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What is NI Volume License Manager?

Primary Software: Other NI Software>>NI Volume License Manager
Primary Software Version: 1.0
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: N/A

Problem:
What is NI Volume License Manager?

Solution:
NI Volume License Manager (NI VLM) helps you manage and administer your National Instruments software licenses. The computer that hosts NI VLM is referred to as the license server and the end-users' computers are referred to as the client computers. NI VLM is hosted on the server computer and is operated by the license administrator who is designated as the main contact for that company’s licenses. The client computers are configured to check for permission from NI VLM before launching the software.

NI VLM is based off of an industry standard licensing software, FLEXlm. However, many of our larger companies already have their own FLEXlm implementation in place. The licenses we provide are compliant with standard FLEXlm implementations, so larger companies can use their own implementation with the license file we send to them. If a company decides not to use NI VLM, we cannot support their own FLEXlm implementation, although we will support the license file that is given to them.

By using a FLEXlm-based license management system, NI VLM customers will have an accurate record of how much software is used which can help forecast software purchasing. NI VLM customers also have only one serial number per product instead of one serial number per seat. This avoids maintaining complicated spreadsheets to identify where software has been installed. In addition, NI VLM customers can prove they are compliant with the license agreement since FLEXlm enforces the legal agreement.

NI VLM is included at no cost to any customer who has a Volume License Agreement. Volume License Agreements require 5 or more development seats of one software product.  Additional software products can be in any quantity.  A Volume License Agreement includes many other benefits including quantity discounts and SSP.

Main Benefits of NI VLM Over Pure FLEXlm-Based License Management:

  • NI VLM provides an intuitive user-interface to the standard FLEXlm commands and features, so the license administrator does not need to know the details of FLEXlm or National Instruments software.
  • Creating disconnected and home licenses for computers which never have network access (FLEXlm's BORROW feature requires a network connection to initiate the borrowing period). Disconnected or Home licenses last for an administrator-specified amount of time (including unexpiring) and are a text file which can be transmitted through a USB drive or email.
  • The Overdraft feature allows you to assign permissions for more licenses than you have purchased. You choose whether to pay for these licenses as-you-go or at contract renewal.
  • You can create Network Installers from NI VLM based upon any NI software. After the normal installation finishes, a network installer automatically points client computers towards the NI VLM server for license check-out, and sends a permission request to NI VLM for the licenses you specified at network installer creation. You can configure NI VLM to automatically accept this permission request, or you can manually accept or deny it.
  • NI VLM records license usage in a text file.
  • You can export a spreadsheet or XLM file from NI VLM containing all of your users and computers (including your custom information fields) and their permissions.
These features are explained in detail in the Getting Started Guide linked below.



Related Links:
Getting Started with NI Volume License Manager


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Report Date: 03/19/2007
Last Updated: 02/15/2008
Document ID: 47I9SCQA

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