Network vs. Standalone Licenses

PROCAD offers both types of software licenses: Network Licenses (also referred to as concurrent licenses) and Standalone Licenses (also known as node-locked).

Below is an explanation of the differences between these two licenses. It will help you choose the most cost-effective solution for your company.

Network Licenses

With Network licenses, the software can be installed on as many computers as needed and the network licenses manager on the company server. 

The network license manager keeps track of how many licenses are in use at any time. When a PROCAD application starts, it requests a network license from the license manager. If a license is available, it will release it to that user. Once a license is checked out, the number of available licenses is reduced by one.

When that user exits the PROCAD application or the license is idle for an extended period, the license manager checks that license back, adding it to the license pool and making it available to other users. Here are some of the benefits and limitations of network licenses:

Benefits

• Network licenses are sharable by users from across the company
• Easier to administer since it simplifies software asset management and IT tasks
• Cost-effective since you don’t need to order as many licenses

Limitations

• Not available for monthly recurring subscriptions
• Not suitable for single-user installations
• Has a 50% premium over standalone licenses
• Not accessible when the network server is down

Standalone Licenses

A standalone license is installed on the same computer where the software is installed. It is tied to that computer’s hardware. Here are some of the benefits and limitations of standalone licenses:

Benefits

• Easy to install without the need to connect to the company server
• Portable since it goes with the computer it’s installed on
• Less expensive when you only need the software on a single computer
• The license can be moved to another computer when you need to upgrade the hardware

Limitations

• The license cannot be shared with users on other computers