Moving to the bundled license model by using the Bundled License Conversion utility

The Bundled License Conversion utility helps convert your existing classic licenses to a simplified and easy-to-understand bundled licensing model. An administrator can run this utility anytime to convert the classic licenses to the bundled licensing model. 

The utility performs an assessment of the classic licenses and proposes the number of bundled licenses that you need to purchase. The proposed number of licenses includes a 5 to 10% buffer of the total number of licenses. For example, when the utility recommends having 50 licenses, this includes a 5 to 10% buffer.

When you allocate the licenses, we recommend that you keep a buffer of 5 to 10%. For example, if you have purchased 50 user licenses, you should allocate 45 user licenses and keep five licenses as a buffer. 

Related topics

Recording-and-tracking-license-usage

Creating-and-modifying-users


Use the Bundled License Conversion utility when you upgrade or migrate from an older version of Action Request System or BMC Helix Innovation Studio to the latest version of BMC Helix Innovation Suite.

The Bundled License Conversion utility converts your existing fixed, floating, and suite classic licenses to bundled licenses.  The Bundled License Conversion utility supports the following scenarios starting with version 18.05 and later:

  • From an on-premises environment to an on-premises environment. For more information, see Moving your AR object customizations to a new target system in BMC Helix IT Service Management Deployment documentation.
  • From an on-premises environment to a SaaS environment.
  • From a SaaS environment to a SaaS environment.

Follow the migration path that is applicable to you. For more information about migration paths, see Supported migration paths in BMC Helix Subscribers information.


Before you begin

  1. On the BMC Electronic Product Distribution (EPD) site, from Products, select BMC Helix Innovation Suite OnPrem.

  2. Select the latest version.
    The following screenshot shows the version.
    EPD-version.png
  3. From the Product tab, select Bundled License Conversion Utility <version> and Bundled License Conversion Utility SHA Checksum <version>.
    The following screenshot shows the Bundled License Conversion utility:
    EPD-BundledLicense.png
  4. Click Download.
  5. Save the utility in a folder on your computer.


Converting classic licenses to a bundled licensing model

The process of converting classic licenses to a bundled licensing model consists of following three tasks:

  1. Run the Bundled License Conversion utility in assessment mode.
  2. Prepare for license conversion.
  3. Run the Bundled License Conversion utility in the conversion mode.


Task 1 —  To run the Bundled License Conversion utility in assessment mode on the current production server

On-premises customers must run the Bundled License Conversion utility in assessment mode on their existing server in the production environment.

Perform the following steps at the command prompt:

  1. Open the C:\BundleConversion folder.
  2. Select the BMC BundleLicenseReport Template NEW.xlsx file.
    The BMC BundleLicenseReport Template NEW.xlsx file is available in the Bundled License Assessment Tool folder that you downloaded from the Electronic Product Distribution site.
  3. Copy the file to the same location, that is the C:\BundleConversion folder and rename the file.
    For example, BMC BundleLicenseReport customer-prod 25Apr2023.

  4. Run the following command on the command line:

    Syntax
    Java
    -jar ConvertToBundleLicense.jar
    <server name>
    <admin login ID>
    <admin password>
    <port>
    “<full output file name with path>”
    <output parameter>
    Example
    Java -jar ConvertToBundleLicense.jar customer-prod-adminip.onbmc.com mmulvane mypassw0rd 46262
    “C:\BundleConversion\ BMC BundleLicenseReport customer-prod 25Apr2021.xlsx” 2

    The following table shows the details about the parameters used in the command:

    Parameter

    Description

    -jar ConvertToBundleLicense.jar

    Bundled license conversion utility JAR file name.

    server name

    AR server hostname.

    admin login ID

    Login of a user with administrator permission.

    admin password

    Administrator’s password that is hardcoded on the CTM:People form.

    port

    AR Server output port.

    full output file name with path

    File name and path where the output file is stored.

    output parameter

    Select one of the following values:

    • 0: Reports all users
    • 1: Ignore all users with License Type = Read
    • 2: Ignore all users with License Type = Read that do not have special permissions assigned.  
      This option is the recommended option.
    apply

    Apply the bundled licenses.

    Important

    You must use this option when you run the utility in conversion mode.

After you run the utility, the results are available in the Microsoft Excel document.


 To analyze the assessment report

  1. Open the BMC BundledLicenseReport Template file. 
    The Validation tab of the report shows all values as zero.

  2. See row 5. This row shows the total number of users configured in your environment.
    The following screenshot shows row 5:
    Row-5.png
    Double-click on each cell and press Enter.
    The total number of users configured in your environment are displayed.

  3. See row 6. This row shows the number of BMC Helix ITSM licenses you have purchased.
    The following screenshot shows row 6:
    Row-6.png
    Refer to the Customer order form and check the number of BMC Helix ITSM licenses you have purchased. Update the same number in row 6.

  4. See row 7. This row shows the number of licenses required.
    The following screenshot shows row 7:
    Row-7.png
    This row shows the additional number of named user licenses that you need to purchase if the total number of users configured are more than the licenses purchased.

  5. See row 10. This row shows the status.
    The following screenshot shows row 10:
    Row-10.png
    • If the Status is Compliant, you can import the spreadsheet. The status is Compliant when the total number of users configured are less than the number of licenses purchased. 
    • If the Status is Non-compliant, you can either purchase additional licenses or remove the number of users configured in your environment. The status is Non-compliant when the total number of users configured are more than the number of licenses purchased.


Best practices when you prepare for license conversion

  • Have one concurrent license for three users.
  • Maintain 10% of the licenses from your SKUs as a contingency plan.

You can convert the classic licenses to the bundled licenses only when the status on the Validation sheet is Compliant. For example, if the Bundled License Conversion utility recommends having six additional licenses, you have to either purchase six licenses or remove six users from your environment.



Task 3 — To run the Bundled License Conversion utility in the conversion mode

At this stage, you convert the classic licenses to the Bundled Licensing model. Before converting the licenses, make sure that you have thoroughly analyzed the report shared by BMC and have made the necessary updates to your license entitlement.

Before you begin

After upgrade, make sure that you have completed the following tasks:

  1. Migrate the customized objects to the new target system
  2. Reconcile the customized objects
  3. Perform data migration.  For more information, see Migrating-data in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

We recommend to run the Bundled License Conversion utility in the conversion mode for each new user you add on the development, QA, and production environments. Perform the following steps:

  1. Add the number of licenses that you have.
    See the following video to learn about adding new licenses.

    1. Navigate to Application >  AR System Administration > AR System Administration Console > System > General > Add or Remove Licenses.
    2. Click Add New.
    3. From the License Type list, select 2015 Pricing Model.
    4. Select a suitable license option.
    5. In Number of Licenses, enter the number of licenses you have.
    6. To add all license types that you have purchased, repeat this procedure.
    7. Click Save.

  2. Run the Bundled License Conversion utility by using the following command. Make sure to use the apply option to convert the licenses:

    Syntax
    Java -jar ConvertToBundleLicense.jar
    <server name>
    <admin login ID>
    <admin password>
    <port>
    “<full output file name with path>”
    2
    apply
    Example
    java
    -jar ConvertToBundleLicense_UpdateStatus_CleanLicenses.jar
    testServer Demo "" 0 "BMC BundleLicenseReport TemplateWithStatus.xlsx" 2 apply

Your licenses are converted to the bundled licensing model.

Important

The Bundled License Conversion utility might show errors for some users. However, the utility continues with license conversion.

Check the error logs created in the folder where you have stored the Bundled License Conversion utility. You can convert the log file to a Microsoft Excel file.


To validate the license update

  1. Open the CTM:People form.
  2. Click the Login/Access Details tab.
    You see the License Type as Bundled license and concurrent licenses and user licenses.
    Bundled-License.png

The license conversion activity is tracked in the error logs.

  • If you are an on-premises customer, you can view the logs in the folder where you have stored the Bundled License Conversion utility. 

  • If you are a SaaS customer, contact BMC Support to get the error logs by clicking here .



 

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