License Allocations over MGSBI

[martin_schulz]

Dear community,

In case of not having any consumption data from application installations, we often are allocating users or computers onto licenses over group memberships of active directory accounts via scheduling automatic business imports. With doing that, allocations are always synchronized with dedicated active directory groups.

In on-prem, we are using SQL procedures for the allocations. I struggle a bit for the case, if an active directory group doesn’t have a dedicated group member. I’d expect the Business adapter in clearing all license allocations of the dedicated licenses container, but it rejects all lines without a user or computer ID.

How can I achieve an automated complete clearing of the allocations of license containers over Business Adapter Studio?

Best regards
Martin

[erwinlindemann]

Hi Martin,

From one Softline FNMS expert to another Softline expert 😁 ...

The FNMS Business Import Tool (MGSBI) is not a good tool for deleting any data. MGSBI is designed for INSERT and UPDATE statements on the [FNMSCompliance] database.

For deleting (removing) any existing allocation for users or computers on any FNMS license, you'll have to use SQL for deleting the corresponding entries on the [SoftwareLicenseAllocation_MT] table or [SoftwareLicenseAllocation] view ...

[martin_schulz]

Hi Erwin,

thanks a lot. I should have mentioned, that I'm looking for an approach on Flexera One 😉 So I don't have the opportunity to execute any SQL Code on the instance.

Best regards

Martin

[ChrisG]

Have you considered trying the "Detach unfound [...]" options on the "Update rule" field of the "Software Allocation" object in your business adapter?

These options are provided to make the business adapter remove device (or user) allocations on licenses where the allocations are not represented in the source data being imported, or vice versa.

I always find the wording on these options confusing, so you may need to try out the different options available in a test environment to see if any of them give the specific behavior you are looking for.

[martin_schulz]

Hi Chris,

thanks for you advise. I'm aware of those settings, because I'm actually using them for synchronization. The adapter only rejects allocations, for example for licenses to users, when there would be no present user available.

We are synchronizing AD groups. As I stated on the top, I only have the problem in case, if groups get empty. In that case, the adapter rejects the objects whereas the adapter should clean all allocations for a dedicated license.

Do you have an idea for that kind of scenario?

[kclausen]

@martin_schulz - In the case where your source AD Group no longer has any User Accounts in it, that scenario cannot be managed with a Business Adapter.  The Business Adapter is assuming your source data has at least 1 user to be allocated.

Your best option to represent this scenario on your license is to log into FlexNet Manager, open up the license, go to the Consumption tab and then manually remove all of the Allocations.

A clever work-around would be to set up a "Dummy" user and in the case where your AD Group no longer has any users, then allocate that single "Dummy" user to the license and make sure that the option as described by Chris is used.  With this approach, all of the existing users allocated to the license would be removed, and you would only have the Dummy User allocated to your license.  You would then have the option to manually deallocate that single user from the license through the User Interface.

[martin_schulz]

Thanks for the suggestion. My workaround was, to allocate an inactive DummyUser or ignored DummyDevice in case of empty groups 😉 The consumption would be 0. That already works fine.

However, coming to your sentences: It seems to be a workaround.

Thank you anyway for your help.

[sasikumar_r]

Hi Martin,

I am also trying to allocate & deallocate a license using business adapter. sing Software allocation object available, I am able to add a device to license and also able to add exemption reason. But when i try to deallocate or remove the device from a license it is not removing. 

Do i need to set any specific update rule in order to deallocate\remove the previously linked device from a license?

Thank you

Sasi

[kclausen]

@sasikumar_r - The business adapter does not have the ability to Deallocate a specific device or user from a license.  That must be done through the User Interface.  However you can perform a "bulk" allocation of users or devices to a license that will replace all of the current allocations.  For example:

The license currently has Device1, Device2 and Device3 allocated to the license

You perform another Business Adapter to allocate devices to that same license and the import file contains Device1, Device2 and Device4

After running this adapter, Device3 will no longer be allocated to the license, Device4 will be a new allocation to the license, and Device1 and Device2 will still be allocated.

[sasikumar_r]

Hi @kclausen,

Thank you for your suggestion! I will verify the solution that you have suggested. I hope i have to use the below mentioned "Update rule" in order to achieve the suggested solution, please correct me if i am wrong.

"Detach all unfound links between the considered computers and
software allocation"

Thanks Again

Sasi