Alternatives to FlexNet Publisher & Reprise?

Question

I've been tasked with investigating licence server vendors.

(Note: licence servers, or "key servers", are a type of "software copy protection" wherein copies of software deployed to a site call a central licence server to see if they're allowed to run. This is more than just a licence key generation/verification algorithm!)

We need a licence client/server system with a Java API.

So far, I've found FlexNet Publisher (formerly FlexLM) and its "reboot", Reprise. I would really like to look at some more options, but I'm not having much luck searching for them. (I can't find good search terms for Google, and Wikipedia is sparse on the topic.)

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Found another vendor: SafeNet. No word yet on which of the three I've found is the best solution.

Answer 2

Even I have been give the same task, which of the above do you think is the best one in terms of floating licenses, usage base limitations(custom rules kind of) and other routine licensing features.

Regards, Bharath

Answer 3

FLEXnet is the 800lb gorilla of course, solid concurrent licensing (originated in FLEXlm/Globetrotter back in the day) and activation/trusted storage based licensing (Flexera originally owned SafeCast before rewriting it into FLEXnet).

Reprise/RLM is written by the same guy that originated/wrote FLEXlm (Matt Christiano) so you can put money on it being equally good/probably improved w/in that functionality range (concurrent) - they do not however have the same depth in trusted-storage based I don't think.

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Flexera/FLEXnet holds several key generic licensing patents (esp one for 'network licensing') and have used them successfully in the past. FLEXnet costs a bomb and the price goes up (yes, UP !) w/ your revenues.

Reprise/RLM is probably a lot cheaper.

Horses for courses (and wallets) as they say ;-)

Answer 4

Our company, Agilis Software, provides a Java-based licensing solution with a multi-platform Java license server and client. Our Orion Network Licensing Platform can do all that Flex does and more in a modern, Java-based system. For example, the Orion Server can be hosted on the Internet to support product activation or floating licensing, or redistributed by you for installation on your customers' network. Same server, same client integration.

Hope this is helpful.

Dominic Haigh Agilis Software www.agilis-sw.com

Answer 5

LM-X License Manager from X-Formation can do everything and it is reasonably priced: http://www.x-formation.com/lm-x_license_manager/index.html Even large software vendors already use it.