What Is Network Licensing?

Different people mean different things when they talk about network licenses. Network licensing of Mathematica and other Wolfram Research products offers you the following features:

• You can get a license from a license server file.
  Getting the licenses from a central location, instead of storing them in a local file, greatly simplifies system administration and prevents problems such as lost passwords or orphaned licenses. It also allows system administrators to install licenses on more than one computer per process, enabling users to have access both in their offices and on the production line.
• You can administer licenses centrally.
  MathLM, the Wolfram Research license server, lets system administrators store and control all license passwords and track usage in a single location.
• You can implement a concurrent-use model.
  Because MathLM assigns license processes on a request basis, many infrequent users can take advantage of the same license, leading to significant savings over the cost of providing them with single-user copies.
• You can install programs on a file server rather than on local workstations.
  Installing Wolfram Research programs on a file server greatly simplifies system administration, requiring only one install process in a central location and ensuring that every user always has the current release everyone else is using. Installing on a single server also makes the upgrade process a snap and makes the programs available on every computer on the local network.