Posted on 05-25-2011 08:33 AM
I'm trying to clean up our Adobe installations throughout my institution and I figured that I would start with the Licensed Software Management in the JSS. Does the JSS actually check serial numbers? Or does it only check the Software Definitions? The way it's working for me is that it's only using the definitions. Am I doing something wrong here?
Thanks
Allen
Posted on 05-25-2011 08:39 AM
I don't think it actually manages by checking or verifying the serials. You define the number of seats for a given package, and it shows you how many installs are out there. It's not a license manager.
Posted on 05-25-2011 08:40 AM
If you use the License Management Template and enter in your serial #'s in the Licenses tab it will keep track of your installs.
Patrick Bachuwa
Desktop Engineering Applications
Sears Holdings Corporation
Michigan Campus
3000 W. 14 Mile Road
Royal Oak, MI 48073-1717
Phone: 248 637-0350
Patrick.Bachuwa at searshc.com
Posted on 05-25-2011 08:58 AM
Oops, hit send on accident. Anyway, I'm finding the complete opposite. It's just keeping track of the app. I just did a test with an App that we use here Papers by Mekentosj. I created a template that has the Papers 1 Serial with a Software Definition of Papers2.app. The JSS is telling me that 33 copies are installed, which if the serial number is being used, I should see 0.
Allen
Posted on 05-25-2011 09:27 AM
To be clear, the license numbers really have nothing to do with it, it just looks for the app being installed on machines in inventory. If you do specify a license key and quantity it will tell you if you've gone over, but it's not a real license management system.
Mike Immordino
Trustwave
End User Support Mgr.
(312) 873-8943
mimmordino at trustwave.com
Posted on 05-25-2011 09:28 AM
Thanks Mike, thats what I thought. I just wanted to double check.
Allen
Posted on 05-26-2011 03:07 AM
I put in a feature request ages ago about this. Tracking boxed licenses can be a nightmare. Upgrades make it even worse.
You have to keep your own track of what license is installed on which machine and which license it was upgraded from, particularly with Adobe products. If you don't de-authorise Adobe software, since CS4, before doing a re-build of a machine for example, then you may not be able to re-license the software afterwards until you get Adobe to unlock it. Therefore you really need to know which license is on which machine.
You also need to know which licenses have been upgraded, so you know which are still available, either for use or for another future upgrade.
So as far as I see it, the Casper licensing page needs an upgrade tick box, that you then link to a previous license and it needs to be tagged directly to a particular machine. Volume licensing clearly can get you out of this situation, but some software may not offer this or it may be impractical due to the amount of licenses being too few.
Sean