I want to have a separate Octopus Server to test upgrades and changes to my processes. Is this allowed with the Octopus Server license?
Yes, your Octopus Server license provides for 3 separate Octopus Server instances. These are separate services, files, and databases.
From our pricing FAQ page:
You can install up to three separate instances of Octopus Deploy using the same license key. These instances may be installed on the same virtual server or on different servers. This allows you to, for example, set up a production Octopus Server, another isolated Octopus Server for a different part of your organization, plus one for testing.
Please note that “instances” are separate to “nodes”. A single “instance” can run on multiple nodes, allowing for high availability and more frequent deployments. There’s no limit to the number of Octopus Server nodes you can use under an instance.
Your license key specifies the number of deployment targets you can have per running instance of Octopus. For example, if you are licensed for 50 deployment targets, you may have 50 targets on each of the three instances of Octopus Server that you run (in this example, 150 targets in total).
See also these resources: