Overview of License
This section describes the definitions and objectives of license.
Definition
License: A license is an agreement that the supplier and customer arrive at and authorizes the range and period of using the purchased product (it refers to the software product in this document). Through the license, the customer also obtains the services committed by the supplier. A license contains a license file and a license authorization certificate.
Purpose
After purchasing a product, you can only use basic functions of the product. To use value-added service features or expand device resources, purchase licenses of corresponding device functions or resources to meet service requirements.
The license reduces costs for you. You can select the licenses to obtain customized functions.
License Types
Depending on purpose, licenses are classified into commercial (COMM) licenses and non-commercial (DEMO) licenses.
COMM license
Typically, most licenses purchased according to contracts are permanently valid and some with a fixed validity period. All purchased licenses are COMM licenses.
Temporary license
The temporary license is also known as DEMO license, which is used for special purposes such as test and trial, and is strictly controlled.
Depending on authority, licenses are classified into function licenses and resource licenses:
Function license
A function license controls the usage of a specific function. To use a restricted function, obtain authorization for this function first.
Resource license
A resource license is used to expand dynamic resources on the product. To expand resources, ensure that the matching function is effective and can be normally used. There might be multiple resource licenses for the same function.
You may not select a resource license as the default license is sufficient for your resources. You can also select one or more resource licenses based on actual service needs. You can select the same resource license for multiple times or select multiple types of resource licenses. The resource quantity is the sum of all resources in all selected resource licenses.
The resource capacity allowed by the licenses you purchased cannot exceed the maximum capacity of the product. To learn the maximum capacity of the product, contact Huawei local office.
Characteristics
Easy to use and maintain
Traditional license mechanism generates only one license file on a device. You do not need to restart the device during license activation; therefore, services are not interrupted, except the license services.
Encryption and authentication to protect customer profits
Traditional license mechanism binds license files to Equipment Serial Numbers (ESNs). That is, a license file belongs to only one device. If a license file is modified manually, the file becomes invalid. This protects the license against theft.
Fault tolerant mechanism to reduce damages caused by accidents
If an accident such as an earthquake happens and rescue is organized, you can set the status of the license activated by traditional license mechanism to Emergency. In this status, the resource license does not limit resource usage. The device provides maximum number of resources to meet service requirements. The Emergency state can only be used certain times within the specified period.
Concepts
- License file: A license file controls the capacity, functions, and validity period of a software version. It is generated by a dedicated encryption tool based on the contract signed with Huawei and delivered as an electronic file.
- License authorization certificate: Also called license certificate, it records the product name, license authorization codes (LACs), customer name, and validation period. The license authorization certificate is in PDF format, specifies the software authorization range, and protects the rights of buyers. It consists of three parts: authorization declaration, customer information, and product authorization information.
Only a commercial license requires a license certificate.
- ESN: The equipment serial number is a string of characters, which uniquely identifies a device. It is used to ensure that the license is granted to the specified device. It is also called the fingerprint of a device.
- LSN: The license serial number uniquely identifies a license file.
- Revoke code: If you run command on a device to revoke a license, you can obtain a character string, which is the revoke code. You need the revoke code when changing the ESNs in the license management system. After you run command to revoke a license, the license file becomes invalid.
- Grace period: The amount of time the features in a license file can continue functioning without a license.