing server over the Internet. For extra security, your organization can control the Internet access by a firewall that intercepts and unpacks all Adobe network traffic to verify the content.

Licensing

For Feature Restricted Licensing - Online licenses to activate successfully, the client computer must be able to reach the Adobe licensing server lcs-cops.adobe.io via HTTPS. Some administrators may require opening an endpoint on their firewall and allow the endpoint lcs-cops.adobe.io. The client machine will attempt to reach the designated endpoint at random intervals to validate the license.
However, if the endpoint cannot be reached, it will rely on the cached license on the client machine. After the initial activation, the client machine can be moved to a secure location. The license continues to work without further contact with the Adobe server until the license expiration date.
There are two options for license activation:
  • Via https://lcs-cops.adobe.io
  • Via https://lcs-cops-proxy.adobe.com (fixed IP addresses)
The license expiration date is the customer's contract end date.

Create the package in Admin Console

Create an FRL-online package using the following steps:
  1. Sign in to the Adobe Admin Console .
  2. On the Packages tab, select Create a package .
  3. Select Feature restricted licensing and then select Next . 
  4. Select Online and then select Next .
  5. On the Entitlements screen, select the required entitlements, and select Next .
    Figure: Select the entitlement
    Select the entitlement
  6. On the Configure screen, select the required options and then select Next
    Figure: Select a platform and language
    Select a platform and language
    • Choose a platform: Choose the operating system and the processor support from the following:
      • macOS (Universal)
      • macOS (Intel)
      • macOS (Apple Silicon)
      • Windows (64-bit)
      • Windows (32-bit)
      • Windows (ARM)
    • Language: Select the language in which you want to create the package. 
    • Use OS Locale: Enables you to create a package that deploys in the OS language of client machine. In which case, the OS language is the default fallback language in which the package is deployed.
  7. On the Choose Apps screen, you’ll see the license file required to activate ColdFusion. You can ignore the Available applications section as it is not applicable to ColdFusion. ColdFusion will only use the license file, that contains the files to activate the product. Select Next .
    Figure: Select the license file
    Select the license file
  8. Ignore the Choose plugins screen. It is not applicable to ColdFusion. Select Next .
  9. On the Options screen, select the required options and then select Next .
    Device identification options
    Select this option to allow Adobe to gather information about devices on which this package is installed. By enabling devices to send this information to Adobe, you can then manage and edit access based on these devices. Learn how to Manage devices for more information.
    License activation options
    Select how clients will send information to Adobe’s licensing servers
    • Authorize Adobe License server by DNS name(default): Allow traffic to pass through your firewall to https://lcs-cops.adobe.io.
    • Authorize Adobe License server by fixed IP address: Allow traffic to pass through your firewall to https://lcs-cops-proxy.adobe.com and the fixed IPs listed in the License activation options screen.  
    The default domain has a non-static IP behind it, while the new domain will point to one among the list of static IPs in the License activation options screen. The second option provides more control to you in managing outgoing network traffic.
    Feature Flags in Desktop Apps
    This option is not applicable to ColdFusion activation.
    Management options
    Contact Adobe through a reverse proxy: This option enables license activation via a reverse proxy. The client machines will look to the entered endpoint to activate their licenses. You must ensure that you have pointed your reverse proxy to the correct endpoint for license activation to complete successfully.
    • If you've chosen to Authorize Adobe License server by DNS name, point your reverse proxy to lcs-cops.adobe.io.
    • However, if you've chosen to Authorize Adobe License server by fixed IP address, point your reverse proxy to lcs-cops-proxy.adobe.com.
    For detailed instructions on how to set up and configure a reverse proxy, see the Feature Restricted Online reverse proxy user guide .
    Note: The options Create a folder for extensions and include the UPIA command-line tool and Install package to custom install directory are not applicable to ColdFusion activation.
  10. Select Next .
  11. On the Finalize screen, enter the package name, and select Create package .
You are returned to the package list when the package creation process begins.
If the package is built successfully, you are prompted to download the package.
Also, the Download link is available in the Actions column of the corresponding package row. So, you can download the package later.  
A package is available in the Admin Console for up to three days. To check the time remaining to download a package, click to the right of the package’s name.

Activate ColdFusion

The downloaded package file is a .zip file format. Unzip the file and save the license on your computer. The package contains the following files:
  • adobe-licensing-toolkit.exe: ColdFusion doesn’t use the file.
  • ngl-preconditioning-data.json: ColdFusion uses the file for activation. The file contains npdID, npdSpecVersion, deploymentMode, operatingConfigs among other license-related information.
  • PackageInfo.txt: Contains the package’s name, type, and the platform.
The ngl-preconditioning-data.json file will be used to activate ColdFusion.
  1. Launch the ColdFusion Administrator.
  2. Navigate to Activation page in Licensing and Activation.  
  3. Select the License Mode and the Deployment Type .
  4. In the Activate License section, browse to the path where you’ve saved the files, and select the json file.
  5. Select Activate . If the activation is successful, you’ll see a confirmation message. If the activation fails, you must check the logs in license.log (cfusion/logs).
After activation, the following are created in CF_HOME > .nglfiles:
  • OperatingConfigs
  • Certificates
  • Asnps
  • cfusion/lib/ngl-preconditioning-data.json

Block a device

Blocking a device from the Adobe Admin Console is primarily intended to enhance security and control over the organization's user access. A few reasons for blocking a device are security concerns, compliance and policy requirements, preventing unauthorized access, or managing licenses and resources.
By default, when you install a package on a device, the device is activated. This implies that the product entitlement selected when you create the package is available for use by the signed in user on that device. As the admin, you can choose to block a device, which then ensures that the products and services are unavailable on that device.
Blocking a device removes the license from the device to be used on another device.
  1. Log in to the Adobe Admin Console.
  2. Select Products in the top navigation bar.
  3. Select the required ColdFusion FRL Online entitlement from the list of products.
  4. Select the device that you want to block.
  5. Select the options (...) near the device and select View details .
  6. Select Block device .
    Figure: Block a device
    Block a device
  7. In the confirmation dialog, select Block device .
    The status of the device now changes to Blocked.

Activate the device

After blocking the device, you can opt to activate it. Activating the device allows you to use the license again.
  1. In the list of devices, select the device that you've blocked.
  2. Select the options (...) near the device and select View details .
  3. Select Activate device .
    Figure: Activate the device
    Activate the device
  4. In the confirmation dialog, select Activate device .

Remove the device

You can only remove a device after you've blocked it. Removing the device  frees up the license and makes the license available to be assigned to other users in your organization.
  1. In the list of devices, select the check box to the left of one or more device to remove.
  2. Select the options (...) near the device and select View details .
  3. Select Remove device .
  4. In the confirmation dialog, select Remove device .

Export list of devices

Download the list (.CSV) of all or the selected devices in the list of devices for an entitlement.
  1. In the list of devices, to download a CSV of selected devices, check the devices in the list.
  2. Click  and then choose either to download the CSV of all or selected devices.
    		Export device list

Deactivate a license

Deactivating the license reverts ColdFusion to the developer mode.
Follow the steps to deactivate the license:
  1. Launch the ColdFusion Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the Activation section in the Licensing and Activation page.
  3. Select Deactivate .
If the deactivation is successful, you’ll see a confirmation message. If the deactivation fails, you must check the logs in license.log (cfusion/logs).
If ColdFusion is within the trial period, it reverts to trial. All license-related files are cleared upon deactivation. The file ngl-preconditioning-data.json will be deleted after deactivation.

Use Admin API to activate and deactivate a license

The license.cfc contains the following APIs for activation, deactivation, and generating the activation code for FRL isolated licensing.
  • activateNow()
  • deactivateNow()

Activate using Admin API

The following script activates FRL online license.
<cfscript> 
    activationPackageJSONPath = ExpandPath( "./ngl-preconditioning-data.json") 
    admin= createObject("component","CFIDE.adminapi.administrator") 
    admin.login("Adobe$123") 
    licenseObj = CreateObject("component","CFIDE.adminapi.license") 
    response = licenseObj.activateNow(activationPackageJSONPath, "Production") 
    writeDump(response) 
</cfscript>

Deactivate using Admin API

The following script deactivates FRL online license.
<cfscript> 
    admin= createObject("component","CFIDE.adminapi.administrator") 
    admin.login("Adobe$123") 
    licenseObj = CreateObject("component","CFIDE.adminapi.license") 
    response = licenseObj.deactivateNow() 
    writeDump(response) 
</cfscript>

Install ColdFusion silently with FRL online license

A silent installation does not interact with the user. A silent installation is useful when you install ColdFusion on multiple computers with the same installation options and configuration.
You can use the silent installer to install the ColdFusion server configuration, multi-server configuration, or JEE configuration. The silent installer runs on all the platforms that ColdFusion supports.
Create the properties file
The silent.properties file is an ASCII text file that defines the installation parameters. Specify the details as provided in the file. Select only the ones that apply to your installation type.

GUI installer

Use the following properties in the silent.properties file.
Note: Using the silent installer, you'll be able to install ColdFusion, but you need to log into the ColdFusion Adminustrator, and activate the license from the License and Activation page.
#Silent properties for ColdFusion 2025 GUI Installer 

INSTALLER_UI=SILENT  

#Valid Values are 1/2/3 (full/trial/developer)  

SILENT_INSTALL_TYPE= 

#Valid values are 1/2 (NUL/FRL) 

SILENT_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_MODE=2 

SILENT_LICENSE_FILE_PATH=C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\License\\ngl-preconditioning-data.json 

#Valid values are 1/2 (ENT/STD) 

SILENT_LICENSE_EDITION=2 

#Valid values are 1/2/3/4/5 (Production/Development/Staging/Testing/Disaster_Recovery) 

SILENT_DEPLOYMENT_TYPE= 

#Valid values are 1/2/3 (ear/war/standalone) 

SILENT_SERVER_TYPE=3  

SILENT_INSTALL_JNBRIDGE=false  

#Remote administrator component for server remote start/stop 

SILENT_INSTALL_ADMIN=false  

SILENT_INSTALL_SOLR=false  

SILENT_INSTALL_PDFG=false  

#For Linux it would be as /opt/coldfusion2025 (Change it as per your path) 

SILENT_INSTALL_FOLDER=C:\\ColdFusion2025  

#Enable one of Prod(secure/prod)/dev profile. These 3 are mutually exclusive and only one of them can be true and others are false.  

SILENT_ENABLE_PROD_SECURE_PROFILE=false  

SILENT_ENABLE_PROD_DEFAULT_PROFILE=false  

SILENT_ENABLE_DEV_PROFILE=true  

#IP addresses from which Administrator can be accessed. 

SILENT_ADMIN_IP=  

#IP address of the CF installed machine through which PDFG/Solr service would be accessed remotely. 

SILENT_JETTY_IP=  

SILENT_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin  

SILENT_ADMIN_PASSWORD=Adm1n$12  

SILENT_ENABLE_RDS=true  

SILENT_RUNTIME_USER=  

#Provide password when enable RDS is true  

SILENT_RDS_PASSWORD=Adm1n$12  

#username/password of remote administrator component for server remote start/stop  

SILENT_JETTY_USERNAME=admin  

SILENT_JETTY_PASSWORD=Adm1n$12  

#Context Root for J2ee Installation  

SILENT_CONTEXT_ROOT=  

SILENT_AUTO_ENABLE_UPDATES=true  

#For Linux it would be as /opt/coldfusion11 (Change it as per your path) 

SILENT_PREV_CF_MIGR_DIR=  

#Enable/Disable the servlets depending on if they are not used by your application or not.  

#Applicable only if production OR Production+Secure profile is enabled. For Dev profile, all are enabled by default.  

ENABLE_RDS=false  

ENABLE_WSRP=false  

ENABLE_JSDEBUG=false  

ENABLE_CFR=false  

ENABLE_CFSWF=false  

ENABLE_CFFORMS=false
ZIP installer
To silently install the service, enter the following command:
 Windows
  • Execute cfinstall.bat --file-name <file name> --installer-mode silent
  • Execute cfinstall.bat -f <file name> -i silent
Non-Windows
  • Execute ./cfinstall.sh --file-name <file name> --installer-mode silent
  • Execute ./cfinstall.sh -f <file name> -i silent
The file requires the below properties to be mentioned in a specific format to install the service silently.
#Silent properties for ColdFusion 2025 ZIP Installer  

# ColdFusion Administrator password  

COLDFUSION_ADMIN_PASSWORD=Adobe$123  

# Internal webserver port  

COLDFUSION_ADMIN_PORT=8550 

# Install License type - 1-Install new version of Adobe ColdFusion 2025 with License , 2-30-day trial, 3-Developer Edition  

INSTALL_TYPE=1  

# Edition - 1-Enterprise,2-Standard 

LICENSE_EDITION=2 

# Mode - 1-NUL,2-FRL 

LICENSE_ACTIVATION_MODE=2  

# FRL License File Path 

LICENSE_FILE_PATH=C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\License\\ngl-preconditioning-data.json 

# Accept EULA- true. To proceed, you must accept the EULA  

EULA_ACCEPTED=true 

# IP address from which Administrator can be accessed  

IP_ADDRESSES= 

# Specify the deployment type- 1-Production, 2-Development, 3-Staging, 4-Testing, 5-Disaster recovery  

DEPLOYMENT_TYPE=5 

# Name of the ColdFusion service  

COLDFUSION_WIN_SERVICE_NAME=cftest1 

# Server profile - 1-Production+Secure, 2-Production, 3-Development.  

SERVER_PROFILE=1 

# Specify the RDS password  

COLDFUSION_RDS_PASSWORD=Adobe$123 

# ColdFusion install location  

COLDFUSION_INSTALL_LOCATION=C:\\ColdFusion_2025_WWEJ_win64\\ColdFusion\\

Frequently asked questions

Note:
View Frequently Asked Questions in ColdFusion for more information on ColdFusion Named User Licensing and Feature Restricted Licensing.
Does FRL Online require an internet connection for activation?
Yes, internet connectivity is mandatory for initial activation.
How often does the system validate an FRL Online license?
The system makes API calls during activation, at server startup, and every day.
Additionally, it is important that you add the following URLs to the allowed list of URLs so ColdFusion is activated successfully:
  • https://lcs-cops.adobe.io/
  • https://lcs-cops-proxy.adobe.com/
  • https://coldfusion.adobe.io/
What happens if the license server is unreachable during validation?
If the periodic check fails, then ColdFusion will still be in active mode until it expires.
Can the FRL Online license be transferred between devices?
Yes, but it requires reactivation on the new device.
Does the FRL Online license support multiple instances on the same machine?
Yes, all instances on the same machine share a single license entry.
Can updates be applied in FRL Online mode?
Yes, updates can be downloaded and applied without impacting licensing, provided the system reconnects during or after the update.
What happens if a device is blocked from the Admin Console?
All instances on the machine are restricted, and the license reverts to Developer Mode after the next server call.
Can I unblock a blocked device?
Yes, an admin can unblock the device through the Admin Console, restoring license functionality.
How does FRL Online handle multiple devices?
Each device requires a unique activation via the Admin Console.
What is the difference between blocking and removing a device?
Blocking restricts license usage, while removing deletes the device entry from the Admin Console without affecting licensing.
How can I add a removed device back?
Reactivate the license on the device by re-uploading the JSON file.
Are FRL Online licenses tied to specific ColdFusion editions?
Yes, they are edition-specific (Standard or Enterprise).
What happens if the JSON file is lost?
Download a new JSON package from the Admin Console and reapply it.
What should I do if activation fails?
Verify internet connectivity, ensure the correct JSON file, and check firewall settings.
Can FRL Online licenses co-exist with other licensing types?
No, a ColdFusion instance can only operate in one licensing mode at a time.
How is licensing data secured?
Data such as device and license details are encrypted during API calls.

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