So why do I get this feeling, this instinctive repulsion, for VMware’s new license server setup?
Is it because FlexLM sucks? Maybe it’s the FlexLM license server I run for a customer where the thing hoses the Linux box if anything is wrong with the network connection. Not that it happens often, but once is once too many. I’m just wondering when the VMware license server is going to take a dump all over my setup like that. It’ll probably be while I’m on vacation somewhere.
Maybe it’s just the fact that VMware totally messed up my license key deployment for VI3. Instead of getting the 20 CPUs of standard VIN licenses I got 8, mailed to my purchasing dude. What a clusterf*ck. And every time I email their [email protected] address to get it fixed they send me an email saying they aren’t done distributing keys. WTF. First it was the 23rd of June, then it was the 14th of July, and now I bet it’s going to be another two weeks. Jesus, hire some spammers to help you with the database-driven mass email. I cannot be the only person in this situation.
I do like VI3 so far, but it’s only because I got an eval license to do my upgrade testing. I liked the beta, too, but it was the beta… Hopefully the licenses will get figured out so I can upgrade sometime this year. I’ve really been looking forward to this upgrade, but the delivery has really hurt.
It’s incredible sometimes how long it can take. I often feel that corporates like these don’t care about those who they are actually doing it for: the users. It’s just stupid that you have to wait weeks to solve this thing. After all it’s usually just a click with a mouse button in order to create you the right license.
If you eventually get it working you might have interest in looking at License Statistics which can produce graphs on your license usage. http://www.x-formation.com/license_statistics/index.html
It can tell you your license utilization and will enable you to more easily estimate future software budgets.
Good luck with getting the right set of licenses.
— Poul