Choosing between a floating and node-locked license

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Article ID: 191

Last Updated: 19th June 2009 08:32:49 pm

A floating license allows an application to be used on a network. A license server is required on the client side to manage a floating license. The number of concurrent users is counted, with the licensed application usage limited to a specified number of users at any time. Also referred to as network licensing or concurrent user licensing.

A node-locked license allows a single instance of an application to run on a specific machine. Node-locked licenses are directly tied to the hardware of the machine on which the licensed application license is installed. Node-locked licenses do not require a license server, because they are uncounted. Also referred to as local licensing or seat per machine licensing.

Floating versus node-locked licenses

The choice whether to use node-locked or floating licenses depends on your end user's needs and how you prefer to distribute your software.

Type	Advantages	Disadvantages
Floating	Users can share any number of software licenses between multiple workstations When a user closes the application, the license is released back to the central pool so it can be checked out by another user	Possibility of workstation crashes and temporary network outages. Solutions: High Availability Licensing (HAL) and grace licenses. Cannot work on laptop away from the network. Solutions: borrowing, VPN. Does not work when environment or operating system is blocking socket or network activity (such as with a Linux web server restricted user account). Solution: Use node-locked licensing instead.
Node-locked	Does not need to connect to a license server You have control over how many licensed copies are allowed to run concurrently	An unlimited number of copies to run on a specified host You need multiple licenses if a customer is using the software on more than one computer

For more information about LM-X features such as HAL and license borrowing, see LM-X License Manager Feature Highlights, or refer to the LM-X Developer's Guide for full details.