Key server (software licensing)
Encyclopedia
Key server for software licensing
is a colloquial
or generic description that refers to a centralized computer software
system which provides token
s, or keys, to client computers in order to enable licensed software to run on them.
In 1989, Sassafras Software Inc developed their trademarked KeyServer software license management tool . Since that time, other computing technology firms have adopted the phrase "key server" to be used interchangeably with software license server
It is the job of a software license server to determine and control the number of copies of a software program permitted to be used based on the license entitlements that an organization owns. Typically, an end-user
customer organization will install a software license server on a host computer to provide licensing services to an enterprise computing environment.
Publisher-specific license servers are commonly provided by software publisher
s, or through third party providers, to manage software licensing for a specific software publisher's products. Publisher-specific license servers are more commonly used for industry specialized software products than for common software products due to the high value of the managed software products
The server component of a client–server application may also contain an internal license server
Software licensing
A software license is a legal instrument governing the usage or redistribution of software. All software is copyright protected, except material in the public domain. Contractual confidentiality is another way of protecting software...
is a colloquial
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
or generic description that refers to a centralized computer software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
system which provides token
Token
A token is an object of value, and may refer to:* In logic, computational linguistics, and information retrieval, a token is an instance of a type; see Type-token distinction...
s, or keys, to client computers in order to enable licensed software to run on them.
In 1989, Sassafras Software Inc developed their trademarked KeyServer software license management tool . Since that time, other computing technology firms have adopted the phrase "key server" to be used interchangeably with software license server
It is the job of a software license server to determine and control the number of copies of a software program permitted to be used based on the license entitlements that an organization owns. Typically, an end-user
End-user
Economics and commerce define an end user as the person who uses a product. The end user or consumer may differ from the person who purchases the product...
customer organization will install a software license server on a host computer to provide licensing services to an enterprise computing environment.
Publisher-specific license servers are commonly provided by software publisher
Software publisher
A software publisher is a publishing company in the software industry between the developer and the distributor. In some companies, two or all three of these roles may be combined ....
s, or through third party providers, to manage software licensing for a specific software publisher's products. Publisher-specific license servers are more commonly used for industry specialized software products than for common software products due to the high value of the managed software products
The server component of a client–server application may also contain an internal license server