Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!portal!atari!daisy!cplai
From: cplai@daisy.UUCP (Chung-Pang Lai)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Re: = An Imaginary Scenario =
Message-ID: <1911@daisy.UUCP>
Date: 7 Nov 88 20:26:00 GMT
References: <10441@s.ms.uky.edu> <39670001@hpindda.HP.COM>
Reply-To: cplai@daisy.UUCP (Chung-Pang Lai)
Organization: Daisy Systems Corp., Mountain View, Ca.
Lines: 49

In article <39670001@hpindda.HP.COM> jack@hpindda.HP.COM (Jack Repenning) writes:
]> ... If the number of concurrently running copies of frame matches the
]> limit on your license, your copy goes into "demo" mode.
]
]This would need some tuning for the university environment - the FrameMaker
]solution doesn't distinguish the various copies, only the number of them.
]So, as long as any ten students had bought rights to program X, up to ten
](not necessarily paying) students could use it.
]

This problem has been addressed in FrameMaker's license server.

We use FrameMaker in our company, I found the license server very flexible.

The system adminstrator can set up a configuration file to "reserve"
license for particular users, "allow" or "disallow" certain user or
host machine to use the licenses.  Furthermore, you can run multiple
license servers to support multiple work group environment.  For example,
the Math department can "allow" only users from their department, yet
reserve one license for the professor.  All these features apply to
individual products independently.  Frame Technology currently sells 4
different favours of the same program.  All managed by the same server.
The configuration file syntax has room for products from other vendor also.

In your scenario, if A, B of the ten students pay for their licenses in full,
and the other eight decided to share 4 licenses, you can purchase 6 licenses,
"reserve" two licenses for A and B, "allow" the other eight students.  Then
two licenses are fixed and the other four float among the other eight users.

When all the licenses are being used, the user can try to switch license
server host.  In a university environment, each department can set up their
own workgroup and share licenses within the department.  The computer center
may supply public licenses for the entire university.  When all licenses
in your own department are being used, you can get one from the public host.

You can set a maximum idle time, if the software is left unused, the server
will take back the license.  When the user come back, if a license is still
available, he/she continues as if nothing ever happened.  If no license is
available, he/she will be given 2 options, save the work or try again.
In a university environment, perhaps limits on maximum usage time may be 
needed in addition to the limit on idle time.  I believe Frame must have
considered this option.  But such hostile action does not fit well with
the user friendly environment!  :-)

-- 
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{cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,seismo!ihnp4,ucbvax!hpda}!nsc!daisy!cplai    C.P. Lai
Daisy Systems Corp, 700B Middlefield Road, Mtn View CA 94039.  (415)960-6961