Keysight license types and terms describes the two choices a buyer makes for most Keysight software: where the licence may be used (its type) and for how long (its term). Keysight’s BenchVue help states the choice in four possible deployments: install the licence on a single computer, be able to transfer it between computers, use a USB hardware key to move one licence between computers, or make licences available to several users over a network server.[1] Those four deployments are the Node-Locked (Fixed), Transportable, USB Portable and Floating (Network) types. The Administrator’s Guide adds a fifth, the module licence, locked to a PXI modular instrument.[10]
Identifying the type of a licence
The entitlement certificate Keysight emails at purchase lists the licences bought, and the three-character suffix of each product number indicates the type and term. The BenchVue help gives the pattern with “-1TP” as its example of a transportable, perpetual licence:[1]
| Licence type | Perpetual suffix | Subscription-based (12 months) suffix |
|---|---|---|
| Node-Locked (Fixed) | -1FP | -1FL |
| Transportable | -1TP | -1TL |
| USB Portable | -1UP | -1UL |
| Floating (Network) | -1NP | -1NL |
The same table applies to the PathWave BenchVue family; other Keysight product lines may use different numbering, and the product documentation or licence file is the authority for them.[1] A licence file (suffix .lic) also identifies the type by its content. In the FlexNet files used by EDA software, a licence line with a HOSTID entry is node-locked (the host ID being a computer address or the ID of a USB dongle) and a line without it is floating.[13]
Types
Node-locked (fixed)
A node-locked licence enables the software on one specific host computer; it is tied to the computer’s host ID and stored on the hard disk.[2] Keysight’s instrument help describes it as the most cost-effective choice for a product used with a single instrument or PC.[5] Trial licences are node-locked and time-based.[10]
Transportable
A transportable licence is a type of node-locked licence that can be unlocked from one host and re-locked to another through a network-enabled process with the Keysight Software Manager website.[2] For 89600 VSA, Keysight’s help states that only one PC at a time can use a single transportable licence, that the moving requires an internet browser able to reach the Keysight Software Manager website, that a transport can take 60 to 90 seconds, and that the procedure has four steps: deactivate, synchronize, assign and install.[7] The instrument help adds that the transport shifts use between physically adjacent or geographically distributed instruments or PCs.[5]
USB portable
A USB portable licence is locked to a USB key (dongle) that is sold separately; moving the key moves the licence between hosts, so physically adjacent users can share licences without a network connection.[5] The licence file is installed on each host and the key’s host ID, printed on the key, ties it to one or more licences; a driver must be installed on every PC or instrument where the key is used.[11] For 89600 VSA the dongle supplies a host ID that unlocks a licence file installed on the hard drive.[6]
Floating (network)
A floating licence is locked to a licence server that manages a pool of licences. A client must check out a licence from the server to use the software, one licence at a time and at one site, and simultaneous access requires purchasing multiple licences.[3] Some floating licences can be borrowed for use offline; Keysight documents a typical maximum of 365 days and notes that some older floating licences do not support borrowing.[3] For 89600 VSA, the floating licence lets the software be installed on more than one PC, with simultaneous use limited to the number of floating licences available and a Windows server keeping track of check-outs.[6] Server setup is in Keysight license servers and the Software Manager.
Module and device-locked
A module licence is locked to a PXI modular instrument and enables capabilities of that instrument.[10] For FlexDCA, device-locked licences on DCA-M modules are embedded in the hardware and are active in any PC or DCA-X mainframe where the module is installed, without installing the licence on the PC; Keysight states that purchased device-locked licences have been factory installed on all new DCA-M modules starting in late 2022.[11]
Counted and uncounted licences
Node-locked and USB portable licences can be counted (a specified number of a capability, such as simulations) or uncounted (the feature is simply unlocked on that system).[10] Counted node-locked and USB portable licences need a licence server process running on the local machine; unserved, uncounted licences do not.[10]
Terms
Perpetual
A perpetual licence has no time limit and does not expire. For the BenchVue applications it includes a one-year support subscription for updates and support, renewable annually for a fee.[1] The EULA clarifies that for Node Locked licences “Perpetual” means the lifetime of the computing device, while for Transportable and Floating licences it means the right to use indefinitely.[9]
Floating licences described as perpetual can still carry a renewal cycle. The 89600 VSA help states that licensing is renewed every 550 days so the customer can change the server or host ID through the KSM profile, with an email notice one month before expiry.[6]
Subscription (expiring)
A subscription-based licence limits use to a period, after which it expires, and includes updates and support through the term.[1] In the BenchVue suffix scheme the subscription variants are for 12 months.[1]
When the term starts
For both perpetual and subscription-based licences the time-bound aspects start when the licence is added to the Keysight Software Manager profile, which can be later than the purchase date.[1] Instruments display the support expiration date and the licence expiration under a My Software Support dialog, and a My Support ID dialog shows the ID, typically the same as the host ID, used to register for updates and support.[5]
Evaluation, trial and demo licences
BenchVue trial licences are node-locked and subscription-based.[2] For the Manager application, a free 30-day licence is available and 7-day trials are no longer supported.[4] 89600 VSA has a demo licence with limited functionality, enabled automatically at installation, and a trial licence that enables all options for a temporary period, usable even when a licence has already been installed.[6] Under the EULA an evaluation licence starts on download and ends at the end of the Term, on purchase of a licence, or when Keysight terminates it.[9]
Redeeming and activating a licence
The standard sequence is the same for every type:
- Purchase a Software Entitlement Certificate, on paper or electronically, and note the Order Number and Certificate Number.[2]
- Obtain the host ID of the machine from the Keysight Software Manager Utility (KSM-U). On an instrument the host ID consists of the instrument model number and serial number; on a PC the default model number is PCSERNO.[8] For floating licences on a server the BenchVue help asks for the MAC address, not the host ID.[3]
- Redeem the certificate on the Keysight Software Manager website, a one-time registration for first-time users, to receive a licence (.lic) file by email.[2]
- Install the file with KSM-U, creating a myKeysight account if needed.[2]
Where the certificate title shows “Easy Activation”, KSM-U can activate any of the four types from an activation code on an internet-connected machine instead, assigning the host ID automatically.[12] An activation code activates a single product or feature; an entitlement code activates several or all products in an order.[12] Node-locked licences do not need a network at run time, although the network adapter associated with the host ID must be enabled.[12]
Compliance notes
- Keep the entitlement certificates: they identify the licence type, quantity and term that the EULA treats as the “Documentation”.[9]
- A licence moved between hosts must be a transportable licence moved by Keysight’s process; a node-locked licence cannot be moved to another device without Keysight’s consent and fees.[9]
- For single-site floating licences, record the site and check remote access against the Use Area defined in the EULA.[9]
Out of scope
This article does not describe EDA counting (see Keysight EDA and PathWave design licensing), the licence server software (see the licence server article) or support entitlements beyond the first-year statement (see KeysightCare and software support). The Keysight “License Types and Terms” selection guide on keysight.com could not be retrieved with a generic client and is not cited; the suffix table and descriptions above come from BenchVue and instrument help pages, so product lines outside BenchVue should be checked against their own documentation.