Infometrix offers two licensing options for most of our products. The first option, called a Static license, is the approach we have been using for the last 10 years and is available at no extra charge. The second and latest option available for Pirouette v5.0, LineUp v5.0 and InStep v5.0 is a USB Dongle license. The Dongle license is available for an extra fee and is designed to simplify installations where an internet connection is not readily available (e.g., process settings) and where a single software license is routinely moved from one computer to another (e.g., an office, a home and a travelling computer). Please read more about these options (see below) and the process involved (see the Infometrix License Guide).
Static License
With the static license scheme our software is licensed and locked to a single computer. We require “lock code” details of a computer before we can issue a license. Each license is specific to the individual computer and is incapable of being used on another. We also require that before a computer is retired or our software moved to another computer that you send us a return license code, which is different than the original Static license code.
USB License Dongle
The USB License Dongle is a standard USB “thumb drive” style device requiring an open USB slot to function. Each Dongle is individualized to the customers requirements with the software license requested. One license for each program can be supported with each dongle, including Pirouette v5.0, LineUp v5.0 and InStep v5.0, or the dongle can contain the license for only a single product.
Our Policy
We are continuing to provide licensing as a paid up fee with no annual renewal for both schemes. New releases of our programs may be free of charge or require a fee but are not required in order to keep your license active. We advise you to keep up to date with our current versions, which will allow you to stay current with Microsoft operating systems and improvements to our programs.
The Pros and Cons of Each Licensing Option
We created this parallel licensing mechanism for Pirouette, InStep and LineUp in response to the needs of the process industry (where licensing over the internet is sometimes awkward) and for companies that want to facilitate shared use of Infometrix products. Differences between the software-only Static license and the USB-key-oriented Dongle license are listed in the following comparison. See which approach more closely matches your requirements.
| Static License | Dongle License |
|---|---|
| This license is not portable. The use of the software is inexorably tied to a single computer. | The USB-key can be moved easily from one computer to another making the software sharable on a one-at-a-time basis. It can also be used successively on your desktop computer, your laptop, or your home computer. |
| Licensing of the software can be handled by downloading from the Infometrix website, then sending and receiving an email. Here, installation and licensing are separate steps and do involve a two-way communication with Infometrix. You send your computer’s lock code to us and we send you a license. The communication is easiest to do by email and takes an hour or two (during business hours) to complete. | The dongle requires a physical shipment to get the key to you. The software can still be downloaded and will work in demo mode, but you need that USB key to do real work. This means a two-to three day delay, on average, to complete an installation. |
| This system allows multi-instancing. This means you can have two, three or more separate sessions of the program running simultaneously. | Only one instance of the software is allowed at a time. If a second instance is started, you will be prompted to save the results of the first copy within 2 minutes of launching the second. |
| The Static license is the lowest price for any given software package. | There is an extra charge for the dongle used to secure the product. You can put different licenses (e.g., Pirouette and InStep) on a single key for the same price. If you order products on separate keys, you will pay the hardware premium for each. |
| You have the ability to unlicense the software on one computer and reassign the license to another computer, although this requires running the Static License Manager on the old computer (to affect a return) and on the new computer (to lock the software to the new). Both require (email) communication with Infometrix. | The dongle represents your copy of the Infometrix product or products you purchased. Don’t lose it! Infometrix is not responsible for loss of this key. You can return malfunctioning dongles for replacement at no charge. You can also add other Infometrix software packages to an existing key (limited to 8). |
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