Alfresco and Nuxeo are content services platforms that Hyland acquired in 2020 and 2021.[8] Both exist in free open-source editions and in subscribed Hyland products. Both are sold as Software for on-premise deployment or as a Cloud Service, each with its own Product Specific Terms under the Hyland Master Agreement.[1][3] Unlike OnBase, both are bounded by Service Limits: “the limitations on use applicable to Customer’s Product Subscription”.[1]
The Master Agreement draws the line with open source. Licensed “Software” is Hyland’s proprietary software and its updates, and “does not include any open-source versions” of those products.[7] Catalog proof: Open-source versions are not part of the licensed Software.
Editions
| Product and deployment | Service Limits named in the terms | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alfresco, on premise | For example, the number of Users licensed | [1] |
| Alfresco, Cloud Service | Inbound Application Requests, Users and storage capacity | [2] |
| Nuxeo, on premise | For example, the number of Nuxeo Instances or Users | [3] |
| Nuxeo, Cloud Service | Inbound Application Requests, Documents and storage capacity | [4] |
The Alfresco terms name Alfresco Content Services (ACS) and Alfresco Process Services (APS) as separate subscriptions. They also define “Alfresco Community Versions” as “the free, open source community versions that Hyland makes available at no charge”, including community editions of Alfresco Content Services, Alfresco Search Services and Alfresco Search Community.[1] The Nuxeo terms separate the open-source Nuxeo Platform from the subscribed Nuxeo Services. The services include Nuxeo Studio, a hosted tool to configure Client Applications, and access to the Nuxeo Marketplace.[3]
Metrics
| Unit | Catalog row | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Alfresco user | Alfresco Content Services user | “Access to Content Services is licensed on a per user basis.”[5] |
| Content object | Alfresco content object | The licence file sets “a maximum number of content objects that you can use”[6] |
| Nuxeo Instance | Nuxeo Instance | “the equivalent to a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) running the Nuxeo Platform”[3] |
| Document | Nuxeo Document | “any object that holds system properties and custom properties”; each version is a distinct Document[4] |
| Inbound Application Request | Inbound Application Request | “each time the environment is accessed via an external HTTP request”[2] |
Counting / floors
Alfresco on premise
Alfresco Content Services enforces its limits through a licence file. The file “sets limits on the maximum number of users and a maximum number of content objects”, fixed at purchase; raising them needs a new licence file.[6] Any number of users may be registered. A licence is consumed only “when the registered user logs in and is authorized”. Once the user limit is reached, a user logging in for the first time is refused.[5] The Admin Console shows each user as Never Authorized, Authorized or Deauthorized. Administrators can deauthorize users to free licences.[5] Catalog proof: An Alfresco user licence is consumed only when a registered user logs in.
A licence “is unique to a specific version”, so an upgrade needs a new licence. In a cluster, one licence is shared by all nodes. A new installation runs on a trial licence until the purchased licence is uploaded.[6] Catalog proof: An Alfresco Content Services licence file is unique to a version.
The contract adds a self-reporting duty. The customer “shall notify Hyland promptly if it has exceeded or reasonably believes it will exceed the Service Limits purchased”, stating the limit, the extent of the overage and the date. Additional Service Limits are invoiced pro rata. Underreporting found in an audit leads to an adjusted invoice.[1] Catalog proof: Alfresco on-premise overage must be self-reported and is invoiced pro rata.
Alfresco Content Services workflow
ACS includes predetermined document-review and approval workflows and management tasks, which the customer may use and modify. It “may not use the workflow software to design, create or run other types of workflows, business processes and/or management tasks”. That requires a separate Alfresco Process Services subscription.[1] The Cloud Service terms carry the same restriction.[2] Catalog proof: Alfresco Content Services workflow is limited to predefined workflows.
Nuxeo on premise
Nuxeo on premise is counted in Nuxeo Instances, one per JVM running the Nuxeo Platform, or in Users, as the Order Form specifies.[3] The customer must notify Hyland of expected or actual overage, which is invoiced pro rata. Among the Hyland terms reviewed here, only Nuxeo shifts audit costs: “If the audit reveals that Customer underreported by more than one Nuxeo Instance, Customer shall pay the reasonable costs incurred to perform the audit.”[3] Catalog proof: Nuxeo underreporting by more than one instance shifts audit costs.
Cloud Service limits
In the cloud, Alfresco and Nuxeo are measured by external HTTP requests and by storage. Alfresco also counts Users, and Nuxeo counts Documents. If the customer exceeds its licensed volume, Hyland gives written notice “and Customer will be invoiced for the overage”.[2][4] For Nuxeo, “Each version of a Document represents a distinct Document”. Versioning-heavy applications therefore consume Documents faster than the visible object count suggests.[4] The Alfresco Cloud terms add that the Product may not be copied to additional servers without a licence, and that users may not exceed the number permitted.[2] Catalog proof: Alfresco Cloud Service limits cover requests, users and storage; overage is invoiced; Nuxeo Cloud Service limits cover requests, Documents and storage.
Virtualization & partitioning
Neither product is licensed by processor or core. The Nuxeo Instance is the closest thing to a server metric, and it is defined by JVM rather than by host. A Nuxeo Instance “may also be referred to as a Nuxeo Server and may be illustrated as a Nuxeo Server, Nuxeo Node or equivalent in an architecture diagram”.[3] Read literally, each JVM in a scaled cluster is a separate Nuxeo Instance, whether it runs on a physical or a virtual machine. Alfresco Content Services shares one licence across the nodes of a cluster.[6]
On premise, both products include one production copy and one remote disaster-recovery copy that may not run in production concurrently. Further non-production environments for testing, integration development and training are licensed for additional fees.[1][3] Catalog proof: One production copy and one disaster-recovery copy are included on premise.
Cloud / BYOL
On-premise Alfresco and Nuxeo may run on third-party servers under the Master Agreement’s contractor rule.[7] The Cloud Service editions have their own non-production options. Testing Environments are hosted by Hyland for functional and performance testing. A Development Sandbox is a set of environments for testing with non-production data. The Cloud Services Specification, Premier Care and the PaaS Security Attachment do not apply to a Development Sandbox.[2][4] For Alfresco, the Alfresco Cloud Services Specification forms part of the Documentation. Hyland may change it on 30 days’ written notice.[2] Catalog proof: Non-Production Environments.
Programs
Community and open-source boundary
The subscribed Alfresco Product “does not include the Alfresco Community Version”. The customer may not “combine, call, link to, or otherwise use the Product in conjunction with any Alfresco Community Version”, or use the subscription’s services for Community Versions or for unlicensed users.[1] An estate that runs Community and subscribed Alfresco side by side therefore has to keep them technically and contractually apart. Catalog proof: Licensed Alfresco may not be combined with Alfresco Community Versions.
For Nuxeo the arrangement is reversed. “Customer’s use of the Nuxeo Platform is solely governed by the Apache 2.0 open source license provided with the Nuxeo Platform”. The subscription supplies Nuxeo Studio, the Marketplace and maintenance releases.[3] Maintenance releases, including source code provided on request, may be deployed only on approved Nuxeo Instances during the subscription. They come under the Platform licence only once released generally.[3] Some Marketplace items “may carry additional cost and terms”.[3] Catalog proof: The Nuxeo Platform itself is governed by the Apache 2.0 licence.
Support
Premier Care covers Alfresco and Nuxeo as eligible Primary Platforms for regional support routing and Designated Support Teams.[9] Catalog proof: Premier Care.
Out of scope
- Alfresco Process Services licensing details beyond the ACS workflow boundary, and Alfresco Governance Services, Search and Federation add-ons.
- The Alfresco and Nuxeo Cloud Services Specifications and the PaaS Security Attachment, which set service levels and security rather than licence counts.[2]
- Terms of older Alfresco Software, Inc. and Nuxeo subscription agreements signed before the products moved to the Hyland Master Agreement.