ProxySG SGOS 4.1.x

Post-Release FAQs

Version: SGOS 4.1.3.1, build 24075
Release Date: 11/15/2005
Revision: 1.00

The purpose of this document is to address common issues raised by customers and Blue Coat field representatives following the major new release of Blue Coat SGOS 4.1.x. Dependent on the issue, this document provides clarity to existing information, provides updated information, and directs to you adequate information already present in SGOS documentation.


Question: I am confused about my license entitlement. What do I need to know?
Answer: SGOS 4.1.x requires an SGOS 4 license.
  • If the ProxySG is operating with an SGOS 3 license at the time of the upgrade to SGOS 4.1.x, the Proxy SG enters into the SGOS 4.1.x trial period, which is 30 days (as described in the Chapter 2 of the Blue Coat ProxySGConfiguration and Management Guide).
  • Blue Coat Gold and Platinum Service subscribers are entitled to upgrade SGOS 4.1.x and receive a valid SGOS 4 license for free. See the next question.
  • If you are not a Blue Coat Gold or Platinum subscriber, you can still upgrade the Proxy SG to SGOS 4.1.x and evaluate all of the licensable features during the 60 trial period. However, once the trial expires, you must be entitled to continue to use SGOS 4.1.x. Contact Blue Coat Support Services (http://www.bluecoat.com/support/contact.html).
  • If you are a Gold or Platinum Service user and the Proxy SG is operating on a SGOS 3.x demo license key, it converts to an SGOS 4.x demo key and the Proxy SG enters into the 60-day trial period. If this license is not replaced with a valid SGOS 4.1.x license key, no licensed features are available at the end of the 60-day trial period (Chapter 2 of the Blue Coat ProxySG Configuration and Management Guide describes feature behavior if this occurs).
  • For downgrade compatibility, all full SGOS 4.1.x license keys are compatible with SGOS 3.2.4.x and later versions (regarding features for those releases).
  • For new ProxySG appliances that ship with SGOS 4.1.x, you should have received a valid SGOS 4 license from Blue Coat. However, if you do not install a valid license key before the trial period ends, you cannot use any licensable SGOS 4.1.x features.

Q: I am a Blue Coat Gold or Platinum Service subscriber. How do I obtain an SGOS 4 license?
A: Check the system.
  • The ProxySG might already be upgraded to SGOS 4.1.x. To verify, access the Management Console and navigate to Maintenance>Licensing>View Licensed Components. If you see SGOS 4 marked yes as a valid component, the upgrade already occurred. (If Use Auto-update is selected, the ProxySG periodically checks to see if an automatic license upgrade is applicable.)
  • For manual license upgrades after upgrading to SGOS 4.1.x, navigate to Maintenance>Licensing>Install. Click Retrieve and enter your WebPower credentials. The license is dynamically upgraded to SGOS 4 and installed on the Proxy SG.
  • If you require assistance with your WebPower account or if your Proxy SG does not have direct Internet access, contact Blue Coat Support Services.

Q: I am not a Blue Coat Gold or Platinum Service subscriber. How do I obtain an SGOS 4 license?
A: You must contact Blue Coat Support Services.

Q: My ProxySG is already registered with Blue Coat, but I keep getting a warning that the hardware is not registered in either the CLI or the Management Console.
A: Existing hardware does not need to be re-registered with Blue Coat.
You can just mark the system as manually registered in the License Warning pane, which displays when you continue from the Management Console home page. (You can also use the CLI to mark the hardware as registered by using the commands under (config) licensing. )

If you have a new ProxySG appliance, you must register the hardware directly online and then license the software.


Q: I cannot upload the SmartFilter database. What has changed?
A: SGOS 4.1.x uses a new database download system for SmartFilter, v4.

A license key, which was sent to you in an e-mail by Secure Computing when you ordered the database, is required to download the new version. In the e-mail, this key is listed as the Serial Number ( not the Activation Key) and is in the alpha-numeric format of: SFxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx.

For further details about using SmartFilter v4, see Chapter 18: Content Filtering>Configuring SmartFilter in the Blue Coat ProxySG Configuration and Management Guide.


Q: I'm running the ProxySG in the trial period, and my access logs show every 20 minutes an attempt to download the Blue Coat Web Filter database, but I'm not using BCWF.
A: This is a known issue for SGOS 4.1.1.

During the trial period, all Blue Coat features are available. Therefore, even though you have not enabled BCWF, an attempt to fetch the mini-database occurs. The feature was implemented this way to facilitate a reduced wait time once BCWF was enabled on the Proxy SG. If your deployment is configured to not connect to this database, event log messages occur.

The current workaround for SGOS 4.1.1 is to clear the default download URL field: Management Console>Configuration>Content Filtering>Blue Coat>Blue Coat Web Filter>URL field.

In SGOS 4.1.2, BCWF must be selected before the database is downloaded.


Q: Why is the ProxySG stalling and/or terminating some transactions?
A: This is known behavior in SGOS 4.1.x, caused by certain protocol handling.

Refer to the Protocol Handling section on the Limitations and Known Issues page.