Increasing user limit

[avi21st]

We have both Datastage server license for 5 user and 4 CPU...now we need to increase the user limit..

Now the vendor is asking almost equal amount of money which we used to buy the whole new software...it is really stupid..

Does it really cost that much to add users?

Again if we create a generic log in id in Unix to use for a particular project..is there any limit of how many sessions can one Unix id log in in Datastage??

[kcbland]

License connections are driven off the MAC and IP address, if you can figure out a way to spoof those then I think you can get around the security. Otherwise, welcome to IBM pricing schemes.

[avi21st]

License connections are driven off the MAC and IP address, if you can figure out a way to spoof those then I think you can get around the security. Otherwise, welcome to IBM pricing schemes.

I have heard something like that where only a single client logs to the datastage server and then you connect to that ...but is there any limit of sessions - how many a user id can have open in datastage?

[kcbland]

The license validation has been problematic since way back. Each version works a little bit different. One version of 7.5 counts every client as a license seat in use, so if I start 10 Designers, I've used up a 10 seat license. If 10 folks startup a Director each, then there's no seats left for Designers. Since there's 10 developers, this is a lot of fun. We exit our Designer so that we can startup a Director. It's a pain, but some patch got installed today to try to fix this.

Or, you can do what I do, work evenings. If you have a 10 seat license, that means you have 2/3 of the licenses unused in a 8 hour x 3 shifts environment. Or, use staggered developers in different time zones.

The theory is one MAP+IP combo can have as many clients attached and only use 1 seat license. I'm not going to recommend circumventing any licensing. IBM charges what it thinks people will pay.

[ray.wurlod]

You can take advantage of shared connections by starting one client from the Tools menu of another. For example, if you start Director from the Tools menu of Designer, it still counts as only one connection for client licensing purposes. Up to ten connections are supported from any one client machine.

Make sure you have the deadlock daemon (dsdlockd) running. By cleaning up after defunct server-side processes it can free otherwise dead client connection licences.

Client connection licensing is by connection, not by user ID. Using a single user ID won't circumvent anything. What you see in DS_LICENSE is only one part of the licensing mechanism; there is more (hard coded) that you can't thwart.

[chulett]

We have both Datastage server license for 5 user and 4 CPU...now we need to increase the user limit..

Now the vendor is asking almost equal amount of money which we used to buy the whole new software...it is really stupid..

Does it really cost that much to add users?

Heck no. Someone must be confused, either in what you are asking for or what they thought you asked for. The 'per seat' cost to add new developer seats is around $3,000 from what I recall. Don't quote me on that, but it's certainly nowhere near the 'buy the whole software again' amount. Perhaps they though you wanted to license a new server rather than simply bump up your current one.

Again if we create a generic log in id in Unix to use for a particular project..is there any limit of how many sessions can one Unix id log in in Datastage??

Creating a generic login won't help you get more than 5 users connected. As noted, you are licensed by concurrent users not named users - all that matters is where they are coming from not what their name is.

[avi21st]

The license validation has been problematic since way back. Each version works a little bit different. One version of 7.5 counts every client as a license seat in use, so if I start 10 Designers, I've used up a 10 seat license. If 10 folks startup a Director each, then there's no seats left for Designers. Since there's 10 developers, this is a lot of fun. We exit our Designer so that we can startup a Director. It's a pain, but some patch got installed today to try to fix this.

Or, you can do what I do, work evenings. If you have a 10 seat license, that means you have 2/3 of the licenses unused in a 8 hour x 3 shifts environment. Or, use staggered developers in different time zones.

The theory is one MAP+IP combo can have as many clients attached and only use 1 seat license. I'm not going to recommend circumventing any licensing. IBM charges what it thinks people will pay.

I think we might use something like Citrix, where the
developers would each use their own user-id, but the connection might come from the same MAC+IP.

Has anyone done such implementation?

[Ultramundane]

I have found that since IBM took over the licensing a few months back that they give you more then you need and trust you to pay for what you use.

For instance, when I requested a new set of licenses a few weeks ago (server and client) for 7.5.2, the licenses they gave me have a cpu count of 999 and a user count of 999. Way over what we are licensed for, but I think they run a little different than what Ascential did. They trust that you will keep track of your actual usage and pay for it.

Or, it is possible that they just made a mistake.

[kcbland]

Each citrix seat still counts as only one. Also, last I heard citrix is NOT supported, even if it does work for you.

[chulett]

I have found that since IBM took over the licensing a few months back that they give you more then you need and trust you to pay for what you use.

I haven't seen anything like this.

Or, it is possible that they just made a mistake.

That's where I'd put my money.

[ray.wurlod]

The 999 licence is what they call an "enterprise" licence. One of my clients was also surprised by this number (but not concerned when I gravely warned that problems will arise when they install their 1000th CPU in the box).