What is Floating License?

FL (Floating License) allows you to install and use the same license (i.e. MagicDraw Standard, Professional or Enterprise Edition) on multiple machines. Suppose you have 10 workstations where MagicDraw is used. In most cases there are less than 10 users concurrently using MagicDraw. Instead of purchasing 10 Professional (or Standard) seat licenses, only purchase the number of Floating Licenses to support the number of concurrent users. Floating License(s) are usually more economical in development centers than purchasing individual seat licenses.

How Does Floating License Server Work?

Whenever you obtain Floating License you may install MagicDraw Standard FL or MagicDraw Professional FL or MagicDraw Enterprise FL client software on as many workstations as you need. The floating license server software (which is free and is provided together with FL clients) needs to be installed on some computer (which is referred to as FL server). Normally, only one FL Server is required in your network. The FL Server is provided with the key, which specifies how many and what types of Floating Licenses this server may serve. The same server may serve different numbers of different MagicDraw edition licenses, e.g. 2 Standard and 3 Professional FL licenses. In this case, during the connection, you will be asked to select the edition do you want to run - Standard, Enterprise or Professional.

How Does a Client Application Obtain the Floating License?

In order to work with the FL client, you will need to specify the address of the FL Server and connect to it. Every time FL client connects to the license server it retrieves ("leases") a license from that server and the number of available licenses on this server is decreased. If all available licenses from the server are leased, the next client who wants to obtain a license must wait until one of the other client's finishes its work and the license is returned back to the license server.

What if the Connection with the FL Server is Lost?

Whenever FL client leases the license from the FL Server, it constantly updates the server with the message that it is still alive. The FL Server in turn acknowledges that the license is still valid. If the connection with the server is lost, the client application will not receive acknowledgements from the server and the client application will be gracefully terminated (MagicDraw forces you to save your work and close the application or try to reconnect again). In the case of no update from the client, the FL Server considers the license to be returned and it is available to other clients.

Floating Licenses on a Laptop

Floating Licenses are primarily intended for workstations directly connected to a network. However, a portable computer that is connected to the Internet and can contact the FL Server, may use a Floating License as well.

Floating Licenses and Teamwork Server

Floating Licenses are treated the same way as seat licenses, i.e. MagicDraw FL client applications work with the Teamwork Server. The Teamwork Server software does not serve Floating Licenses. A FL Server works in conjunction with the Teamwork Server.