License options

SAM Core on Snow Atlas offers support for handling different license options, for example, cross edition rights and cross platform rights.

Cross edition rights

Some software suppliers offer licensing rights where a license could cover other installations within the application family, with the same and/or lower edition. This is called cross edition rights.

Cross edition rights are included in licenses with the following metrics and assignment types:

Metric	Assignment type
Installations	Computer/datacenter Organization
Number of processors	Computer/datacenter
Number of processor cores	Computer/datacenter

Also, cross edition rights can interact with upgrade and downgrade rights.

EXAMPLE

A license for Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Datacenter with cross edition rights could cover Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard, as well (same version, lower edition).

A license for Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Datacenter with upgrade rights and cross edition rights could cover Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard, as well (higher version, lower edition).

note

A manually defined downgrade path will override the cross edition rights.

Cross platform rights

There are applications with licensing conditions that permit installation on more than one type of operating system. This is called cross platform rights.

Just as cross edition rights, cross platform rights can interact with upgrade and downgrade rights.

EXAMPLE

A license for Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional with cross platform rights could cover installations of Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional on both Windows and Mac operating systems (same version, same edition).

A license for Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional with upgrade rights and cross platform rights could cover installations of Adobe Acrobat X Pro as well (higher version, same edition), on both Windows and Mac operating systems.

Multiple versions/editions

Licensing conditions for some applications permit you to install and run several versions of the application at the same time. A subset of these rights is that multiple editions are allowed as well. This means that one license is enough to cover installations of more than one version/edition of the application.

note

With this type of licensing, you can only cover a simultaneously installed lower version or lower edition of the same application. Higher versions or higher editions cannot be covered.

When compliance is calculated, multiple version/edition is only considered if the appropriate setting for the application has been made, see License settings.

Upgrade and downgrade rights

Upgrade and downgrade rights refer to the extended right to use a license, not only for the application it was purchased for but also for one or several of the preceding or subsequent versions. The upgrade or downgrade path specifies which versions the application can be upgraded or downgraded to, and in what sequence, and still be covered by the same license. The paths also make it easy to track the original license for upgraded licenses, regardless of whether the manufacturer or application has changed names.

Upgrade rights can be enabled for the agreement or for each license purchase. For agreements with automatic upgrades enabled, you are entitled to stay current with all new releases of the application, without any license renewal. An upgrade entitlement will be applied to the highest version, as stipulated by the entered license or agreement.

Downgrade rights must be enabled for the application and for each license purchase. Optionally, you can manually define the downgrade path, by adding or removing application versions and changing the order. Manual path definitions override cross edition rights and downgrade paths identified by the Software Recognition Service. Licenses with downgrade rights offer flexibility, as illustrated by the following example.

EXAMPLE

You have purchased 100 licenses for Application 10, which also include the two previous versions. You can use these licenses to cover in total 100 installations of Application 10, 9, or 8. Should any of the users of Application 9 or Application 8 choose to upgrade to Application 10, they are still covered by the same license.

For licenses that are attached to an agreement with automatic upgrades enabled, the release date of the application is of major importance. These licenses permit you to use the latest version of the application that is available over the active contractual period, also after the end date of the agreement. In other words, if a new version of an application is released while you have an active agreement, you can upgrade to this very version also when the agreement has expired, at no additional cost.

The release date for each application is collected from the Software Recognition Service. You can use the information to see if there is a possibility to upgrade users to later versions without having to pay for it. The information is also used by the system when compliance is calculated, to optimize the allocation of licenses.

VM use rights

Certain licensing rules allow for covering not only the physical host but also associated virtual machines. With VM use rights, each licensed installation entitles the use of a fixed or an unlimited number of virtual instances of the application.

VM use rights are registered when adding a license purchase and can only be registered for licenses with assignment type Computer/datacenter. Note that VM use rights will only be applied to associated virtual machines if the physical host is fully compliant.

When a Windows Server license is added, the VM use rights are fixed, that is, automatically applied in accordance with Microsoft licensing rules:

• If Windows Server Standard is used, the fixed VM use right is two VMs per each fully licensed host.

• If Windows Server Datacenter is used, the fixed VM use right is an unlimited number of VMs per each fully licensed host.

EXAMPLE

A computer is assigned four licenses. VM use rights allow each assigned license to be used on three virtual instances. This means that the four assigned licenses can cover 12 virtual machines.

EXAMPLE

From one license purchase, Server A is assigned eight licenses, and Server B is assigned four licenses. VM use rights allow each assigned license to be used on one virtual instance per server.

Server A has 16 associated virtual machines. The VM use rights for Server A are changed so that eight specific virtual machines are assigned a license each. The remaining ones need to be covered by another license purchase. The changed VM use rights for Server A overrides the original VM use rights.

The VM use rights for Server B are not changed and will continue to be dynamically assigned as needed. The four assigned licenses are still allowed to be used on four virtual instances.