I've been able to get a copy of the following draft documentation about the "Covered by related product" exemption reason - this will be added to the FlexNet online help content in a future release. Hope this helps!
Covered by related product
Applied automatically during reconciliation calculations for a multi-product license. Occurs when a device is already allocated to the multi-product license, but the current inventory import and reconciliation shows that this device has only supplementary product(s) from the bundle installed, with no installation of a primary product. During reconciliation, the allocation for this device is switched to this exemption reason.
Here's further background:
Normal licensing for a bundle assumes that the various products in the bundle are installed on the same device, and under these conditions, the primary product(s) consume from the license, and the supplementary products consume zero. The zero consumption by supplementary products (in these cases) is allowed only where at least one primary product is also installed on the same device; and under these conditions, the zero result is automatic (no exemption needed).
However, some product bundles allow installation of component products on separate devices. For example, you may be allowed to install a client product on one device, and install a related (supplementary) database product on a separate device, still covered by the same license at no additional cost/consumption. In these circumstances, it is correct that the primary product is missing from the device with the supplementary database installed, and the normal requirement for the co-located primary product must be waived. To achieve this, simply use an allocation to link the multi-product license to the device with the supplementary product installation. Because the database is supplementary, at the next license reconciliation the Covered by related product exemption is automatically added for the related device, and license consumption for the database is set to zero. (The license terms may also specify ratios of primary to supplementary products, but such ratios do not prevent the exemption being applied. Instead, ratios are checked for the overall license, independently of exemptions applied, and may put the license at risk of being over-utilized.)
Compare the outcomes for the following two devices:
- Our multi-product license has primary product A and supplementary products B and C.
- The multi-product license has been allocated to devices 1 and 2.
- Device 1 has products A and B installed. This device consumes as normal, because it has the primary product installed. 'Normal' means that the device consumes an entitlement for the primary product, and the supplementary product automatically consumes zero, and no exemptions are shown or required.
- Device 2 has products B and C installed. After reconciliation, device 2 has the Covered by related product exemption shown, and consumes zero, because it has only supplementary products installed (and cannot consume from any other license, because of the allocation/exemption). Notice that if device 2 had not been allocated to the multi-product license, the absence of the primary product would prevent it being automatically linked to this license during reconciliation. Instead, it would search for other licenses covering products B and C, or finish in the list of unlicensed installations.
Tip: Since manually applying an exemption automatically also applies an allocation linking the device to the license, you may either make an allocation (allowing the next reconciliation to add the exemption); or just add the exemption directly. Remember this exemption really makes sense only on multi-product licenses, and only for devices that have only supplementary products installed (and no primary product).
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