License Technology

When viewing licenses or entitlements in the ETAS Licensing Portal it is important to distinguish between the license types. There you find in the column Type an icon indicating the technology used.

Icon	Technology	Information
	FlexNet Publisher (FNP)	The FNP license is activated using the activation ID in the ETAS Licensing Portal. FNP licenses are saved in LIC files which are deployed either onto the target PC or onto a license server. The license file itself contains the license information in readable format.
	FlexNet Embedded (FNE)	The FNE license is activated using the activation ID in the ETAS License Manager tool on the target PC. FNE licenses are not stored in readable files but in a so called "trusted storage". This is a data storage on the customer device which is secured against manipulation or copying using additional measures. Therefore ETAS License Manager offers either online activation or offline activation.

Getting a License

Before you can start using ETAS software that underlies license management, you need a license. You can receive the license in one of the following ways:

from your local tool administrator
from an ETAS account manager
via a self-service portal on the ETAS internet page at http://www.etas.com/support/licensing

License Types

The following license types are available:

License Type	Storage	Information
Machine-based	local	The license is valid only on a specific PC and linked to hardware specific IDs (e.g. MAC address of the Ethernet adapter).
User-named	server-based	The license is linked to the MAC address of the server and to the user name with which the user is registered in the network.
Floating	server-based	Several users share a limited number of licenses.

If server-based licenses are used, you can borrow a license for a certain period of time to use it offline, i.e. without being connected to the license server or to a network.

License Technology change

ETAS has used FlexNet Publisher technology for many years. From September 2020 onwards, FlexNet Embedded will be introduced. New software releases will only be shipped with FlexNet Embedded technology implemented in future.
FlexNet Publisher license technology will be further supported according to the terms and conditions for existing software versions.

License Right Changes

ETAS FNP License rights are stored in text license files.
ETAS FNE License rights are stored in in Trusted Storage.

End User Interaction Changes

With FlexNet Publisher, an end user is expected to run the license activation utility. Typically this involves typing in an activation code, installing a license text file or interacting with an application’s installer.
With FlexNet Embedded, there is no expectation of a user interacting with a user interface. The core toolkit makes no assumptions about a command prompt or window manager being available. A device can power up, possibly contacting a back-office server, and checks its license rights to determine the behavior, functionality, capacity, etc., that the device supports.