license manager software for workstation clusters?

[khb@chiba Keith Bierman fpgroup]

...request for info about net license software...

from a press release laying about...

UniPress will serve as a "one-stop shop" for software developers,
offering development kits for the Sun-3(TM) and SPARC machines from Sun
and other companies, in addition to those systems from Hewlett-Packard,
DEC and IBM.  UniPress is calling its SunNet License product "Net
License."  The Net License development kit includes client libraries,
which are linked to an application, and a license production tool,
which is used to generate licenses.

The kit also includes Net License for end users, which developers can
distribute to their customers without any royalties.  Like SunNet
License, this end user portion consists of a license server (a database
that maintains the pool of licenses and logs all transactions) and a
license administration tool.

Besides offering development kits, UniPress will make Net License
source code available to hardware and software companies.  These
companies can then incorporate the license source code into their own
software products or hardware platforms.  UniPress will offer these
vendors any necessary technical support.

While Net License will be available to developers from UniPress, Sun
will continue to include it free of charge with every Sun application
that uses it.  Once delivered, SunNet License can be copied freely
throughout an organization.

SunNet License consists of scalable client/server software that allows
applications to be licensed on a "concurrent usage" basis.  Concurrent
usage licensing is superior to typical licensing arrangements under
which a company must buy an individual license for every user who
requires access to a given software package.  A concurrent usage
licensing model allows software licenses to "float" among many users.
...end include

I know little about the implementation, and nothing about the
marketing. 

--
----------------------------------------------------------------
Keith H. Bierman    keith.bierman at Sun.COM| khb at chiba.Eng.Sun.COM
SMI 2550 Garcia 12-33			 | (415 336 2648)   
    Mountain View, CA 94043
--
----------------------------------------------------------------
Keith H. Bierman    keith.bierman at Sun.COM| khb at chiba.Eng.Sun.COM
SMI 2550 Garcia 12-33			 | (415 336 2648)   
    Mountain View, CA 94043