About This Manual

This guide describes how to use the License Management Facility (LMF) to manage software licenses on a Compaq Tru64TM UNIX® system (formerly DIGITAL UNIX) operating system. System managers can use LMF to help them make sure that licenses are used as intended.

Audience

This guide is for system managers responsible for managing software licenses on Tru64 UNIX systems. The guide also provides information for anyone who uses licensed software on Tru64 UNIX systems.

LMF is designed to be used by companies other than Compaq. Other companies can issue Product Authorization Keys (PAKs) or have Compaq issue them on their behalf. Additionally, other companies can include license-checking functions in their software. For clarity, however, this manual addresses only software that is supplied and produced by Compaq.

Organization

This guide is divided into two chapters, one appendix, and a glossary as follows:

Chapter 1 Introduces the tools and components associated with managing licenses. The chapter explains the types of licenses available and how products are affected by LMF. The chapter also describes Product Authorization Keys (PAKs) and the license checking that LMF and the products that support it perform.
Chapter 2 Describes the tasks you can perform using the lmf utility.
Appendix A Lists and explains the messages that you might encounter while you are using LMF.
Glossary A glossary of important LMF terms.

Icons on Tru64 UNIX Printed Books

The printed version of the Tru64 UNIX documentation uses letter icons on the spines of the books to help specific audiences quickly find the books that meet their needs. (You can order the printed documentation from Compaq.) The following list describes this convention:

  G Books for general users
  S Books for system and network administrators
  P Books for programmers
  D Books for device driver writers
  R Books for reference page users

Some books in the documentation help meet the needs of several audiences. For example, the information in some system books is also used by programmers. Keep this in mind when searching for information on specific topics.

The Documentation Overview provides information on all of the books in the Tru64 UNIX documentation set.

Reader's Comments

Compaq welcomes any comments and suggestions you have on this and other Tru64 UNIX manuals.

You can send your comments in the following ways:

Please include the following information along with your comments:

The Tru64 UNIX Publications group cannot respond to system problems or technical support inquiries. Please address technical questions to your local system vendor or to the appropriate Compaq technical support office. Information provided with the software media explains how to send problem reports to Compaq.

Conventions

The following conventions are used in this manual:

%
$

A percent sign represents the C shell system prompt. A dollar sign represents the system prompt for the Bourne, Korn, and POSIX shells.

#

A number sign represents the superuser prompt.

% cat

Boldface type in interactive examples indicates typed user input.

file

Italic (slanted) type indicates variable values, placeholders, and function argument names.

[ | ]
{ | }

In syntax definitions, brackets indicate items that are optional and braces indicate items that are required. Vertical bars separating items inside brackets or braces indicate that you choose one item from among those listed.

colored text

In syntax definitions, literal elements are colored green. Variable values, placeholders, and function argument names are colored red. No special colored text is used outside of syntax descriptions.

. . .

In syntax definitions, a horizontal ellipsis indicates that the preceding item can be repeated one or more times.

cat(1)

A cross-reference to a reference page includes the appropriate section number in parentheses. For example, cat(1) indicates that you can find information on the cat command in Section 1 of the reference pages.