Arcengine license deployment

Each Independent Application developed with ArcObjects needs a proper license to initialize itself so that it can run successfully on each distribution machine. The license configuration must be completed at the beginning of the application.

I. License Initialization

License initialization must be executed at the beginning of the application, that is, before all ArcObjects starts to use. In addition to the following two cases, each application needs to configure a license:

• If the application is not an independent executable file, in other words, if the application is a DLL program.
• If the application is an ArcMap or an extension module of a third-party product.

There are two types of license files that can be used to consider initializing an application: product licenses and extended licenses. These licenses can be engine single use, desktop single use, or desktop concurrent licenses.

• Engine single license is a ArcGIS Engine that is provided to the ArcGIS Engine or with the Geodatabase editing function.
• Desktop concurrent licenses provides concurrent ArcView, arceditor, and ArcInfo to the desktop.
• Desktop single use licenses and desktop concurrent licenses use the same technology to provide single use ArcView, arceditor, and ArcInfo. It can be treated the same as desktop concurrent licenses.

Ii. consider not using ArcGIS Extension applications

Once an application is initialized with a license, it cannot be reinitialized; an application can only be initialized with one license within its lifecycle. When initializing an application with a license, consider the following situations:

• The type of the product license that the application can run. For example, an enterprise-level application with the Geodatabase editing function cannot run in ArcGIS Engine license or ArcView license. It can only run with ArcGIS Engine with Geodatabase editing license, arceditor or ArcInfo license.
• The type of product license available for applications. For example, an application can be run under ArcGIS Engine license. Of course, an application can also run under ArcView, arceditor, and ArcInfo license. However, you may not want to consume an ARCINFO license under such an application.

Iii. Considerations for using ArcGIS Extension applications

When an application is initialized with a product license, a connection to the license server is generated. The check-in and check-out for the expansion module in the subsequent order is for this same license server.

• If an application is initialized with the desktop concurrent license, the application can only access the desktop concurrent license server and its extended licenses.
• If an application is initialized with the desktop single use license, the application will only be able to access the single use license server and its extended license
• If an application is initialized with the engine single use license, the application can only reach the license extended by the engine single use extension.

Before initialization, it is possible to query the License Server (desktop concurrent or single use) and engine single use, so that you can know whether the required licenses are available. If you use the engine single use license to meet all the licenses you need, we recommend that you use it over desktop concurrent and desktop single use licenses. This means that you will not use the number of desktop concurrent licenses.

The following extension is available for engine single use licenses:

• 3D Analyst
• Spatial Analyst
• Street Map

For applications developed using ArcGIS controls, Table 1 describes the license requirements for each control during runtime.

Table 1

Iv. Designer extension for engine Single Use

Engine single use designer extensions are required when ArcObjects is used to develop applications. This extension module is used differently from other extension modules:

• This extension module is only required when designing and developing applications. It is never required during running.
• This extension module does not need to be checked out. It will automatically check out for you.

For applications developed using ArcGIS controls, Table 2 describes the license requirements for each control during development.

Table 2

5. Use license to initialize the application

To use license to initialize an application, follow these steps:

1. Check whether the product license is available
2. Check whether the extended license is available (if needed)
3. Use Product License to initialize applications
4. If necessary, execute extended detection and check
5. Close the application

The aoinitialize class and the iaoinitialize interface are provided to developers for license initialization.

6. Check product license availability

The choice of product license determines the functions that can be implemented by the application. Once the product license is initialized, it cannot be changed within its lifecycle.

• If the product license you need is unavailable, you can use a higher product license for initialization.
• If no license is available, the application should notify the user to allow the user to solve the problem or exit the application.

7. Check the extended license availability

If the application uses the extended module function, you need to check the extended module license availability before application initialization. Check that the license of the extension module must be coordinated with the product license that is finally initialized by the application, because they correspond to each other.

• If the extended license required by the application is unavailable, the application should notify the user and exit the application.
• If the functions of the extension module are not necessary for the running of the application, when the extension module license is unavailable, the application should make the functions dependent on the extension module unavailable.

8. initialize the application

When we check that the required product license and extended license are both available, the application should use the product license for initialization. Once initialized, it cannot be reinitialized within the lifecycle.

9. Check the extension module.

When the application needs to expand the functions of the module, the extension module can be checked out. Once the application completes the function, it can be checked in. Or the extension module can be checked out directly when the application is initialized and checked when the application is closed. The check-in and check-out methods of the extension module depend on the product license type initialized by the application.

• If the application is initialized with engine single use licenses, any extension modules used by the application will also be engine single use. Therefore, any extension module can be directly checked out after the application initialization, check when the application is closed.
• If the application is initialized with the license server and the extension module is required to run the application correctly, the extension module can be checked out after the application initialization, check when the application is closed.
• If the application is initialized using the license server and the function of the extension module is optional for the application, the extension module can be checked out directly after the application initialization, it can also be checked out when the function of the extension module is required. Of course, when the extension module is checked in, the functions of the relevant extension module will not be available.

10. Disable

Before the application is closed, the aoinitialize object must be closed. This ensures that the used ESRI libraries is removed.

11. License initialization failed

If a product or extension module fails to be checked out, the license status indicates the cause of the failure. The license check-out fails due to the following reasons:

• Product not licensed
• License is unavailable because it is being used (only desktop concurrent licenses)
• Non-premade failures due to system management reasons
• The license has been initialized. An application cannot change the license initialization within its lifecycle.

From: http://www.esrichina-bj.cn/library/arcnews16/ArcGIS%20Engine1.htm