The following table lists all HostID types that are supported by LM-X License Manager and indicates the level of security and flexibility of each type to help you decide which HostID type(s) work best for your needs. We recommend using a HostID that the end user will not change often during the valid period of the license.
| HostID Type | Security | Flexibility | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostname | Low | High | Easy to move. |
| Username | Low | High | Easy to move. |
| IP address | Low | High | Easy to move. This HostID is a good choice if the IP address is static and available. |
| Windows product ID | Low | High | Easy to move. |
| Harddisk | High | Low | Difficult to move. For optimal security, locking to the BIOS and/or Harddisk HostID is more resistant to abuse; however, these HostIDs can be acquired only on Windows platforms. |
| BIOS | High | Low | Difficult to move. For optimal security, locking to the BIOS and/or Harddisk HostID is more resistant to abuse; however, these HostIDs can be acquired only on Windows platforms. |
| Long (Unix-specific locking) | High | Low | Difficult to move. |
| Ethernet card (MAC address of the Ethernet card) | Medium | Low | Difficult to move; however, it is possible to change the MAC address, which somewhat compromises security. Generally a good choice for locking either a node-locked license or a floating license, because almost all machines have an Ethernet card, and information about the Ethernet HostID is available on all platforms. |
| Hasp HL dongle | High | High | Dongles have superior security and flexibility; however, because the dongle is a physical device, it has the risk of being lost or broken. |
| Custom | High | High | Lets you develop your own algorithm to lock the application to custom hardware. |
| AWS Instance ID | High | High | May be somewhat time-consuming. |
Note: For the highest level of security, we recommend that you use as many HostID types as possible. We also recommend using HostID Match Rate to ensure that the configuration works correctly.