Trusted License Models

FlexNet Publisher Licensing Toolkit version 11 introduced the ability to store license information securely in trusted storage rather than in license certificates.

If a product is licensed with any trusted license model, the product must be linked with a transaction key. A transaction key is linked with a product at the time the first trusted license model is linked with the product, and can be overridden for local trials and short code ASRs.

The following table describes the four trusted models that are delivered with FlexNet Operations.

Trusted Models

Description

Enterprise Activation

The first step in the life of these license rights is activation on a license server. From there, the vendor daemon can:

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Transfer the licenses to another license server, or

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Activate those licenses on end-user machines.

Though the licenses are activated on a license server, they are never floating. Also known as Activatable-Server.

Floating Borrowable

The first step in the life of these license rights is activation on a license server. From there, the vendor daemon can:

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Transfer the licenses to another license server,

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Serve them as floating licenses, or

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Activate those licenses on end-user machines.

Also known as Hybrid.

Floating Transferrable

The first step in the life of these license rights is activation on a license server. From there, the vendor daemon can:

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Transfer the licenses to another license server, or

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Serve them as floating licenses.

The vendor daemon cannot activate these licenses on end-user machines. Also known as Concurrent.

Retail Activation

These license rights are activated only on an end-user machine and authorize an unlimited number of instances of a FlexEnabled application running on that machine. Also known as Activatable-Client.

Note:If you intend to use trusted storage-based licensing, you must build your publisher-specific activation utilities. There are two types of activation utilities: application activation utilities and server activation utilities.

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An application activation utility initiates and manages the installation of license rights into trusted storage on an end user’s system.

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A server activation utility is responsible for initiating and managing the installation of license rights into trusted storage on a license server machine, enabling it to serve licenses to clients.