Non-FlexNet License Technologies
In addition to Revenera’s FlexNet license technology, FlexNet Operations can be integrated with other license technologies to unify disparate licensing systems and manage fulfillments. A non-FlexNet licensing technology generally fits into one of the following categories:
| • | External SOAP Service Technology |
| • | Manual Technology |
| • | Hands-Free Technology |
| • | Replacement/Regenerative Technology, covered below |
Replacement/Regenerative Technology
When a replacement licensing technology is used, the most recent license file on a host overrides all earlier licenses. Each time a license is generated, the licensing system calculates the total fulfillment count for each product on the host and generates a license; the license is not generated based on the fulfillment count in a single transaction or on the fulfillment record.
FlexNet Operations stores a master copy of the host license. Whenever a new license is generated for the host, or is returned, the master copy is modified. When a user downloads a license for a fulfillment record belonging to this host, the user receives the entire host license, not the individual fulfillment count of the fulfillment record. FlexNet Operations supplies only the master copy of the host license.
License Activation
After a product purchase is registered with FlexNet Operations as an entitlement and the entitlement is deployed, a customer can obtain a license for the product. The license enables use of some or all of the product’s capabilities, and contains information about the computers on which the software is to run, the expiration date, and the count of the entitlement’s total quantity that has been activated.
License Support
After license activation, support becomes an important part of the license lifecycle. Changes resulting from business decisions such as the repackaging of products or introduction of maintenance, and end user events such as purchase of a new machine affect the license lifecycle. Support operations include:
| • | Repairing a License – Customers may require support for license keys. Requests for license support are processed as repairs. |
| • | Returning a License – Returning a license means moving license rights back to an entitlement. After receiving licenses for copies of a product, a customer can return some of them to the software producer for re-licensing at a later time. The customer’s entitlement for the product is increased by the number of copies returned. |