You can perform basic license management, such as determining use of an excess number of licenses and use of unauthorized licenses, by managing the license totals based on information about the installed licenses on all devices.

To manage licenses, start from the job menus under Software License.

In the Owned License List window (opened by clicking the Owned License List job menu), you can obtain the license usage status at a glance, because this window displays a table comparing the number of owned licenses, the number of licenses being used, and the number of available licenses.

The figure below shows the Owned License List window.

Figure 2-10 Owned License List window

You can use this comparison table to purchase licenses when no more are available or to search for groups with too many licenses for transfer to groups with too few licenses.

You can use the following job menus to identify inappropriate license usage:

• Excess License List
  Allows you to check if any licenses are being used that exceed the number that has been set for owned licenses.
  
• Unauthorized Usage List
  Allows you to check if any expired licenses are being used, or whether licenses that have not been obtained are being used.
  
• Unknown Usage List
  Allows you to check if software programs with unregistered software names are being used.
  

  Hint

  You can set up the system to notify the asset manager by email if an excess license is detected. This means you can prevent excess licenses from being overlooked, thereby reducing the asset manager's workload. Events that trigger asset manager email notification can be monitored by registering a task to the Windows Task Scheduler to check for excess licenses. For details about how to set tasks, see 5.9 Setting the tasks that are registered in Task Scheduler in the Planning and Setup Guide.

The figure below shows the procedure for checking license status.

Figure 2-11 Procedure for checking license status

To check the license status:

1. Register inventory information into the asset management database.
   To check license usage status, you need two types of information:
   
   • Information about devices
   • Information about the software programs installed on the devices
   You can use the inventory information acquired by JP1/Software Distribution to register information about devices and about software programs installed on the devices. For details about registering inventory information, see 5.1.1 Workflow necessary for linking to JP1/Software Distribution in the Planning and Setup Guide.
   To efficiently manage licenses, we recommend that you configure the system to automatically assign the installed software name to a software name when you collect inventory information. For details about how to automatically assign the installed software name to a software name, see 3.2.4 Setting the software name assignment method in the Planning and Setup Guide. If the assignments are not performed automatically, you must use the Software Name job menu to assign names one at a time.
   
2. Register purchased license information.
   In this step, register the purchased license. For details about how to register licenses, see 2.4.6 Adding a license (New Software) in the Administrator's Guide.
   
3. In Task Scheduler enable the Notice of license excess task.
4. The task totals the license usage statuses and reports excess licenses.
   The task registered in Task Scheduler is executed at the specified date and time and totals the licenses. If any software exceeds a usage threshold (the default threshold is 100%), the task sends an email to the asset manager reporting that excess licenses are in use.
   You can also total the licenses from the window that is displayed by selecting Totals List & Execution from the job menu. For details about how to total licenses using window operations, see 2.4.11 Totaling licenses (Totals List & Execution) in the Administrator's Guide.
   
5. Check license usage status.
   In the window that is displayed by selecting Excess License List from the job menu, check for licenses that have been installed in excess of the number owned.
   You can also download the totals using a CSV file. For details about checking the excess licenses, see 2.4.2 Checking for exceeded licenses (Excess License List) in the Administrator's Guide.
   

You can accurately manage license usage status by creating license information according to license types and options and assigning licenses to specific targets.

The figure below shows the procedure for managing licenses by assigning them, which is an alternative to the procedure for total count management described in (1) above.

Figure 2-12 Procedure for managing licenses by assignment

To manage licenses by assigning them:

1. Create and register license information when you purchase licenses.
   Create the license information according to the license type and option settings.
   For example, for an Install license, register information such as upgrade assurance and compatibility with downgrade software.
   For details about how to register license information, see 2.4.6 Adding a license (New Software) in the Administrator's Guide.
   
2. Assign the licenses to the targets.
   Assign the licenses to devices or users according to the license category.
   To assign a license, establish correspondence between the key information such as product ID and the targets. For details about assigning licenses, see 2.4.7(2) Assigning licenses in the Administrator's Guide.
   
3. Execute the same steps as for total count management.
   Install the software program on the devices to which licenses have been assigned and then execute the steps common to total count management (register inventory information, establish correspondence between software names, set up the task, and total the licenses).
   
4. Check to see if the licenses are handled correctly.
   Under Software License, you can use the following job menus to check the registered license information:
   
   • Owned License List
     This menu lets you check the total for each license category.
     
   • Excess License List
     This menu lets you check for any licenses being used that exceed the threshold set by the license category for owned licenses. If illegal use of a license is detected, you can identify the user or device immediately.
     

To accurately manage licenses, it is important to create license information according to the license type and options and select an assignment method that is appropriate for your operating procedures. Also, all types of information that can be managed as license information must have been prepared, and the total number owned is executed on the basis of the license category.

The following presents examples of license management that are suggested for license management using Asset Information Manager:

(a) Example of managing Install licenses

You can manage licenses assigned to devices as follows:

• Create license information as Install license.
  To assign a license to a device, specify Install license for License category. Also specify other settings appropriate to the license, such as downgrade and upgrade assurance.
  
• Register the key information, such as the product ID of the purchased licenses, and assign one license to each device.
  This allows you to check whether use of the license is permitted for any particular device.
  

(b) Example of managing User licenses

You can manage licenses assigned to users as follows:

• Create license information as User license.
  To assign a license to a user, specify User license for License category. Also specify other settings appropriate to the license, such as downgrade and upgrade assurance.
  
• Register the key information, such as the product ID of the purchased license, and assign one license to each user.
  This allows you to total licenses correctly, even when the same user uses a license on multiple devices.
  To manage a license by assigning it to a user, the user must be registered in the applicable device. Additionally, this user must also be registered as an Asset Information Manager user.
  

(c) Example of managing pre-installed licenses

You can manage pre-installed software licenses as follows:

• Create license information as Install license.
  Specify Install license for License category. Use Licensing method to specify that this is a pre-installed license.
  
• Disable the Downgrade property because normal pre-installed software programs are not downgradable.
  This enables you to determine whether the correct version has been installed.
  
• For the number of owned licenses, specify unlimited licenses.
  You can register a license by owning a single license per device; however, by specifying unlimited licenses, you can manage software programs more efficiently because any additional pre-installed licenses for the same software program can be assigned later, simply by adding its key information.
  
• Assign a license to a single device by registering the key information such as product ID.
  As a result, you can determine whether the pre-installed software program is being used on the assigned device.
  

(d) Example of managing server licenses

You can manage the license of a server product as follows:

• Create license information as Install license.
  To assign a license to a device, specify Install license for License category. Also specify other settings appropriate to the license, such as downgrade and upgrade assurance.
  

A server license is accompanied by other licenses, such as Client access, Managed node, and CPU licenses. The following describes a management example for each license:

Client access license

This license is given according to the number of licenses (users) that access the server. Select one of the following management methods:

Managing accessible clients as the number of owned licenses

Register a single license separately from the server license and create client access license information. For example, register a client license with 100 accesses permitted as a software asset with 100 licenses owned. For License type, specify Client access license.

This allows you to total the number of accesses permitted as the number of owned licenses.

Note that information such as the number of used licenses is not totaled because there is no device-related information.

Managing as the additional information for the server license

As a simple method, register the number of accesses as remarks without registering the client access license as a license. You need to calculate the number of owned licenses manually.

Managed node license

This license is given according to the number of clients managed by the server. Select one of the following management methods:

Managing the number of clients managed by the server as the number of owned licenses

Register a single license separately from the server license and create managed node license information. For example, register a managed node license that permits 100 managed nodes as 100 owned licenses. For License type, specify Managed node license.

This allows you to total the number of managed nodes permitted as the number of owned licenses.

Note that information such as the number of used licenses is not totaled because there is no device-related information.

Managing as the additional information for the server license

As a simple method, register the number of managed nodes as additional information associated with the server license, without registering the managed node license as a license. In this case you need to calculate the number of owned licenses manually.

CPU license

This license is given according to the number of CPUs. Create license information as CPU license, not as server license.

(e) Example of managing second licenses

This section presents an example of managing licenses when installation on a second device is permitted. Select one of the following management methods:

Managing as User license

Create license information as User license (specify User license for License category).

The license is managed assuming that installation on a second device that is used by the same user is permitted. However, the system cannot detect exceeded licenses even if the applicable software program is installed on more than two devices.

Managing the license by adding second license information

Register a license separately from the server license and create second license information. In this case, remarks about its correspondence with the original license would be useful.

(f) Example of concurrent execution license

This section presents an example of managing concurrent execution licenses. Select one of the following managing methods:

Managing the number of concurrently executable licenses as the number of owned licenses

Register a single license separately from the server license, and create concurrent execution license information.

For example, register a concurrent execution license that permits 100 concurrent executions as 100 owned licenses. For License type, specify Concurrent execution license.

This allows you to total the number of concurrent executions permitted by the license as the number of owned licenses.

Note that information such as the number of used licenses is not totaled because there is no device-related information.

Managing as the additional information for the server license

As a simple method, register the number of executions as additional information associated with the server license without registering the concurrent execution license as a license. In this case, you need to calculate the number of owned licenses manually.

Managing by assigning to devices

• Register the license using the permitted number of concurrent executions as the number of owned licenses.
• Create the license information as concurrent execution license, not as server license.
• Register the key information, such as the product ID of the purchased licenses, and assign one license to each device.
  You can limit the number of concurrent executions by permitting as many installations as there are permitted concurrent executions.