Software licensing glossary

Start with the unit you want to license: a device, a shared session or another entitlement. These definitions explain what each control does, how the counters differ and which implementation details you need to verify.

• Floating license

  A floating license lets a group share a limited pool of seats. A person or device borrows a seat while the application is running, then returns it so someone else can use it. The seat limit controls simultaneous use, rather than the total number of installations.

• Node-locked license

  A node-locked license binds permitted use to identified devices. The application presents a device identifier during activation, and the licensing service records whether that device may use the key. A license can allow one or several devices; node locking does not necessarily mean a single installation.

• Concurrent license

  A concurrent license limits how many sessions may use a product at the same time. It measures simultaneous use rather than the number of people who could use the product or the number of computers on which it is installed. A floating seat pool is a common way to enforce that limit.

• License activation

  License activation is the step that registers permitted use of a license on a device. It is separate from issuing the key and from simply checking whether the key is valid. Activation applies the configured device and access rules before granting the application the corresponding evidence.

• Hardware binding and HWID

  Hardware binding associates license use with an identifier representing a device. HWID usually means hardware identifier or hardware fingerprint. The fingerprint helps recognize a device during activation; it is not a secret credential and cannot by itself prove that the client software has not been modified.