Firewall Whitelisting and Offline Activation Guide
When the ZappySys License Manager displays an OFFLINE status, it means the machine cannot reach ZappySys activation services over the internet. This commonly occurs on servers running in secure or isolated environments where firewalls, proxies, antivirus software, or network security policies restrict outbound access. In this article, we will walk through how to diagnose the issue and troubleshoot the most common scenarios.
1. Why the License Manager Shows OFFLINE Status
When the ZappySys License Manager displays an OFFLINE status, it indicates that the machine cannot reach ZappySys activation services over the internet. Common reasons include:
- No internet connectivity on the server.
- Firewall restrictions blocking outbound traffic.
- Proxy servers that block or filter outbound HTTPS requests.
- Secure or isolated server environments (DMZ, VPN, restricted networks) with limited internet access.
- Antivirus or endpoint protection blocking outbound HTTPS communication.
- Application-level restrictions enforced by antivirus products that prevent outbound connectivity.
- SSL inspection / deep packet inspection interfering with HTTPS traffic.
To activate your license successfully—or determine when offline activation is required—ensure that the required URL and ports are whitelisted and that no security software is interfering with the connection.
2. URLs and Ports That Must Be Whitelisted for Online License Key Activation
To ensure successful online activation, allow outbound access to the following:
Required URL
https://zappysys.com
Ports
- 443 (HTTPS) – Typically permitted
- 80 (HTTP) – Typically permitted
Important Note About IP Whitelisting
Some users attempt to whitelist an IP address instead of the URL. For example, zappysys.com may currently resolve to 192.xxx.xxx.116, which belongs to our CDN/security provider.
However:
- CDN IPs change frequently
- Different geographic regions may resolve to different IPs
- Load balancing automatically shifts traffic
- A fixed IP may work today and fail tomorrow
Therefore, we strongly recommend whitelisting the URL (https://zappysys.com) instead of any IP address. URL-based whitelisting ensures stable and future-proof access.
In some environments, even when the required URLs and ports are properly whitelisted, the ZappySys License Manager may still appear as OFFLINE. This can occur if the network is performing SSL interception or deep packet inspection, which replaces or alters the original SSL certificate. Please refer to the section below for more details.
SSL Interception or Proxy May Block License Activation
In some environments, even if the correct URLs and ports are whitelisted, the ZappySys License Manager may still show OFFLINE due to SSL interception.
This issue is particularly common in Azure IaaS and other highly controlled infrastructures where policy-based network restrictions can block or alter SSL certificate chains, or maybe your machine or network uses SSL interception or a proxy that rewrites certificates (for example: ZScaler, Palo Alto, Mimecast, Forcepoint, etc.).
These products often replace the original certificate from zappysys.com with their own internal CA certificate.
When this happens, Windows cannot fully validate the SSL chain, causing errors such as:
“Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel.”
How to Fix
- Install your proxy/security appliance’s Root/Intermediate CA certificates into:
Local Computer → Trusted Root Certification Authorities
Local Computer → Intermediate Certification Authorities - OR bypass SSL inspection / HTTPS decryption for:
https://zappysys.com
Once the SSL inspection is taken care of, the License Manager should connect and activate successfully.
For detailed guidance and troubleshooting steps, please refer to the following article:
3. How to Test Connectivity
Before attempting activation, confirm that your server can reach the required URL.
Test via Browser
Open a browser on the same machine and verify you can access:
https://zappysys.com
Test via Command Line
Run:
ping zappysys.com
(If ping is blocked in your environment, it may fail even when HTTPS works—this is normal.)
4. If Firewall Access Cannot Be Provided: Use Offline Activation
If your environment does not allow outbound internet access and the License Manager still shows OFFLINE, you can activate your product using the offline activation method.
Use the links below:
Generate an Offline License Key
Guide: How to Generate and Activate the Offline License
Offline activation is fully supported and works even in highly isolated environments.
5. Antivirus or Endpoint Security May Block Activation
In certain environments, antivirus or endpoint protection tools may block the License Manager from reaching the ZappySys activation server. This can also result in an OFFLINE status even if the firewall rules appear correct.
Things to verify:
- Ensure your antivirus is not blocking outbound HTTPS requests from the ZappySys License Manager.
- Add an exclusion for the License Manager executable if required.
- Confirm that SSL inspection or HTTPS filtering is not breaking the TLS handshake.
- Ensure access to
https://zappysys.comis allowed and not intercepted.
Antivirus products may enforce policies that restrict application-level outbound communication, so reviewing these settings is equally important.
6. Troubleshooting Tips
If activation still fails, verify:
- DNS resolves
zappysys.comcorrectly - Proxy authentication is not blocking requests
- System date/time is accurate
- License Manager is running with Administrator privileges
7. Summary
To resolve the OFFLINE status in ZappySys License Manager:
- Whitelist only one URL:
https://zappysys.com - Allow outbound ports 443 and 80
- Avoid IP-based whitelisting due to CDN rotation
- Test connectivity directly from the server
- Use offline activation when internet access is restricted
Following these steps ensures reliable license validation and smooth activation. If you continue to face issues or have specific questions, please reach out to our support team via live chat.
Other helpful topics:
- How to find my machine code/hash?
- How to activate a license key
- Troubleshooting Malformed License Key Errors in ZappySys License Manager
- How to fix Error MachineCodeInvalid - The license is not valid for this machine
- How to Transfer ZappySys License to a New Machine (Desktop or Server)?
Contact us
If you encounter any issues or have specific questions, reach out to our support team via live chat or support ticket using our email support@zappysys.com.