Overview

The license file that you have received from Beta Systems contains the required license information for your licensed Beta Systems products, add‑ons and applications.

It is not possible to run a Beta Systems product without an appropriate entry in a valid license file.

Obtaining a license file

Please contact Beta Systems order desk (OrderDesk@betasystems.com) if you need a new license file.

Order desk needs the following information to be able to generate a valid license file for you:

• Your name
• The name of your company
• The product(s) / add-on(s) to be included in the license file
• The CPU type tttt-cccc, i.e. the processor type (tttt - the last four digits of the serial number), and the number of configured processors (cccc). You can obtain this information from the startup message xxx9151I CPU INFORMATION - TYPE... of an installed Beta product or via the console command D M=CPU. For the latter, proceed as follows:
  1. Call SDSF.
  2. Enter the primary command LOG.
  3. Enter the console command /D M=CPU and send the output of this command to OrderDesk@betasystems.com.

     IEE174I 10.50.45 DISPLAY M 510
     PROCESSOR STATUS
     ID CPU SERIAL
     00 + 01BCXCtttt
     01 + 01BCXCtttt
     02 +A 01BCXCtttt
     03 +I 01BCXCtttt
     
     CPC ND = 00XXXX.S08.IBM.XX.00000XXXBCXC
     CPC SI = XXXX.XXX.IBM.XX.000000000XXXBCXC

Other product-dependent information may be required depending on your contract.

License types

Three types of license are supported:

MIPS	MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second) licensing assumes that there is a direct relationship between the size of a computer and, for example, the number of jobs that can run on it and/or the number of lists it can produce. The MIPS size is calculated on the basis of the type of machine and number of processors. How the product reacts under certain circumstances is determined by the license policy.
Usage	Usage licensing is based on product-specific factors that enable its usage (load) to be calculated. These factors could include jobs per day, pages per month, number of records to be administrated, number of concurrent users, etc. They are collected by the product and monitored by a reporting procedure. The UBP policy determines product behavior and specifies the steps to be taken if licensed volume is exceeded.
Server	This type of license is associated with a single machine that is identified by its DNS name.

DCB attributes

The following DCB attributes are supported when you transfer your license file to a dataset on the z/OS host:

Dataset organization:	PO or PS
Record format:	FB, VB, U
Logical record length:	Minimum value is determined by the longest record in the license file (LRECL=512 recommended)

The license file has to be transferred in text mode, i.e. with ASCII to EBCDIC translation. Do not modify the license file in any other way, because this would invalidate it. Copy it to other LPARs if necessary.

License file name

To enable the Beta product or application to carry out a license check, it needs to know where the license information is stored. There are two ways of providing the product with the required reference to the license file:

• Via the LST parameter Bnn_LICX_DSNAME=datasetname in the parmlib member used by the product (This is the recommended method; it supports dynamic update.)
• Via the DD statement BnnLICX in the JCL (This method does not support dynamic update.)

If both are specified, the DD statement has precedence over the LST parameter.

When is a new license needed?

Normally, a single license file contains all license information and is shared by the products.

Under the following circumstances you will need to obtain a new license file from Beta Systems order desk (OrderDesk@betasystems.com):

• when one of your existing licenses expires
• when a new CPU type is added to your installation or the number of configured CPUs increases
• when you want to be able to use additional products or new licensable add‑ons
• when an update to a new product generation requires a different license key

When license information has changed

When you have received a new license file from Beta Systems to replace your old one, you have to make this updated license information available to the affected STCs.

For some changes (for example, later expiration date or different license type), this update can be carried out dynamically with the help of the BSA Service Manager (option 2.4 of the "Service Manager Selection Menu"; see the BSA Service Manager Manual for details). Dynamic update is only supported if the license file has been defined via the LST parameter Bnn_LICX_DSNAME.

For other changes (for example, new CPU type), the STC(s) must be stopped and restarted.

See Release Notes and Update Instructions

Before installing or updating a product or add-on, please see the product Release Notes and Update Instructions to find out whether an updated license file is required.