SMS: Ensuring SW Metering Does Not Start Out of License Apps

ID: Q199745

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Systems Management Server version 2.0

SUMMARY

In Systems Management Server (SMS) version 2.0, the Software Metering component can be configured to monitor the use of applications and restrict use when necessary. When configuring Software Metering, you can set it to block any attempts to open a file after a set number have been opened. For example, if you have 100 licenses for Notepad and you currently have 100 users using Notepad, then the next user that attempts to open Notepad will not be able to. However, if the user renames Notepad.exe to N.exe either by way of copying or by renaming, they can circumvent the license restriction.

If, on the other hand, you have selected under "Program Name Policy" the "Original" name, your users will not be able to rename the .exe file to get around the license enforcement. This method pulls information from the executable's header, which can not be modified by the end user. This method will stop the 101st user attempting to open Notepad.exe regardless of what it has been renamed to.

Also, check the Software Metering server itself. There are two options to select when specifying the Software Metering Properties in the Systems Management Server MMC Administrator console under the following:


Site Database\Site Hierarchy\site name\Site Settings\Component Configuration\Software Metering

If you have chosen to monitor under "Program Name Policy" the "Standard" name of the application, then the name that appears in Explorer is what is monitored. If you have not set up your Software Metering server to monitor for N.exe, then your users will be able to rename Notepad.exe to anything and continue to use it.

Software Metering can also be configured to handle applications such as virus checkers that have multiple executables. Software Metering monitors the task list for these .exe files as it does for Notepad.exe, so if the end user renames several of the .exe files and you have configured Software Metering to monitor based on the "Original" name, you will still be able to track the number of instances of an application that are running.

Additional query words: prodsms swmeter

Keywords : kbSMS200
Version : winnt:2.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbinfo