The information on this page refers to LM-X v5.0, which added the upgrade license type. If you are using an older version of LM-X, please refer to documentation for earlier versions. |
LM-X License Manager handles the most simple to the most complex licensing needs. If you require a simple licensing solution, you can use LM-X default settings with few or no modifications.
If your licensing needs are more sophisticated, LM-X includes many advanced features to handle your needs, as described in Feature descriptions. LM-X offers outstanding flexibility to adjust the license model to your business strategy in two main ways: a universal and wide selection of license file settings (tags), and a license file structure with independent sets of tags that define features. (See Protecting your application for details on license files.)
You should consider the following as part of your licensing strategy, depending on the type of license you want to use:
- For node-locked licenses, you should consider whether the license will work on terminal servers or virtual machines (not enabled by default) and whether to enable a trial license if a normal license is not in place.
- For floating licenses, you should consider policies for dealing with heartbeats and network disconnects (for example, how you will handle saving files and quitting the application in case the network is down).
- For trial licenses, you do not need to change your procedures. To enable trial licenses, you simply set a predefined trial length as described in Trial licenses. A trial license begins when the application is run for the first time. Trial licenses have anti-reuse and anti-clock tampering mechanisms that prevent usage after the trial length has expired. You may also consider whether to allow the trial to work on terminal servers or virtual machines.
Example source code for each of these basic license types are included in the examples directory and are described in Getting Started with LM-X License Manager.
The following tables show the most common feature settings for node locked and floating licenses, whether they are required or optional, and whether they are set by default.
Settings for both node-locked and floating licenses
Setting | Required for node-locked | Required for floating | Usage | Set by default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Yes | License key set by the license generator, which should not be modified. | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | Your assigned vendor ID, which should not be modified. | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | The major version number of the feature. | Yes (Defaults to 1) | |
Yes | Yes | The minor version number of the feature. | Yes (Defaults to 0) | |
No | No | Specifies the license expiration date. | No | |
No | No | Specifies the customer name to which the license has been issued. | Yes | |
No | No | Enables/disables the system clock check performed by client application and license server. | Yes | |
No | No | Locks the license to a specific machine. Note: This setting applies to both floating and node-locked licenses, because a license may be locked to both a server (using SERVER_HOSTID) and one or more clients. | No | |
No | No | Specifies the percentage of HostIDs that must match for successful HostID verification. | Yes (Defaults to 100%) |
Using or changing one more of the above settings can change a licensing model. For instance:
To use this licensing model: | Modify the license file settings to: |
Feature-limited demo license | Contain only the features you want to license. |
Temporary license | Set END to the date on which you want the temporary license to end. |
Permanent license | Do not set END. |
Time-limited | Set END to a specific date. |
Annual subscription | Set END to the current date + one year. |
Copy protection license | Use CLIENT_HOSTID. |
Shared license | Use SHARED=USER|HOST|CUSTOM. |
Settings for floating licenses only
Setting | Required | Usage | Set by Default |
|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Specifies whether a network license is exclusive, additive, upgrade or token-based. | Yes (Defaults to exclusive) | |
Yes | Specifies the number of licenses that can be issued simultaneously for the particular feature floating on the network. | No | |
No (highly recommended) | Locks the license to a license server machine. | No | |
No | Enables leasing of licenses to computers that can be disconnected from the network. | Yes | |
No | Enables leasing of licenses to computers that are disconnected from the network unexpectedly. | Yes |
The following table describes licensing options that are commonly used, and whether they apply to node-locked or floating licenses.
License Option | Node-locked | Floating | Usage | Default Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Yes | Lets end users use an application for a predetermined length of time without requiring a license. | Disabled by default. When enabled, trial licenses are not allowed on virtual machines or terminal servers by default. | |
Yes | Yes | Lets you explicitly allow trusted and enterprise customers to use your application in a virtual environment. | By default, LM-X denies all checkouts for local licenses in virtual environments, such as VMware or Virtual Server, and refuses to load licenses on license servers to prevent potential license overuse. | |
No | Yes | Allows a client application to find license servers on the network automatically. | By default, automatic server discovery is disabled on the client side. |