In the world of enterprise IT, remote server management isn't a luxury—it's a necessity. For administrators managing Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) ProLiant servers, is the gold standard for out-of-band management. However, many users quickly discover that the default, free version of iLO (Standard Edition) has significant limitations. To unlock advanced features, you need an iLO license activation key .

In 2022, HPE introduced a new model: . This changes the licensing landscape. Instead of buying a perpetual iLO Advanced license key, some customers now subscribe to a monthly license that includes iLO Advanced plus cloud-based management.

A: Yes. If you bought a used HPE ProLiant from a reseller, it likely has no license (or an OEM license that will give a warning). Purchase a new iLO Advanced license kit for your generation.

There are several ways to obtain an ILO license activation key:

The most common way to activate your key is through the iLO web interface: to your server's iLO web interface. to the licensing page: For iLO 5/6: Go to Administration For some versions: Go to iLO Settings Enter the Key : Type your 25-digit activation key into the Activation Key Install License ) and accept the End User License Agreement (EULA). Hewlett Packard Enterprise Key Characteristics & Best Practices HPE Integrated Lights-Out 5 (iLO 5) - Installing a License

| Feature | iLO Standard (Free) | iLO Advanced (Licensed) | iLO Advanced Premium Security (Licensed) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Secure KVM (Virtual Console) | Limited (text-only) | Full graphical KVM | Full graphical KVM | | Virtual Media (ISO/Floppy) | Yes (slow) | High-speed mounting | High-speed mounting | | SNMP Traps & Alerts | No | Yes | Yes | | Power Capping & Savings | No | Yes | Yes | | Directory Services (LDAP/AD) | No | Yes | Yes | | iLO Federation (Group mgmt) | No | Yes | Yes | | Secure Boot & Silicon Root of Trust | No | No | Yes | | Runtime Intrusion Detection | No | No | Yes |

Licenses can be pre-installed at the factory if specified during the order.