Best Practices for License Management
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This document outlines best practices for license management using CodeMeter, with a focus on time-limited licenses, editing licenses, modular licenses, and licenses for offline devices. It emphasizes the importance of avoiding certain practices like using usage periods, license transfers, and multiple product items in a single license. Recommendations include using expiration times, bundles for non-complex structures, and push updates for offline devices.
Best Practices for License Management
- 1. Best Practices for License Management Ruediger Kuegler | VP Professional Services rk@wibu.com Joerg Jans | Professional Services joerg.jans@wibu.com CodeMeter License Central 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 1
- 2. Time Limited Licenses 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 2
- 3. Time Limited Licenses – Usage Period ▪ Period from first usage (Call of CmCrypt/2) ▪ Used mainly for emergency licenses ▪ No renewal and no extension via CodeMeter License Central ▪ No move to a different CmContainer possible ▪ “New license” in case you need to reactivate and restore ▪ No exact information in CodeMeter License Central about license expiration date 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 3 Try to avoid the use of Usage Period with CodeMeter License Central! D
- 4. Time Limited Licenses – Expiration Time 1 ▪ Fixed end date ▪ Used for subscription, evaluation, and other time based licenses ▪ Set during license creation or activation ▪ Add ▪ Adds x days from activation date ▪ Renews existing license for x days ▪ Set ▪ Sets fixed end date ▪ Overwrites an existing license 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 4
- 5. Time Limited Licenses – Expiration Time 2 ▪ Easy renewal via CodeMeter License Central ▪ Moving to a different CmContainer will keep the original date, also in case of “Add” ▪ Reactivate and Restore keep the original date, also in case of “Add” ▪ Reporting in CodeMeter License Central, when the license expires ▪ Used for checkpoint licenses with an activation specific parameter ▪ The next activation will reset the usage period to x days 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 5 Use Expiration Time rather then Usage Period! C
- 6. Editing Licenses 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 6
- 7. Editing Licenses – Updates ▪ Overwrites an existing license ▪ Merges existing Product Item Options and new Product Item Options ▪ Differential Updates ▪ Used for Pay-Per-Use licenses (Unit Counter) ▪ Used for simple license models ▪ Simple update paths of existing licenses (no updates for dedicated items) ▪ Doesn’t work for complex models with price configuration 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 7 Used for simple license models and simple update paths! F
- 8. Editing Licenses – Replace ▪ The new item replaces the existing item completely ▪ Update for a dedicated item ▪ Often used if a third party system is already managing the licenses ▪ SAP: Equipment ▪ Salesforce: Projects with assets ▪ Used for complex price models 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 8 Best practice tip for SAP, Salesforce, and complex price models! C
- 9. Modular Licenses 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 9
- 10. Modular Licenses – Custom Data Fields ▪ Writing a feature mask into Hidden Data, Extended Protected Data or Customer Own License Information ▪ Often used for migration from Hardlock, HASP, Sentinel, and dongles from other vendors ▪ Easy migration of the protected software, but it needs a tool to create custom data fields ▪ This migration path doesn’t use the full capabilities of CodeMeter 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 10 Try to avoid modules in custom data fields except for a small transition period! D
- 11. Modular Licenses – Multiple Product Items ▪ Creating multiple Product Items in one CodeMeter License Central Item ▪ Manual configuration of the same options multiple times ▪ Complex update paths ▪ Use Bundles instead 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 11 Try to avoid multiple Product Items in one CodeMeter License Central Item! D
- 12. Modular Licenses – Bundles ▪ Creating one CodeMeter License Central Item for every feature ▪ One Product Item per CodeMeter License Central Item ▪ Creating Bundles with single features ▪ Included | Opt-In | Opt-Out ▪ Simple product structure, no dependencies (no dynamic pricing, no price configurator) ▪ Integration with an e-commerce solution 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 12 Use Bundles for non-complex product structures! F
- 13. Modular Licenses – Module Items 1 ▪ Creating features as Module Items (Child) ▪ Creating products as Product Items (Parent) ▪ Assigning features to products ▪ Similar to bundles except for ▪ Module Items inherit options from parent, single options can be overwritten by child ▪ Products are transferred as an not dividable package, including all Module Items ▪ Replace is only possible for a product and replaces the product, including all Module Items ▪ Configuration of Module Items is simpler 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 13
- 14. Modular Licenses – Module Items 2 ▪ Mainly used if the leading system already stores the license in a corresponding object ▪ SAP: Equipment ▪ Salesforce: Project with assets ▪ Easy usage with the Replace feature 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 14 Module Items are the recommended way for modular licenses. C
- 15. Licenses for Offline Devices 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 15
- 16. Licenses for Offline Devices – License Transfer (Move) ▪ Licenses are transferred via an intermediate CmDongle ▪ The field engineer carries the CmDongle with the license to an offline device ▪ CodeMeter License Central doesn’t know exactly where licenses are ▪ No simple update paths ▪ Recommendations for usage, if necessary: ▪ No return to CodeMeter License Central allowed ▪ No return to intermediate CmDongle allowed 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 16 Try to avoid License Transfer (Move) with CodeMeter License Central! D
- 17. Licenses for Offline Devices – Push Updates ▪ Creation of an initial license at the device during production ▪ Basic license or dummy license ▪ Fingerprint and Update Counter is available in CodeMeter License Central ▪ CodeMeter License Central creates new licenses as push updates for dedicated devices ▪ The field engineer needs a memory device only to carry it to the offline device ▪ The user doesn’t need to upload CodeMeter Context Files 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 17 Using Push Updates is the recommended way for offline devices! C
- 18. Automatic Updates 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 18
- 19. Automatic Updates – Single Ticket Approach ▪ All features of one license are stored in the same ticket ▪ All changes are stored into the same ticket ▪ One ticket is activated into one CmContainer (1:1) ▪ The ticket should be stored either on a computer (CmActLicense) or in the license (all CmContainers) ▪ Software Activation Wizard uses the ticket to retrieve updates ▪ Restoring and moving the license to a different CmContainer is easy 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 19 Requires the ticket and tickets are getting larger over the time! F
- 20. Automatic Updates – Auto-Update ▪ First license / feature is activated via a ticket ▪ Changes are executed via: ▪ Assign to a CmContainer (add) ▪ Replace (change) ▪ Withdraw (remove) ▪ Software / user doesn’t need to know the ticket ▪ The update is delivered based on Container Serial No. or Context File 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 20 User doesn’t need the ticket! Ticket shows current state! Recommended way! C
- 21. External Tools 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 21
- 22. External Tools – Item Creator ▪ Creates Items in CodeMeter License Central ▪ Based on external description and an item list ▪ Usage of revision control systems ▪ Reproducible process to create items ▪ No manual interaction – fewer errors ▪ Semi-automatic synchronization with a 3rd party system that cannot communicate with CodeMeter License Central directly 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 22
- 23. Troubleshooting 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 23
- 24. Troubleshooting ▪ Unexpected State ▪ Same CmContainer at different systems (P, Q, D) ▪ Don’t use “Accept externally created license entries” ▪ How to solve: Accept state manually, or recycle CmContainer ▪ Internal Error ▪ Check Webserver log ▪ Check system log in CodeMeter License Central User Interface 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 24
- 25. https://www.wibu.com info@wibu.com Europe: +49-721-931720 USA: +1-425-7756900 China: +86-21-55661790 Japan: +81-3-43608205 Thank you very much for your attention 18.03.2020 © WIBU-SYSTEMS AG 2020 - Best Practices for License Management 25