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Status Not under consideration
Workspace IBM i
Created by Guest
Created on Apr 20, 2017

Need API to invalidate a license key

Using the license management APIs QLZAGENK & QLZAREQ, once a permanent key is provided to a
customer (expiration date *NONE), there is no way to retract that key when a customer wants to
transfer their software license to a new CPU. The result is customers can run the software on both the
old and new CPUs, essentially getting free software (albeit in violation of their software agreement).
Current workaround:
Provide temporary license keys only, however this tends to upset customers expecting a permanent
license key. Another solution is to allocate a dummy license user that cant be released, however that
creates an accounting nightmare on partitioned systems.
Proposed resolution:
Provide a new license management API that allows a license key to be invalidated. The API could
produce a new 'uninstall' license key as output (perhaps using the vendor data field), which the
customer could email to the vendor as proof the uninstall was performed. Vendor could verify the
uninstall license key, then provide new permanent keys for the new CPU #.


Use Case:

See Description.


Idea priority High
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Feb 11, 2021

    After further investigation, this would be a very complex change to make. We are declining this request.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Jun 24, 2020

    IBM understands the request and recognizes its value. Reduced quantity keys from ESS address this issue for the base Operating System entitlements only. IBM will continue to explore possible solutions.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Jun 9, 2020

    The CAAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a low priority feature. This may useful to ISVs, but it provides no value to the SMB community in general.

    Background: The COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CAAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community, and has therefore reviewed your RFE.

    For more information about CAAC, see www.common.org/caac

    For more details about CAAC's role with RFEs, see http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/i-Can/May-2017/COMMON-Americas-Advisory-Council-%28CAAC%29-and-RFEs/

    Nancy Uthke-Schmucki - CAAC Program Manager

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 18, 2020

    Isn't the submitter asking for reduction keys which come from ESS?

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Apr 21, 2017

    Due to processing by IBM, this request was reassigned to have the following updated attributes:
    Brand - Servers and Systems Software
    Product family - Power Systems
    Product - IBM i
    Component - Install, Upgrade, Licensing
    Operating system - IBM i
    Source - ISV (Independent Software Vendor)

    For recording keeping, the previous attributes were:
    Brand - Servers and Systems Software
    Product family - Power Systems
    Product - IBM i
    Component - Core OS
    Operating system - IBM i
    Source - ISV (Independent Software Vendor)