Licensing Ghost Solution Suite 3.x (Ghost 12.x)

Products

• Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

How is the Ghost Solution Suite 3.x  (Ghost 12.x) software licensed?

Environment

GSS 3.x

Resolution

There are two types of Ghost licenses:

1. The first type of licenses is a console license, these are managed through the Ghost Solution Suite (GSS) Console and need to be purchase.
2. The second type of Ghost licenses is used when a computer's drive is imaged by Ghost, either with the GSS Console or if using the Standard Tools.  

The first type of Ghost licenses, the console licenses are used when you install the Dagent on a computer and it communicates with the GSS server, a computer record is created and this consumes a console license.  These licenses need to be purchased and you specify the quantity of server OSes and client (workstation) OSes that you'll manage through the GSS Console. 

These licenses are installed through the GSS Console under HELP>Register as seen here:

 

These licenses are viewable and managed in the GSS Consule under HELP>ABOUT as seen here:

These licenses can be reclaimed by retiring or powering off managed computers and deleting the computer record out of the GSS Console.  

NOTE: If you delete a computer record from the GSS Console and if the computer is powered on and it has the Dagent installed it will quickly register itself with the GSS server and a computer record will be created and this will consume a license.

NOTE: You can install the GSS Console on more than one computer as needed, but keep in mind that no single installation of the GSS Console will keep track of all the computers being used with Ghost as this information is store in the database.  When you install GSS and the GSS Console the first time it is using a trail license that lasts for 30 days and after that the 30 days pass the GSS Console will stop working.

The second type of Ghost licenses are used when you create an image to a computer, and this uses license.   These licenses are used when drives are imaged by Ghost Solution Suite and when using the Ghost Standalone Tools.  For this type of license it is up the user to keep a tally of the total number of licenses used.

These licenses can be reclaimed by wiping the drive of an imaged computer or if that computer as described here:

Method for wiping a client drive:

If you need to reclaim a license from a client computer, you must wipe the client computer's hard drive by performing a low level format using Gdisk. The syntax for wiping the drive using Gdisk is:

gdisk64 /diskwipe

The is the drive's physical position on the IDE channel, or in the case of SCSI drives, the drive's position on the SCSI chain relative to other hard drives. To verify the drive number, use the following command line:

gdisk64 /status

NOTE: In a 32bit environment use gdisk32.exe instead of gdisk64.exe. Gdisk32.exe can be found in the X:\Ghost\ directory when booting to a Ghost created Windows PE boot package.