Managing Licenses
Licenses provisioning scheme is the following:
Customer orders a hosting plan with license in store and pays the order.
After this, subscription creation starts. At the same moment, a license file image called license request is added to the Parallels Business Automation - Standard database. A license request contains all the information about an ordered license. A license request is submitted to Parallels Key Administrator to get a license key and after this, a license file(s). In the course of an order completion, License(s) provisioning is the last thing, it starts after all the other services included in a subscription are ready for use.
Online licenses issuing is a quick procedure in case the Parallels Key Administrator (KA) server is available. A KA plug-in sends a license request to the (KA) server. In return, the KA server issues a license key (a license alphanumerical identifier) and sends is to the plug-in. Then, using an issued license key, the KA server generates a license file and sends it to Parallels Business Automation - Standard. Finally, the KA plug-in tries to install a license into a customer subscription. In case installation fails, provider can install a license file for a customer manually.
In case licenses are uploaded manually, provider can view license requests in the list. Then provider clicks on a license request ID and gets a license request details displayed. After this, a license key(s) and file(s) can be uploaded manually to the Parallels Business Automation - Standard database. Finally, provider manually installs a license into a customer subscription.
Licenses are displayed in a list below a tab where the name of KA plug-in used to issue these licenses is shown. If you use several KA plug-ins, then licenses are collected into a several lists below several tabs, grouped by plug-ins used for issuing.
To upload or request a new license, click the New License button.
The list of licenses displays the following:
- ID. The numerical identifier assigned to a license in the Parallels Business Automation - Standard database. ID is assigned from the moment when a license request appears.
- Key Number. A license identifier issued by Parallels Key Administrator. If a license key number is not shown, this means that only a license request presents. A license key can be issued by a license request.
- Subscription. If a license is assigned to a customer subscription, then this subscription name is shown. If no subscription shown, then a license is unused. If the Not Assigned is displayed in the Subscription column, this means that a license has been ordered for a subscription of Dedicated Server type, but this subscription is still in the Pending state awaiting for manual assignment of a dedicated server.
- License Class. The name and version of a licensed software. There may be a variety of license types for a particular software product, for example Plesk licenses with different number of domains or clients or Virtuozzo licenses with different number of Containers. That is why software type is called as License Class.
- Status. A license current status tells what has been done to a license and what can be done to it at the moment. A license possible statuses are:
- Pending. Only a license request is stored in the Parallels Business Automation - Standard database. There is neither a license key, nor a license file. First, a license key is to be obtained. To get a license key, click on a license request ID. After a license request details appear on the screen, click the Issue License button.
- Issued. A license key is issued and is stored in the Parallels Business Automation - Standard database. There is no license file yet. To get a license file, click on a license ID. After a license details appear on the screen, click the Retrieve button.
- Retrieved. A license file(s) (together with a license key) is in the Parallels Business Automation - Standard database. A license file is ready for passing to a customer or for sale, if there is no order for a license. However, a license file is still at the Management Node. It is possible to download it at your local computer. To this effect, click on a license ID. After a license details appear on the screen, click the Download to Desktop button. After a license file is downloaded, it can be manually passed to a customer or installed into a customer subscription. In addition, there is an intermediate status Retrieving. It means that a license retrieval is in process. Normally, this status occurs for a very short time. However, if something impedes a license retrieval process, for example, connection between KA plug-in and KA server is broken, then a license may stay in the Retrieving status for some time.
- Terminated. A license is cancelled at the Parallels KA side. This status only means that a license is marked as terminated at the Parallels KA side. There is no online tools for licenses termination in customers subscriptions.
- Uploaded. A license is manually uploaded into the Parallels Business Automation - Standard database using the offline KS plug-in.
- Installed. A license is installed in a customer subscription. There is an additional status Installing. It means that a license is in process of installation into a customer subscription.
- Expired. A license has been issued using the Monthly bill type and its expiration period is over. Expired licenses cannot be used anymore.
- Activated. This status occurs for licenses (some Sitebuilder and Virtuozzo versions) that require activation after a license key is issued. Such licenses can be retrieved only after activation.
- Bill Type. How a license is to be paid. Can be one of the following:
- Monthly. License is purchased for the period of one month with one-month Parallels's Software Update Service (SUS), i.e. the ability of upgrading a license. Monthly payment is required, if a subscription is not renewed in time, license(s) are deactivated and cannot be sold to customers.
- Purchase. Licenses are purchased for an unlimited period with one-time payment and one year SUS. In this case, licenses never expire.
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