License server

The Tani software offers several possibilities for the license. For local installations this can be a dongle, or it can be a software license binding to the system MAC address.

Additionally the license configuration can be done with a license server. Software running in Docker containers always need using a license server.

A license server is a small program running on any machine. The best solution is running a license server in every building or part of the plant. But it can run on the local machine also.
The license server always need a dongle.
License servers should be used with redundancy. In this case two or three license servers are running in parallel. One of them is the primary license server the one or both others are secondary.

With license servers floating license can be handled. So the spare part PC can replace any other. No special license handling is needed, starting the new PC - the old is burned out - immediately has this station licensed
Some environments as Docker or Kubernetes which do not support any reference for a license handling can work with the license server installation only.

In the client - the software which need a license - the network address of the license servers need to be configured. Additionally the license product is choosen. This can be multiple licenses - a base product and required extensions.
The licenses are stored in the license server. New licenses are added on the license server.

With the license server and redundancy the checking at runtime works as following:

• On starting the software for the first five minutes a local license or the license servers are searched. If one is found it will be requested for the configured license. If it is found the software is licensed.
  The license in the license server is marked as used now.
  Depending on the licensed product individual behavior can happen. Some products are supporting emergency licenses. This allows running the machine for some time without a valid license.
• At runtime each minute the license is checked with the license servers. If no server can be reached of if no license for more than 15 minutes the product standard behavior is handled.
• If in redundancy the master license server is not available one of the secondary license server is used. In a period of a week the primary license server need to be available again. Otherwise the product standard behavior.
• If a software is stopped it frees the license usage in the license servers.
• If a station which uses a license from a license server is switched off the each minute license check will not be seen in the license servers. After 15 minutes without such check the license is now available for other usage.
• A license server can handle multiple different licenses and multiple counts of each license.
• There are multiple checking options for the license handling at runtime:
• The the diagnostics in the graphical configuration software. It will be found in the license dialog.
• If OPC is available in the product The system tree offers many variables which reflect the licenses and their state. This elements can be used from any OPC application.
• Some products offering a license diagnostics internally.