[Info-vax] Thoughts on VSI Community License Program

[Phillip Helbig undress to reply]

In article <rh3u76$l2g$1 at dont-email.me>, "John H. Reinhardt"
<johnhreinhardt at thereinhardts.org> writes: 

> > How does that tie in with the text from HPE about how we don't have to
> > apply for a hobbyist licence for each machine we are running HPE VMS on ?
> 
> I don't know, but I would guess that VSI copied the conditions in the
> HPE license with modifications for today's lawyer-speak.  In the file
> that was sent out for the license each year it does clearly state that
> it is for use on a single system.  However, in 2012 when I HP took over
> I asked John Egoff about multiple systems and this was the response:
> 
> > No need to register each system.  You can use the PAKs I sent to you
> on all YOUR systems (they are not to be distributed to others).

In the old days, the OPENVMS-ALPHA hobbyist license was node specific, 
so one did need one license per machine (at least if they were in the 
same cluster).  But since one could, and many did, apply for multiple 
licenses, probably few if any were using the SAME LICENSE on more than 
one machine.  Later, the hobbyist licenses didn't need /INCLUDE so one 
would work on all machines in a cluster.  (Out of habit I applied for 
one per node anyway.)

I think that it is fair to say that in the old days the copy-and-paste 
terms were not completely appropriate, and those who asked were told 
that it was OK to run a cluster (either with separate licenses for each 
node or, later, with one for all).  However, disallowing cluster for 
Itanium (and presumably x86) seems deliberate.  Whether one can apply 
for several licenses for several (standalone) machines is another 
question (though, technically, not necessary, of course), but if the 
clustering PAK isn't there, clustering won't work, regardless of the 
legal terms.