Software license manager
A license manager is a software tool used by software vendors to control where and how their products are able to run. License managers protect the software vendor from losses due to piracy and enable the vendor to offer a range of licensing models, such as trial licenses, subscription licenses, feature-based licenses, floating licensing and usage-based or metered licensing from the same software package they provide to all users.
A license manager is different from a software asset manager, which end-user organizations employ to manage the applications they have purchased from many vendors.
LM-X from X-Formation is a commercial license manager that supports all major platforms including AIX, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Solaris, HP-UX, and FreeBSD. Some useful features include Automatic server discovery, License queuing, License borrowing, High-Availability licensing (HAL), and Grace licenses, which allow software to continue running in case the license server goes down.
External links
- Software Licensing TV A website dedicated to anti-piracy news and resources
- A Special Guide to DRM and Software Activation Tools: Protect Data, Enforce Licenses Article on licensing systems
- Why Should Software and Systems Vendors Use License Management? A review of the benefits for software publishers.