License Overview
A license grants users access to specific Formulatrix products and features. It defines product usage, available functionality, and the duration of access to the system and/or software updates. To ensure authenticity and security, all licenses are digitally signed.
TIGA is used by the “License Processor” group to generate and manage licenses during new installations, license renewals, product demonstrations, and internal testing. The licensing process varies depending on the type of license, ensuring that access rights align with the user’s needs or the terms of the customer’s purchase agreement.
Once generated, licenses are either downloaded to the local disk or uploaded to the online repository. Once published online, they are accessed from the Client ID field link in the Accounts table. This facilitates the tracking and managing of licenses.
Types of Licenses
TIGA supports three main types of license, each designed for specific cases.
Permanent License
This license provides long-term access to the system and its features for customers who have fully paid for the product. However, the system will stop receiving software updates when the service contract ends. A customer typically renews a service contract upon which a new license is generated.
Limited Permanent License
This license type is used when payment is made in installments or when we’re worried the customer will be unable to pay on time (because of prior with the customer or others in the same region). Prior to license expiration date, the license will function the same as a permanent one would. However, should the customer fail to complete the payment by the agreed upon due date, they will lose all access to the system.
Temporary License
This license type provides short-term access for purposes such as testing, product demonstration, and internal Formulatrix team use. It is valid for 30 days by default, but can be adjusted as necessary. When the license expires, the system will no longer work.
Permanent and Limited License Process
The license generation process for permanent and limited permanent licenses begins when the Support, Engineer, or Production team sends a request to the Admin team via licensing@formulatrix.com. This request includes important details such as the product name, serial number, PO number, planned shipping date, or software version. Based on the information provided, the Admin team verifies accounts, installed products, and coverage records, adds license features and computers if needed, and generates the license file from the Coverage table.
Permanent and Limited Permanent Licenses Process
Verifying Account, Installed Product, and Coverage Records
The Admin team first verifies a Client ID exists in the customer’s account. This ID is automatically generated when creating a new account in TIGA. “License Processor” group members can manually trigger Client ID generation using a Generate Client ID action in the Accounts table. In cases where the account has multiple Client IDs, the system will prompt the user to select the appropriate one during license generation.
Generate Client ID
Once the Client ID is available, verify the records for that account are set up correctly in the Installed Product and Coverage tables. The installed product record must contain the License Key and Instrument Name information, while the coverage record type must be either Software or Software And Hardware.
Mantis Product with Software and Hardware Coverage
Assigning License Features and Computers
If the product requires specific functionalities, those features must be defined in advance by “Feature Editor” group members. Features are stored in the Feature table, and are linked to the license through the License Feature/Related Tables of the Installed Products table. Additionally, licenses which are required to be associated with a specific device or computer must include that device or computer’s unique identifying information. This is done by adding the License Computer/Related Tables of the Coverage table.
Mantis Product with License Features
Rock Maker Coverage with License Computer
Generating the License
After setup is complete, the license can be generated either as a permanent or temporary license. The system verifies the payment status for permanent licenses and requires “License Processor” group members to select an expiration date for limited permanent licenses. The process also checks for compatibility requirements for Protein Crystallization (PC) products, where licenses under the same account must share the same expiration date. Once generated, the license can either be downloaded locally or published online.
Note
When downloaded, the file is saved to the License Processor’s computer, and they then manually send the file to the requester. If published, the file is stored in the online repository and can be accessed via the Client ID link in the Accounts table.
Temporary License Process
Temporary licenses are generated to provide short-term software or hardware access, often for internal testing, demonstrations, or temporary use. The process begins by creating a new record in the Temporary License table. This record includes information such as the client, product, edition, and the reason for license generation. If specific functionalities are needed, features can be linked to the license through the License Feature/Related Tables. Once the record is complete, the temporary license file can be generated and downloaded to the local disk.