Next Generation Firewall 7.0 Installation Guide

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Maintenance
To maximize the benefit of Forcepoint NGFW, upgrade the SMC and Forcepoint NGFW regularly.
Upgrading licenses
You must upgrade licenses if you upgrade the SMC, the SMC Appliance, or the NGFW Engines to a new major release.

Introduction to the Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall solution
Before setting up Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall (Forcepoint NGFW), it is useful to know what the different components do and what engine roles are available. There are also tasks that you must complete to prepare for installation.
Security Management Center deployment
SMC is the management component of the Forcepoint NGFW system. SMC must be installed and running before you can deploy the Forcepoint NGFW engines.
Forcepoint NGFW deployment
Forcepoint NGFW deployment consists of adding and configuring engine elements in the SMC, and configuring the Forcepoint NGFW software on the engine.
Maintenance
To maximize the benefit of Forcepoint NGFW, upgrade the SMC and Forcepoint NGFW regularly.
- Upgrading licenses
  You must upgrade licenses if you upgrade the SMC, the SMC Appliance, or the NGFW Engines to a new major release.
  - Getting started with upgrading licenses
    When you installed the SMC, the SMC Appliance, or the NGFW Engines for the first time, you installed licenses that work with all versions up to that particular version. Each license indicates the highest version for which the license is valid, but the license is also valid for all lower software versions.
  - Upgrade licenses manually
    If you have not enabled automatic license upgrades, upgrade licenses manually through the Management Client.
  - Install licenses
    After you have upgraded the licenses, install the license in the Management Client.
  - Check licenses
    After installing the upgraded NGFW Engine licenses, check the license information.
- Maintaining the Security Management Center
  When there is a new version available, upgrade the SMC before upgrading NGFW Engines.
- SMC Appliance maintenance
  The SMC Appliance has a specific patching process that keeps the SMC software, operating system, and appliance firmware up-to-date.
- Upgrading NGFW engines
  When a new version of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall introduces features that you want to use, upgrade the Forcepoint NGFW engines.
Appendices

Upgrading licenses

You must upgrade licenses if you upgrade the SMC, the SMC Appliance, or the NGFW Engines to a new major release.

Getting started with upgrading licenses
When you installed the SMC, the SMC Appliance, or the NGFW Engines for the first time, you installed licenses that work with all versions up to that particular version. Each license indicates the highest version for which the license is valid, but the license is also valid for all lower software versions.
Upgrade licenses manually
If you have not enabled automatic license upgrades, upgrade licenses manually through the Management Client.
Install licenses
After you have upgraded the licenses, install the license in the Management Client.
Check NGFW Engine licenses
After installing the upgraded NGFW Engine licenses, check the license information.

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Published 25 August 2023