Planning your IBM Common Licensing installation

Before you start your installation, consider whether you are a client desktop user or license administrator of the IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) or IBM Rational product and the type of licenses that you are installing. Your role determines the installation instructions for your ELM or IBM Rational product licenses. You can have several different types of licenses depending on the number of ELM or IBM Rational products you purchase. You must follow the installation steps for each type of license.

License administrators: If you are a license administrator, review the Installation and import steps for license administrators and the Installation and import activities by license type (authorized user or floating) sections.
Desktop users: If you are a desktop user, review only the Installation and import activities by license type (authorized user or floating) section.

Note: Before you install the product, read the System Requirements for IBM License Key Server technical document to ensure that you understand the requirements.

Installation and import steps for license administrators

If you are a license administrator, follow these steps:

Installation and import activities by license type (authorized user or floating)

Complete the applicable steps in the applicable table to install and import your licenses.

Table 1. Authorized user license installation and import activities
Description	Desktop user tasks	Administrator tasks
Perpetual, node-locked	An authorized user license (formerly called a node-locked license) is created for a specific desktop. This type of license allows a user to run an IBM ELM or IBM Rational product only on that specified desktop. The user can run multiple sessions of a product concurrently on the specified computer that uses a single license key. Because authorized user licenses are uncounted licenses, no license server is needed to manage them. Use the IBM License Key Center to obtain license keys. If you are using email, file attachments to import and install permanent authorized user license keys, see Import permanent authorized user keys.	None
Fixed Term License (FTL), node-locked	An ELM or IBM Rational Authorized User FTL allows a single, specific individual to use an ELM or IBM Rational product for a specific length of time (the term). Purchasers must obtain an Authorized User FTL for each individual user accessing the product in any manner. An Authorized User FTL cannot be reassigned unless the purchaser is replacing the original assignee on a long-term or permanent basis. Currently, this license type is not available for ELM or IBM Rational products that are based on the Eclipse framework. For installation and import steps, see the perpetual authorized user steps.	None

Table 2. Floating license installation and import activities
Description	Desktop user tasks	Administrator tasks
Perpetual, non-token	Floating licenses allow anyone on your network to use ELM or IBM Rational products while a license is available. Therefore, the number of licenses that you purchase and register in IBM License Key Center determines the maximum number of users who can use ELM or IBM Rational products concurrently. Client desktop users obtain licenses from the license server when they run a copy of the software. One license is granted per client per product, except performance testing products. Performance testing products can check out multiple licenses.	Complete the following steps: Install the License Key Server on single, multiple, or redundant servers. See, Configure the License Key Server Log in to the IBM License Key Center to obtain license keys. Download the license file to their desktop. Import the license file into the License Key Server. Inform all users to point to the License Key Server for the product license. For further installation and maintenance instructions, see Overview of Administrator Tasks.
Perpetual, token	None	None
Fixed Term License (FTL), non-token	An FTL allows floating license use for an ELM or IBM Rational product for a specific length of time (the term). For installation and import steps, see the steps for desktop users with perpetual floating licenses.	For installation and import steps, see the steps for administrators of perpetual floating licenses.
Fixed Term License (FTL), token	None	Use the token-based license model to purchase a specific number of token licenses to use across a specified number of ELM or IBM Rational products. If you use a ELM or IBM Rational tool that checks out a token-based license, the license file specifies the number of tokens that are checked out. A token license is a type of floating license, so the installation and import steps are the same as they are for floating licenses. Follow the steps for license administrators of perpetual floating license. Note: Token-based licenses can be used only with floating licenses. They cannot be used for authorized user licenses.