cluster

A computer cluster links multiple computers through a specially-configured LAN to that they effectively operate as a single, powerful system. Compared to any of its single computers, a cluster can provide faster processing, more storage, better data integrity, superior reliability, and wider availability of resources.
For software licensing, the most important feature of a cluster is the ability to move virtual machines (VMs) from one host to another within the cluster, along with the applications running on those VMs. Some licenses allow this migration (without further entitlements being required), others do not, and others allow it with limitations. FlexNet Manager Suite supports these clustering technologies:
  • VMware ESXi* vMotion clusters. By default, VMs may migrate to different servers in a vMotion cluster, until they are restricted by affinity rules.
  • Microsoft Hyper-V fail-over clusters. Microsoft uses affinity rules (and anti-affinity rules) to dictate to which hosts a VM may (and may not) move; but until such rules are declared, a VM stays on its assigned host.

Information about clusters may be imported with appropriate inventory tools (such as ILMT) or directly gathered through your inventory beacon; or you can manually enter cluster details. (Manually entered information may be over-written by subsequent inventory imports.) You can also set up affinity rules to mirror the settings on the clusters. Different licenses are impacted in different ways by affinity rules.

FlexNet Manager Suite (On-Premises)

2021 R1

* Prior to version 5, ESX.