License Consuming only Desktop Devices and Not Servers.

[Victor_MacBeath]

Hi all, 

I would be very grateful if you could provide some advice on the following question:

I am trying to limit a license to be consumed exclusively to windows 10 machines, what is the best practice to exclude Server consumption and VMs? and vice-versa for Server license not to consume entitlement from Desktop?

Appreciate your kind support.

Regards, 

Victor. 

[mfranz]

Hi Victor,

Depending on the license, the linked application itself can make the difference in what is consumed, like "Windows 10 Professional" vs. "Windows Server 2019 Standard". If you have the same application on different types of devices, you have a few approaches, each with their pros and cons:

• Allocations: E. g. use a Business Import to implement your allocation logic. With some SQL magic, you should be able to figure out which devices to allocate to one license and which to another.
• Ownership & Restrictions: If one of the ownership metrics (location, corporate unit, cost center) is unused, you could use it as a workaround. Just create your own device hierarchy. Then use Restrictions to limit your licenses to unly consume from a specific location/corporate unit/cost center. You'll have to keep an eye on the "License consumption order" as well.

Allocations should be easier to implement, Ownership and restrictions *may* result in a little bit better transparency in why a device was counted (or not).

Best regards,

Markward

[Victor_MacBeath]

I believe this should be a good enhancement for FNMS.
I want to monitor dynamically the consumption without allocations ie. Desktop license is only consumed by Windows 10 Devices (PC's Laptops). Exactly same software that is installed on Servers only consume Window Server Devices.

I do not have the time to keep tracking what devices are new with this application which is worldwide deployed. Yes, can be done on the consumption tab, but will be better to have this as a right or rule.

[mfranz]

I get your point. But to defend Flexera, Desktop and Server are no attributes easily distinguished, let alone technically inventoried. What about these?

• If I install Windows Server on my desktop, is it still a desktop?
• Is my HP Z800 a desktop or a server?
• If I run VMware Worksation on my laptop, is it a VMHost?