Distribution of Node-Locked Licenses to Networked Machines

The distribution of licenses from a license server to machines running FlexEnabled applications via a network is one license model that can be provided using activatable licenses held in trusted storage on a license server. FlexEnabled components on the network machine send a request for a license to the license server. The vendor daemon processes this request and if a suitable license is available transfers it to the network machine.

The FlexEnabled components on the network machine install the license in trusted storage. Trusted storage is locked to the network machine and thus licenses held in trusted storage are node-locked to that machine.

FlexEnabled components for trusted storage on a network machine

The FlexEnabled components required to implement the distribution of node-locked licenses to networked machines using trusted storage are:

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License server manager—Use lmadmin as the license server manager as it displays details of activatable licenses held in trusted storage.

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Vendor daemon—Created by the publisher. This must be the publisher vendor daemon that can access trusted storage. Ensure that you always use the correct vendor daemon supplied by the publisher: an earlier version that is only able to use license files will not be able to use licenses held in trusted storage.

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Trusted storage on license server—Contains activatable licenses that can be transferred to a networked machine. Concurrent licenses can only be used to implement floating license models.

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Server activation utility (not shown)—The FlexEnabled component on the license server that requests and loads licenses into the server’s trusted storage from the publisher. This utility also manages the contents of the server’s trusted storage through return, repair, and modify requests.

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Application activation utility—A FlexEnabled component that requests a license from the enterprise license server or the publisher’s activation server and creates and manages the contents of trusted storage. The publisher can integrate this functionality into a component that provides other functions (for example, the utility could be integrated into the FlexEnabled application installer).

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Trusted storage on the network machine—Contains licenses locked to the machine.

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FlexEnabled application—The application that requires the license. Note that this component must have been built by your publisher so that it can access trusted storage. You must ensure that you use the correct version of the application.

You can use the options file to restrict the distribution of node-locked licenses to network machines. See Managing the Options File for details.