What is a subscription and how does that relate to lincenses?

martink

What exactly is a subsription and how does that relate to licenses?

How do you get a situation  which in the screshot?

It appears that within this subscription  there are one year, two year and three year licences and even some unused.

When a one year license expires can I stop using a three year license on another device and move it to the decive where the license expires?

 

Ukko

Hello,

 

Sorry for reply...

Something same was here - http://community.f-secure.com/t5/Security/Licensing-confusion/m-p/49189/highlight/true#M8963

 

It's not an answer, but just maybe situation same around points, when subscription goes to be "splitted/merged" and etc (it was "known" background, steps and etc.). Topic have something same and also here was some of my words as suggestion "what is it" or "how it happened", but without results.. or confirmation by anyone.. how it certainly happened and worked.

 

But about other part of your questions. Previously and maybe now it also should be work (except your latest experience - if here without dropped points):

 

- When you goes to start installation with your subscription, where already all "licenses under license-key" in use.. you should be prompted by installer about "all licenses in use - but you able get more or re-use one of previous (which in fact... can be not in use)". It's can be or should be always, but maybe time to time required "repeated" steps.

 

- But with my experience.... mechanism about "re-use" licenses - work. It's mean when all "licenses" under "license-key" (as part of "subscription")  goes to be in use.....   next try to install F-Secure prompted about feature with "re-use not-active one" (not just which "not in use") as "re-use" one of licenses from other device (where already it will be not a valid).

 

More hard... when "Subscription" goes to be with editing.. and here already can be:

 

 various types of "License Keys" - and each "license key" have various "licenses". But all of them.. under one "Subscription".

 

On current time.... maybe all of that.. goes to be re-designed. Such as... F-Secure SAFE as "SAFE" and Full Protection around multi-devices life... comes with new "value" of F-Secure with freedome-words.

Probably all of steps with "licenses" should be not so hard.... step-by-step with new look.

NikK

You can think of a subscription as the subscription key, and a license as a computer. A subscription can have one or more licenses connected to it. So every license within the subscription will have the same expire date because they share the same subscription key. A subscription is simply a group of licenses(or a single license).

 

From your screenshot it looks like you have these subscriptions and licenses:

Expires 2014: 2 licenses (unused)

Expires 2015: 1 license

Expires 2016: 3 licenses

Expires 2017: 3 licenses

 

You can click the "Show subscription keys" and it should show all keys I guess.

martink

I can see how many licenses expire at a given date.

The curious thing is that the ones that expire in 2014 roll further by one day every day

When I click on the subscription keys I only see one regardless on which device I do that.

 

How does that do it?

 

I ws under the impression when I enter a license key during install on a device and enter another key on another device they are not connected because not data which would allow them to connect is entered by the user during install.

 

Say if I had a 9 or ten user lincense and that expired.

How would my subscriptions look?

Then entered the  key for  a two year license for three device on one of the devices previous covered.

How would my subscriptions look?

 

Ville

Hi @martink 

 

When you enter a voucher to a device, it creates an anonymous customer with a number of licenses (that the voucher provides). Let's assume that you have used another voucher on another device, which has created a second anonymous customer. If you enter the voucher from first device to second device (or vice versa), the two anonymous customers are merged and now both devices see licenses from both vouchers. This goes on when you add more vouchers and can create quite a big collection of licenses.

 

This is also why you should never enter any dubious voucher from the internet that promises more days - you will simply merge into another users anonymous customer account and they can use your licenses.

 

If you have free licenses and a licenses is about to expire, the subscription reminder screen allows you to "Activate" a free license- in effect it just switches to a free license.

 

When a license expires, it simply disappears from the list.

 

The two licenses where end date is moving are licenses with fixed amount of days, but the days start counting from first use. So until you use that subscription, the end date keeps moving on.

 

If you now enter a voucher for 3 seats on top of existing installation it should extend 3 licenses from the 9. Extending only happens if you use that voucher for the first time on top of existing installation, otherwise a new anonymous customer is created.

 

The license model is a bit complex due to anonymity of customers. If you want to be able to manage your licenses better, there is always F-Secure SAFE.

 

Ville

(F-Secure R&D)

 

martink

Thanks, that explains the difference between subscription and a licence.

It does not explain how I got into that.

My recollection is that I had two 10 user one year licenses some time in 2005 or so.

When the y expired I did not use the third 10 user license but only three user licences for two year.

 

I stil lhave two unused VIP codes, 2 three user 6 month extensions.

 

Because in early Semptember everything in the subscription was going to expire on October 6 I entered a license which I whought was a three user two year lisence and what you see above is the result.

 

Then I got a good price on two year license of Safe for five devices. At this rate I am never going to get to that as I have Freedome beta on mobiles  and FS protection on my desktops.