License Manager (LM)

The License Manager (LM) is the heart of the system and the only thing that the end user sees. The License Manager is used to manage user licenses for your products. These can be based on four different licensing models.

License Models

• Named User: Each license is assigned to a specific user.

• Concurrent User (Floating): A pool of licenses is available, and users can check out a license when they need it. When they are finished using the software, they check the license back in so that it can be used by another user.

• Cumulative: A certain number of licenses are available, and users can use them however they want. 

• Perpetual: A perpetual license is similar to an offline license, but it is issued through a server. When the license code is entered, the license is evaluated. If the license is valid, it is activated for an unlimited number of clients (specified by the "Max Count" field).
  This license can be flagged on the client side using the ILocalLicense interface so that an online check is no longer necessary. Therefore, it is advisable to grant this license only with caution. However, it cannot be copied via the registry key either, as it is wired to a hardware key. 

Please note

In general, the "Max Count" field determines the number of users that can use a particular license model.

The licensing model can be individually adjusted for each license record - even while a license is active, i.e., the same license record can be changed again and again. However, once a perpetual license has been assigned to a client, it cannot be modified for that client. This is because perpetual licenses are designed for offline use, and clients with perpetual licenses do not need to go online again, except for new clients.

The following data is displayed in the table

Company: Company name

User: Username

Key Code: Key code

Expiry Date: License expiration date

Product: Product name

Locked: Is the record locked?

created on: Record created on

created by: Record created by

changed by: Record changed by

changed on: Record changed on

Client online check interval: The next date by which the client must go online at the latest so that its license can be synchronized with the server. The "latest online sync date" field is returned via the "Client online check interval" field. The "latest online sync date" field returns a date that is encrypted in the registry using the hardware ID, if the SmartClientReg.dll is used. This means that the registry key cannot be changed manually without invalidating the date value.
Of course, you can come up with your own logic and do not have to use the SmartClientReg.dll.

Max count: Maximum number of uses depending on the license model

License Model: License model

Please note 

• The view can also be switched to a card view. 

• Search functionality is enabled across all tables using CTRL+F.

The user manual

The buttons on the ribbon are mostly self-explanatory

"Log out all clients" and "Log out client" mark clients as "disconnected". This is useful if a customer reports that they no longer have a free license. Apparently, the program crashed and the client was unable to log out properly. These buttons allow you to log out the clients or a client, so that licenses are again available for the Concurrent License.
These buttons are only active for Concurrent License.

Here is a more detailed explanation of each button:

• Log out all clients: This button logs out all connected clients at once. This is useful if you need to reset all licenses or if you are having problems with all of the clients.

• Log out client: This button logs out a specific client. This is useful if you are having problems with a specific client or if you need to free up a license for another user.

To use these buttons, simply click on the button and then select the client that you want to log out. If you want to log out all clients, then you do not need to select a client.

Restart cumulative license

• The 'Restart cumulative license' button resets the number of license uses to 0.

Real Client Data

Located in the lower part of the main window is the real client data, which shows which client tried to log in when and how often using the key code and user from the list above, and whether or not they were successful. This information is important for determining the next course of action (automated) depending on the selected record above and the corresponding license model.

The data in this window section provides information about

This section, located at the bottom of the main window, displays detailed information about actual client attempts to access licenses. Here's what you can see for each client:

• Client-ID: This is a unique identifier associated with the specific client's hardware.

• Client-User: This shows the username the client used when attempting to log in.

• Client-IP: This reveals the IP address of the client machine.

• Locked: This indicates whether the client has been locked, preventing them from logging in.

• No. of uses: This tells you the total number of times this client has accessed the software.

• Last used: This shows the date of the client's most recent attempt to access the software.

• latest online sync date: This indicates the latest date by which the client needs to synchronize its license information with the server. A returned date value based on the "latest online sync date" field. If the SmartClientReg.dll is used, this value is encrypted in the registry, which also includes some tamper-check functions. Of course, you do not have to go through the "SmartClientReg.dll" or use this DLL.

• Connected: This simply shows whether the client is currently connected to the license server. You can set Connected to false using the Log out client button. Only relevant for Concurrent license model!

This information is crucial for automated decision-making based on the selected license record (from the upper table) and the corresponding licensing model.

The following information can be edited in the license data dialog

• Company: Enter a new company name or select a company name from the list. If the name is "new", it will also be created in the "Company" table.

• User: Username (must be unique!)

• License Key/Key Code: The code used to activate the license

• Expiration Date: The date when the license expires

• Product: The name of the product for which the license is valid

• Individual online check interval: This field allows you to set a custom interval for when the client needs to check in with the server to verify its license. If left empty, the default value from the settings will apply. The field is also called "Client online check interval" in the tabular view.

• License Model: The type of license (e.g., Named User, Concurrent User, Cumulative)

• Max count: The maximum number of times the license can be used, depending on the chosen license model

Products can be edited using the self-explanatory buttons in the Ribbon, similar to editing licenses.

Companies can be edited using the self-explanatory buttons in the Ribbon, similar to editing licenses.