License View Utility

Introduction

OutsideView, in its Enterprise form of installation, uses a centralized ‘pool’ of licenses from which end-users check out individual licenses.

LicenseView is used to:

View license pool(s) or individual license statuses.
Create or maintain license pools
Convert Desktop licenses into Enterprise licenses or vice versa.
Assign a specific license to a particular user
Recover a license from a PC that no longer uses it.

Installing LicenseView

Navigate to your Enterprise Share Point
Select the Media folder, and then the LicenseView sub-folder.
Double click on setup.exe. This installs LicenseView on the PC you are currently running. By default LicenseView is installed in the same program group as OutsideView.

Using LicenseView

Navigate to your Enterprise Share Point

Select your profile’s Install sub-folder.

Click on the LicenseView shortcut. LicenseView opens.

Click on File.

Select Open Pool and then select the license pool created during the Enterprise install(s). (The default file name is licensepool.cpf.) The LicenseView window opens.

Understanding the LicenseView Window

Each OutsideView license is associated with a License Number. Notice the colored dots next to each License Number.

The green dots indicate the license is available for check out.

The red dots indicate the license is checked out

Also note that the checked out license in the screen shot above is being used by user jimh on PC cp-avxs. In a Citrix environment, the Citrix server name and Citrix session number also displays in the User ID column. The In Use column reflects the number of OutsideView copies the user (jimh + cp-avxs) is running on the client PC.

License Numbers provide information:

The first two digits in the License Number indicate what version of OutsideView the license is for. The screen shot indicates we are using version 7.3.

The fourth digit indicates if the licenses are Per Seat or Concurrent. 0 indicates Per Seat licenses and 1 indicates Concurrent licenses. In our example all our licenses are Per-Seat.

Crystal Point does not recommend mixing licenses by release level or type. Instead, create separate license pools, with individual profiles pointing to individual pools. Also when creating multiple license pools, create them in separate folders.

Sorting LicenseView Columns

You can re-arrange or sort LicenseView columns just as with any Windows application, by clicking on the column name. For instance, click on Last Logged In to sort by Last Logged In order. This is useful for locating ‘dead’ licenses that haven’t been used in some time.

License Expiration Dates

To see the licenses expiration date, click on Edit, Preferences and then Add All

When License Pools are Inaccessible

If a user cannot access the license pool (such as when the Enterprise Share Point machine is temporarily down) an error message displays when starting or closing OutsideView. OutsideView will continue to work for 7 days. OutsideView will not run more than 7 days without accessing the Enterprise Share Point unless a license is checked out or exported.

Checking Out Licenses

A license can be checked out for a specified time period. This is an option for when a user is going to be away from the license pool for an extended period, such as for a business trip. To check out a license:

Select a license

Then click on the Licenses file menu.

Select Check Out

Specify the machine, user name and the date until which the checkout should remain in effect.

Exporting Licenses

A license can be exported from a license pool. This is another option for when a user may be away from the license pool for an extended period. When a license is exported, a serial number and key value pair which can be used for standard desktop (non-Enterprise) single user installation displays in LicenseView.

Useful Trouble Shooting Tips

Displaying License Use Status Messages
You can choose to display License use status messages.

For example you can choose if you want to see a message every time OutsideView is started and a license is checked out. To display or hide license use status messages: Use OutsideView’s Supervisor Override Mode

Select Edit

Select Application Settings, Client Administration and then Options. The Global Options dialog box appears.

Select or deselect the appropriate message check boxes.

File, Pack Routine Regenerates the License Pool and Index File
On very rare occasions, license pool indices become corrupted. If this happens, users may only get as far as the ‘Splash’ screen when trying to start OutsideView. This problem is resolved by running the File, Pack routine which regenerates the license pool and its index file. The Pack routine locks the license pool, therefore it is necessary to exit LicenseView after running this routine to unlock the pool.

Licenses are Not Automatically Released

When using Concurrent licenses, licenses are normally automatically released when a user exits OutsideView. Certain circumstances can prevent a successful license release (such as disconnecting from the remote network before exiting OutsideView). In this case, the next time the user logs in they should get the same license and successfully release it.

Synchronize Utility Resolves Orphaned License Scenarios
The Synchronize utility resolves many ‘orphaned license’ scenarios. To use this utility, select Licenses and then Synchronize. LicenseView will reconfirm the status of each license in the License Pool.

Setting the Synchronize Function to Occur Routinely

If your environment regularly experiences orphaned licenses, this indicates that users are regularly loosing connection with the Enterprise Share Point before exiting OutsideView. This can happen due to networking issues or because the users are disconnecting from the network before exiting OutsideView. To resolve such problems set the Synchronize function to occur routinely.

To do so, select Licenses, Polling Agent and then Active. You can specify how frequently the routine runs.

Undo License Check Outs

You can manually undo individual license check outs by highlighting the license and selecting Licenses then Undo Check Out. This is useful for Per Seat licenses, in situations such as disk crashes or inventory overturn, or changes in usage patterns.

For more information on these and other topics, please consult your OutsideView System Administrator’s Guide. STAR support customers can contact Crystal Point’s technical support group at 426-806-1143 or support@crystalpoint.com