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Authorizing

Most mainframe BMC products require a CPU authorization password. When processing a license agreement for a product, BMC issues CPU authorization passwords. These passwords authorize specific CPUs (also referred to as processors) to run the licensed product. Because BMC licenses its products for use on individual CPUs, the passwords are product-specific and CPU specific (one license per product per CPU). You must also have a password to delete or replace an authorized CPU.

Related topics

Planning

Products-that-use-the-BMC-Product-Authorization-utility

You use the BMC Product Authorization utility to enter passwords and to change your CPU configuration. You can enter passwords in the following ways:

  • As part of an online procedure
  • In a batch interface that uses a job that is supplied on the installation image files

Important

A password is an activation key for the software license, not the software license itself.

You do not need to apply passwords or update CPU authorization when you install product maintenance or version upgrades. Although the Product Authorization utility is not required for product maintenance and version upgrades, you must consider certain issues that are associated with these upgrades. For more information, see the Product-Authorization-utility.

Temporary and permanent passwords are provided for different scenarios.

Temporary passwords

During a trial period for a BMC product, you can install and use the product on any CPU by using the temporary password that you obtained from your BMC sales representative.

You can also obtain a temporary password in other special circumstances, such as when a hardware failure prevents you from using an authorized CPU. Because each temporary password has an expiration date (typically 30 days after the password is issued), you should apply temporary passwords as soon as possible after receiving them.

Valid passwords can include the following characters:

  • Alphanumeric character set, excluding the letters I and O to avoid confusion with the numbers one (1) and zero (0)
  • Equal sign (=), 'at' sign (@), and plus sign (+)

Important

If your keyboard does not have the 'at' sign (@), you can use the asterisk (*) in place of @. You can use these two characters (@ and *) interchangeably when typing passwords.

Permanent passwords

When you finish the trial and want to obtain a product license, the following rules apply:

  • You must purchase a product license for each CPU on which you will run the product.
  • BMC issues a permanent password for each combination of CPU and licensed product.
  • To enable a product on a CPU, you must add the permanent password that is issued for that CPU. You do not need to reinstall and retest the product.
  • You can install multiple passwords in the same password library. This capability lets you use the same password library to run a product on multiple CPUs or to install a product at a central site and run it at remote sites.

Important

BMC products expect to find passwords in the library that is indicated in the product BMCPSWD DD statement or in the product load library. Passwords are saved in the corresponding library during the execution of the installation dialog.

BMC also issues permanent passwords when you need to delete or replace a CPU or to modify the properties of a CPU or the product authorization.

Scenarios for password types

Depending on your situation, you might need a temporary or permanent password.

For different scenarios, the following table indicates which type of password you need and what the password does. For information about obtaining passwords or assistance with passwords, see Obtain-your-CPU-authorization-password.

Password scenarios

Scenario

Password type

Password function

You want to begin a free trial period.

Temporary

Temporarily bypasses authorization checking and lets you run the product on any CPU for a limited time

You purchase a license for a new product.

Permanent

Adds a designated CPU to the list of CPUs that are authorized to run a licensed product

You stop using an authorized CPU.

Permanent

Removes a designated CPU from the list of CPUs that are authorized to run a licensed product

You upgrade to a new CPU.

Permanent

Authorizes the transfer of a license from one CPU to another CPU

You want to run the product on an additional CPU.

Permanent

Adds a designated CPU to the list of CPUs that are authorized to run a licensed product

The authorized CPU is not available because of an emergency (such as hardware failure).

Temporary

Temporarily bypasses authorization checking and lets you run the product on any CPU for a limited time

If you have installed the Product Authorization utility and have created the password library, you can apply the new passwords before you completely install the product. Also, you can apply the passwords even if the product is not yet running on a specific CPU. For example, your installation process might require that you install and run the product on a test system before migrating the product to the production system. In that case, you can apply the password for the production system CPU, even though the product is not yet running there.

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