Add a client access record to track and manage the users or devices that are accessing a particular version of your server software using a client access license (CAL).

Before you begin

Role required: sam_admin
Note: You can also use the sam_user role to view and read client access records. However, you cannot use this role to create client access records.

About this task

Software Asset Management uses client access records to reconcile server software based on the following license metrics:
Metric groupLicense metric
Citrix
  • Per User
  • Per User/Device
Common
  • User CAL
  • Device CAL
  • User/Device CAL
IBM
  • Authorized User
  • Authorized User Value Unit
  • Employee User Value Unit
  • External User Value Unit
Microsoft
  • User CAL
  • Device CAL
  • Per Core (with CAL)
Oracle Named User Plus

License metrics are set on the software entitlement form and can be accessed from the Metric Attributes related list on the software model form.

Important: You can enable the Software Asset Management application to automatically create client access records for Oracle Database Server using the Auto-generate client access for allocations option on the corresponding software model. To use this option, you must request the Data Collection for Oracle Global Licensing and Advisory Services application from the ServiceNow Store. See Software model fields for more details on the Auto-generate client access for allocations option. See Request Data Collection for Oracle Global Licensing and Advisory Services for more details on the Data Collection for Oracle Global Licensing and Advisory Services application.

Procedure

  1. From your ServiceNow instance, navigate to Software asset > Software Asset Workspace.
    The Software Asset Workspace launches in a new tab.
  2. On the left navigation menu of the Software Asset Workspace, select License operations.
    The License operations view opens.
  3. On the Lists tab of the License operations view, navigate to Client access > Client access.
  4. Select New.
  5. On the Create New Client Access form, fill in the fields.
  6. Select Save.
    The form reloads with the Users and Devices tabs.
  7. To assign the associated CALs to specific users or devices, add those users or devices to your client access record based on the CAL type that you selected in the Type field.
    By assigning CALs to specific users or devices, you can prevent those users or devices from being counted multiple times across different client access records during reconciliation.
    • If you set the Type field to User CAL, User/Device CAL, Authorized User, Authorized User Value Unit, Employee User Value Unit, or External User Value Unit, add the users that you want to assign your user-based CAL to.
      Note: If you are using a Citrix software model and User/Device CAL type, add the users that you want to assign a user/device license to.
      1. Select the Users tab and then click New.

        The Create New Client Access User Breakdown form opens in a new tab.

      2. In the User field, search for and select a user that you want to assign a user-based CAL to.

        The Device, Active, User Type, and Source fields populate automatically for the specified user. However, you can modify the Device, Active, and User type fields as needed.

      3. Select Save.
      4. Close the form to return to your client access record.
      5. Repeat steps a-d for each user that you want to assign a user-based CAL to.
    • If you set the Type field to Device CAL or User/Device CAL, add the devices that you want to assign your device CALs to.
      Note: If you are using a Citrix software model and User/Device CAL type, add the devices that you want to assign a user/device license to.
      1. Select the Devices tab and then select New.

        The Create New Client Access Device Breakdown form opens in a new tab.

      2. In the Device field, search for and select a device that you want to assign a device CAL to.

        The Active and Source fields populate automatically for the specified device. However, you can modify the Active field as needed.

      3. Select Save.
      4. Close the form to return to your client access record.
      5. Repeat steps a-d for each device that you want to assign a device CAL to.
  8. To track and license the configuration items (CIs) that the associated server is installed on, add them to the client access record.
    Important: This step is not applicable if you have enabled the License all installs accessed by clients option on the associated software model. If this option is enabled, CIs are licensed based on conditions that you specify on the software model, such as software install conditions. See Software model fields for more details on this option.

    For Windows Server, each server installation requires Per Core (with CAL) rights that are licensed separately from the User and Device CAL rights in associated client access records. Other products like Oracle Java do not require rights to be licensed separately for server installations. For example, if you use CALs to license the users and devices that are accessing Oracle Java, you can enable Software Asset Management to automatically mark the corresponding Oracle Java installations as licensed. In this scenario, Software Asset Management licenses the Oracle Java installations as part of CAL licensing.

    To enable this capability, you must add all CIs that a given server is installed on to the associated client access record. By specifying these CIs, you can enable Software Asset Management to determine which server installations your users and devices are connected to. After all users and devices on the client access record are licensed, all server installations on the specified CIs are also marked as licensed. No additional licenses are consumed for these installations.

    1. Select the Devices with Installations tab and then click New.
    2. In the Device field of the Create New Client Access Installed Device form, search for and select a CI that the associated server is installed on.
      The Active field populates automatically for the specified CI. However, you can modify this field as needed.
    3. Select Save.
    4. Close the form to return to your client access record.
    5. Repeat steps a-d for each CI that the associated server is installed on.

What to do next

After you create a client access record, reconciliation runs on the associated server software as a scheduled job or on-demand. You can view your reconciliation results in the License usage view. Use these results to determine your license compliance position and to remediate any non-compliance.

You can remediate non-compliance for your server software using the following remediation options:
  • Purchase Rights: Generates a purchase order when the number of rights needed is greater than the number of rights owned across all client access records for the specified server software.
  • Create Allocations: Allocates rights to unlicensed users or devices that have been added to the client access records for the specified server software.
  • Remove Allocations: Removes rights from licensed users or devices when sufficient rights are unavailable.