Error "Tableau Server is unlicensed" After Restarting Software or Rebooting VM Due to a Non-Static Host or Expired License Key

Issue

After rebooting the virtual machine hosting Tableau Server or using a cloned activated image, the following error occurs:

Tableau Server is unlicensed.

Environment

Tableau Server
Virtual Machine

Resolution

Re-Activate Licenses

Resolve the issue in the current instance by reactivating the license(s). For more information, see Activate Tableau. Find the current keys in the Tableau Customer Portal.

If changes are not made that are listed below or the Server ATR activation method is not used, an issue with exceeding maximum activations may occur in the future. There are a few options for preventing Tableau Server from becoming unlicensed after a restart/reboot:

Option 1

This resolution is the most reliable - please work with the hosting provider to ensure that the following factors remain static during a restart of the instance:

MAC address
Virtual Machine ID

Option 2

If you are unable to make the above factors static, the Tableau Server license must be deactivated before restarting the instance. For example:

Before restarting the instance, deactivate the Tableau Server license
Restart the virtual machine
After a successful reboot, re-activate the license

Option 3 - Linux
Use the Container install option to remove the worry about host changes.

Cause

When restarting a virtual machine instance, the Tableau Server license can become unlicensed for various reasons with three being:
1. One or more of the product keys have expired. Please check the TSM licenses and the Tableau Customer Portal to obtain current licenses.
2. Because Tableau Server's license is linked to the hardware of the host, even with virtual machines, some virtual machines will change physical hardware during an instance restart/reboot, which breaks the licensing. For example, Amazon or Microsoft will assign an image to a new instance during restart in order to make the hardware available for updates or maintenance.
3. Bringing up a cloned image. Due to the fact that machine identifiers are tied to the activation, when using a cloned activated image on a new machine, the activation will break. Bringing the Tableau Server up will result in the unlicensed state.