Contract Based Licensing

Starting with the ePublisher 2009.1 release, you now only need to keep track of a single unique identifier, called a Contract ID. It is used to activate all software components provided to you by WebWorks.com. In addition, if you have more than one user license of the software, you can use this same Contract ID to activate the other users within your group.

What does a contract ID look like?

If you have received a Contract ID, it will look something like the following:

9841CSDE-B301-472E-AC7F-E6465DBE2CA2

Why is it called a contract ID?

We use this terminology internally to describe the agreement which specifies which products, capabilities, support levels, and seats have been designed for your organization.

What does this contract/agreement specify?

Let's show you an example:

Contract ID	9841CSDE-B301-472E-AC7F-E6465DBE2CA2
Account	WebWorks.com
Contact	Ben Allums <...@webworks.com>
Seats	5
Support Grant	2009-05-05 to 2009-06-06
Update Grant	2009-05-05 to 2010-05-31
License Grant	ePublisher AutoMap - FrameMaker Adapter - Word Adapter - XML Adapter ePublisher Express - FrameMaker Adapter - Word Adapter - XML Adapter ePublisher Pro - FrameMaker Adapter - Word Adapter - XML Adapter

How do I get my keys?

Once you have entered your contract ID, email, and computer information, ePublisher contacts the licensing service to create keys for your installation.

I am a sysadmin. Can I automatically deploy the contract ID out to my users?

Certainly. You can make use of either Windows login scripts or standard system images. In both cases, you'll only need to fill out the contract ID portion of our contract information file. ePublisher will request that users fill in any missing information (in this case, email and computer name), before finalizing the licensing request. Please contact WebWorks.com Support if you require additional information on ePublisher's license info files.

What happens if I'm offline?

ePublisher licensing was designed to support offline operation. Our system issues keys for 30 day time periods and attempts to refresh those keys every 15 days. If the licensing service is unavailable during a key refresh request, ePublisher will continue to run with previously issued runtime keys.

What if I'm never online?

ePublisher licensing does have provisions for offline operation. This configuration is only supported for sites which operate high-security networks. Please contact your sales representative or Customer Service to discuss your site's needs.

What information does WebWorks.com track?

The licensing service tracks your contract ID, the email address you provide, and the computer name you provide along with a unique user ID and unique machine ID. The unique user and machine IDs contain no usable information and merely enable the license server to count installed seats. The email address and computer name you provide are used when troubleshooting license server issues.

I've got my keys, but what does that license message mean?

You're likely seeing a message such as:

Granted 3 license keys.
Current license keys expire on 6/5/2009.
Updated license keys will be retrieved on 5/21/2009.
Contract expires on 4/30/2010.

This message informs the customer that license keys were retrieved (they should show up in the license key list), tells the customer when they will expire (all keys are time limited keys), and let's them know when ePublisher will try to retrieve updated keys.

The contract expiration (we should reword it), reports the last date on which keys will be issued. In this case, you are on a "renewable" contract. We also have "permanent" contracts which have no expiration date. The licensing system will continue to issue updated keys without end.

Can I move ePublisher to another computer?

Certainly. You can access the license dialog and click the "Unregister" button to reassign your seat.

What if I forget to unregister a seat?

ePublisher licensing was designed to be flexible and forgiving. Ultimately, licensing is really about having a conversation. So if you run into problems, please contact us. We can make sure you retain control of your purchased seats.

Can I give my contract ID to people outside of my organization?

Before contract licensing, we disallowed this form of key sharing. License keys were assigned to an organization for use by that organization only. Contract licensing is different. Contract licensing assigns a seat count and set of product capabilities to an organization. The organization itself can decide how best to make use of those resources. That may mean providing a contract ID to a localization vendor or contractor. Just keep in mind that each assigned seat counts against the total number of seats for the contract.

What happens if my contact ID "gets out there"?

Rest assured, as the legitimate owner of a license contract, your rights to use the product will be protected. If your contract ID is compromised, WebWorks.com can disable your existing contract ID and issue you a new one.

What happens to all those seats on the old contract?

They will continue to function until their key assignments time out. Attempts to reactive them against a disabled contract will fail.