garrett@chopin.udel.edu (Joel Garrett) (05/15/91)
I am setting up several Macintosh labs where I would like to be able to place some applications on a file server (I know, running apps over a network isn't the fastest way to go, but there are reasons). However, to be able to do this ethically, I need to make sure that no more copies of the software are running at any given moment than we have licenses for. I know of at least two solutions that exist for this type of situation and I would like to see if there are any other solutions out there and maybe more info out there on the stuff I have already heard about. First, there is a program that I have heard about called DoppleMaker that seems to fit our bill. It allows count control and as far as I know will work in tandem with an existing AppleShare server system. (ie it runs on the same machine, whether this is as an AppleShare Server-compatible application such as the Apple print spooler or CE software's QuickMail or as an INIT in the server folder on the server machine. I also have no contact information for this product. If there is someone from the company that markets this product on the net, please send me some e-mail with more info on your company and product. (for that matter, anyone with company /product info, please email me, if anyone else wants the info, I'll be more than happy to forward/post the info I get) Ok, with DoppleMaker out of the way, I'll get on to the other solution that I have heard of (actually have worked with some) - LaunchBreak... This nice package made by Dean Yu (hi Dean!) and Steve Falkenburg (sp?) for the engineering computer labs at UMich runs on a machine with multifinder with a little init on each machine that makes use of its services. The package also comes with an installer program that installs a little code into each "approved" program that will be controlled. Once everything is set up you have a system very similar to dopplemaker (better in some respects as the program had great record-keeping capabilities on software usage so you could see what everyone was using, which could be used to make future purchasing decisions - ie a lot of people are using program x so lets get more copies of it, or just the opposite - hardly anyone is using program y, so lets not get that new pricey upgrade...) The only catch with this program right now is that it has to be on a multifinder machine other than the appleshare server. I don't want to just install this on some staff member's machine and have their machine bog down every time someone launches sonmething that goes through launchbreak the upshot is that I already have one machine dedicated to this, I don't have resources to dedicate another and things aren't going to work as well as I'd like unless the launch count control is on the one dedicated machine I have to pull this off with. I guess that one possible solution would be to set up the server with system 7 turn on file sharing and also run launchbreak on that same machine, but I do not know if launchbreak is compatible with system 7 and also I haven't heard anything about further work on launchbreak since Dean started working with Apple. Is this program package at the end of its life cycle? Once again, if there are any other solutions to this type of situation, please let me know about them, here's my internet address: garrett@chopin.udel.edu On applelink - U0522 I wish I knew my UUCP path, but I'm sorry, I don't... Thanks in advance for any suggestions you all might have!!! Joel