Upgrading to IxChariot® Floating License Server
Using IxChariot Floating License Server can save you money, simplify management of multiple IxChariot licenses, and give you the convenience of running IxChariot where and when you need it. Ixia offers generous pricing for existing IxChariot customers who want to upgrade to License Server, making it the right choice for customers who already have multiple IxChariot licenses.
If your company uses several licenses of IxChariot, an upgrade to Ixia’s License Server can provide you with a number of advantages:
Key Features
- Simplified management of IxChariot end users
- "Pooling" of IxChariot pairs to save cost
- License check-out and check-in for multiple traveling users
- Increased flexibility and scalability in choosing test pairs
- Increased efficiency by sharing licenses between multiple groups
Simplify Management of IxChariot End Users
In a dynamic lab environment, it can be a challenge to keep track of multiple different people using IxChariot to perform tests. As engineers join and leave the team, it is easy for licensed copies of IxChariot to be “lost,” and upgrades to new versions of the product can become a challenge to manage, with each user needing to individually upgrade to the new release, and then update their registration.
Using Ixia License Server simplifies the management of multiple copies of IxChariot by putting all IxChariot licenses in one repository on the License Server machine. This makes it simple to keep track of IxChariot licenses, and greatly simplifies the upgrade process.
Reduce Costs by Pooling Licenses
The total number of licenses required can be reduced when IxChariot Floating License Server is used. This is because licenses are considered "in use" only when they have been checked out from License Server. The following example shows the kind of savings you can benefit from.
Let’s assume that IxChariot is used by 15 people in engineering, QA, and support teams in a company. Because of different work schedules, project tasks, and so on, a maximum of only 10 of these licenses will ever be used at the same time. Since IxChariot Floating License Server only tracks the number of licenses being used, it is therefore possible to consolidate from 15 node locked licenses to 10 console seats in this case.
Similarly, each user typically has a license for the number of pairs they use in their largest test. Often, day-to-day testing within the company will require fewer licenses. For example, let’s assume that each user has a 200 pair license, and that the company as a whole requires a total of 3,000 licensed pairs, with only a maximum of 1,000 pairs required at any one time.
In this example, the company would be able to upgrade to IxChariot Floating License Server with 10 concurrent users and 1,250 licensed pairs. Based on current pricing, the enterprise can save 70% a year in annual maintenance costs by upgrading to IxChariot Floating License Server.
Supply IxChariot Licenses to Traveling Users
The advantages of license management and pooling of licenses can be extended to end users who need to travel away from the home office. For example, a system integrator who does VoIP and performance assessments on site, may need to use IxChariot for a week while they are off the corporate network. By using IxChariot Floating License Server, they can check out a license for a specified period of time, seven days in this case. After seven days, the checked-out license reappears in the pool on the License Server, and the license on the field engineer’s machine expires.
Increased Testing Flexibility
Many IxChariot users will use only a few pairs for most of their tests, but will occasionally need to use hundreds of pairs, perhaps to test the capacity of a new device or test the ability of a network to handle many concurrent users. Using License Server gives greater flexibility to each user, since they can check out the number of pairs they need at any given time – maybe 10 pairs for day-to-day use, and 250 pairs when they need to carry out a capacity test.Simplified Management and Auditing for Growing and Large Companies
Companies that are growing fast, or that have organizations spread over many locations, can greatly benefit from the use of IxChariot Floating License Server. In fast-growing companies, it is a simple matter to add new IxChariot users – just install the software and access License Server to claim a new license. Newly hired engineers can therefore be productive right away, with additional IxChariot console seats or pair licenses purchased on an as needed schedule.
For large corporations, it becomes a straightforward task to track licenses between multiple labs, sites, and even globally. This allows easier planning of maintenance expenses, since just a single yearly maintenance renewal is needed for IxChariot, rather than renewals for every node-locked license. This approach also allows more accurate planning and control of future costs.
How IxChariot Floating License Server Works
IxChariot Floating License Server is installed on a dedicated Windows server, which must be accessible from all machines where IxChariot will be used. Conceptually, IxChariot Floating License Server contains a "pool" of licenses:
Ixia License Server
Ixia License Server licenses IxChariot by number of Console Seats and by the number of Endpoint Pairs. In other words, IxChariot is licensed by the maximum number of people who will use IxChariot at any one time, and the number of pairs that will be used simultaneously in tests.
Using a simple GUI as illustrated below, when a user wants to use IxChariot on their workstation, they start IxChariot and request the number of pairs they will need to carry out their test. The License Server allocates the requested pairs and decreases the number of available console seats.
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IxChariot Licensing GUI
Managing IxChariot users is greatly simplified by using License Server. IxChariot consoles can be installed on any machine, and licenses are allocated only when needed. This saves moving the IxChariot console between machines as tests are run. And importantly, it also means licenses are not lost when people join or leave the team.
Product Ordering Information
License Server
920-0034
IxChariot Software, Floating License Server, 200 Pairs; Tests devices and networks by emulating application traffic and measuring end-to-end performance and quality; Floating license allows use from multiple console seats; REQUIRES purchase of Console Seat licenses
920-0015
IxChariot Software, Floating License Server, 500 Pairs; Tests devices and networks by emulating application traffic and measuring end-to-end performance and quality; Floating license allows use from multiple console seats; REQUIRES purchase of Console Seat licenses
920-0016
IxChariot Software, Floating License Server, 1,250 Pairs; Tests devices and networks by emulating application traffic and measuring end-to-end performance and quality; Floating license allows use from multiple console seats; REQUIRES purchase of Console Seat licenses
920-0017
IxChariot Software, Floating License Server, 2,500 Pairs; Tests devices and networks by emulating application traffic and measuring end-to-end performance and quality; Floating license allows use from multiple console seats; REQUIRES purchase of Console Seat licenses
920-0019
IxChariot Software, Floating License Server, 10,000 Pairs; Tests devices and networks by emulating application traffic and measuring end-to-end performance and quality; Floating license allows use from multiple console seats; REQUIRES purchase of Console Seat licenses
License Server
920-0020
IxChariot, Software, Console Seat License, Single User; Each Console Seat license allows read-write access to test script creation and execution from a single PC; REQUIRES purchase of License Server
920-0021
IxChariot, Software, Console Seat License, 5 Concurrent Users; Each Console Seat license allows read-write access to test script creation and execution from a single PC; REQUIRES purchase of License Server
920-0022
IxChariot, Software, Console Seat License, 10 Concurrent Users; Each Console Seat license allows read-write access to test script creation and execution from a single PC; REQUIRES purchase of License Server
)This material is for informational purposes only and subject to change without notice. It describes Ixia's present plans to develop and make available to its customers certain products, features and functionality. Ixia is only obligated to provide those deliverables specifically included in a written agreement between Ixia and the customer.
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