Queries license activations

[Noor998]

Hi,
Well wishes!!

We just bought a 100 Licenses. Before implementing the license in our varied environment, we would like to understand on how to track the License activations.
There seem to not be a reliable KB or forum on it. If so, then please point me in that direction.

If I need to create different form for different queries, then please answer one and let me know, I'll be happy to do that.....
Queries –
1. How to manage 1 user using a separate licenses on server and off server? We don't want to find
2. What to do if the PC with an activation was disposed off without deactivating Xchange License?
3. Any central place to track and deactivate said clients?
4. If not, then what is the general best practice advised to do the said tracking?

Appreciate any help!!

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Noor998

The deployment and management process varies heavily depending on the type of license you hold. (Pre-activated, or activation required). Typically deployment questions can delve straight into planning around your specific system configuration, and so they are better handled by email, where we can discuss your environment in depth, and personalize the process for you.

If you want a general overview of that process, please see our system admin manual here: https://help.pdf-xchange.com/sysadmin/e ... nning.html

Regarding your specific questions:
1. If that one user has a separate single user license, this would complicate things since all single user licenses require "activation" which ties it to a specific device. Ideally, all users on a resource should be covered by a single larger volume (and Pre-activated) key, to simplify this situation.
2. If the license was pre-activated, and the device is irrecoverable and the software inaccessible, you can immediately install the software on a new device to replace it. Do note that our licensing is "USER" based, not "Device" or "concurrent use" based. The chief factor for use is your total user volume. If you have 2 shifts of 25 users, sharing the same 25 devices, you would still need a 50 user license to cover them all. If any one of those devices breaks spontaneously, you can freely replace it, so long as the old device is not usable by someone else.
If instead the license was configured with activation required, all the above would remain true, except you also need to sign into your user account and manually "de-register" or "block" the old device before applying it to a new one.
3. Technically speaking no. With the "activation required" keys, your account page keeps track of registered devices, but not users. Keep in mind the note in question 2, about our licensing being user based, not device based. This means the "registration" system we offer is not a substitute for keeping track of your users.
4. We recommend a spreadsheet for this purpose.

If you have further questions regarding your license, or planning a deployment, It would be best to send us an email via Support@PDF-XChange.com. DO NOT post any part of your license key on the public forums here, we will be required to immediately block that key from use if you do so.

Kind regards,

[Noor998]

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for the detailed response.

"If instead the license was configured with activation required, all the above would remain true, except you also need to sign into your user account and manually "de-register" or "block" the old device before applying it to a new one."

In the activation required case, would we need to delete/block the device from our Admin portal AND also delete the key on the end user, for the license to be available?
Or is it either this or that.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Noor998

If the device is to remain useable, you would need to first remove the key from the device entirely, And then head to your account page, to de-register the device.
If the Device is broken beyond repair and the data stored within irrecoverable, that is considered "removed" as far as our definition goes, since the software will never again be accessible to a user and the device will never "call home" to refresh its registration. In that case, since the device is damage and thus already "wiped" you can skip straight to de-registering from your account page.

Note that as before, it is considerably easier to have a larger volume which is pre-activated, instead of getting any users individual licenses and dealing with any of this.

Kind regards,

[Noor998]

Hi Daniel,
Well wishes!!

So to sum up,

Pre activated Keys - Just track the users on a sheet. And given their Device is wiped clean(our current environment) then the license is considered removed.

Activation require Keys - All above with an added step of removing the said machine from the portal.

If the above is right, I would have a follow up question for Terminal Server, and I have read the article on it - https://www.pdf-xchange.com/knowledgeba ... nal-Server

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Noor998

That is very close, yes. It is important to note that there is a distinction between the "user" and the "device" though, so I will emphasize here for anyone else reading this later on.
(I apologize for the reiteration, it is a common case that due to our departure from modern activation systems, many people tend to misunderstand the concept of "User" vs "Device" counts, and since this thread is in a public place, I want to ensure it is very clear).

No matter the key type, "USERS" are not tracked at all. So in both cases, a spreadsheet is recommended.

• With an "activation required" key (generally, 10 users or below, unless you intentionally convert your key, which is not recommended), your account page will show the specific "Device ID" on which the key has been activated. There is no user component here, and as we provide our licenses on a "user volume" basis, the Device count limit is usually well above what you will need.
• The reason devices are important is because our EULA states a single user is only entitled to use on 2 devices. As such, if you have a 100 user license, legally speaking you could install on up to 200 devices, however, you do need to ensure that ONLY the 100 users which are covered by your license, are able to access our licensed software on those devices.

Provided the above is understood and true, yes you have the process correct.

• Pre-activated = Ensure the device is wiped, or damaged to the point it cannot be accessed, and it can be placed on a new one without issue.
• Activation required = The pre-activated rules above still stand, but you also need to log into your account, and under the "activations list" locate and "de-register" the old device before installing on a new one.

As for your question. If it is related to activation, please feel free to add it to this thread, if it is another topic, I would ask that you either open a new topic, or send us an email via Support@PDF-XChange.com

Kind regards,

[Noor998]

Thanks Daniel and I appreciate the response.

The only other doubt I had is for the users logging onto Terminal Server.
If I install the Xchange Pro on the Server with the pre-activated license key then any one logging in would have access to full application, which is good with us.
I would assume that when a new user logs in to the server then your servers will identify it as a new user automatically.
But what happens in the case the said user leaves the company and we deactivated there account on the domain never to be logged in again, would your servers identify that this specific license is not being used and that it won't be counted into the total sum that we have? Or do we need to take a different approach?

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Noor998

If I install the Xchange Pro on the Server with the pre-activated license key then any one logging in would have access to full application

There are ways to configure your environment to restrict access only to select users, detailed in our Admin manual:
https://help.pdf-xchange.com/sysadmin/m ... ctive.html
https://help.pdf-xchange.com/sysadmin/l ... erver.html

I would assume that when a new user logs in to the server then your servers will identify it as a new user automatically

No, as before, there is no "user" component to our activation system, and pre-activated keys do not call home in any capacity. This is why it is very important that you are carefully configuring your system to ensure you do not accidentally abuse our licensing system and allow more users than you should to use the software.

what happens in the case the said user leaves the company

With the pre-activated key, nothing happens, and nothing needs to happen. If they have left the company, and they were only able to use the software on your server, their seat is immediately freed up for their replacement to use. Our servers are not involved, and there is no added complexity beyond granting the new user access to the license.
If you are purchasing a volume large enough to cover everyone who has access that server, than you can simply install the key in a way that makes it available to everyone, and you will not need to micromanage any aspect of the process after that.

Kind regards,

[Noor998]

Thank you!! That will be all for this topic....

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]