Customer Operations - License Management Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Self-Audit
- Who must complete a Self-Audit?
- How often must a Self-Audit be completed?
- Why do I have to submit a Self-Audit annually?
- How do I complete my Self-Audit?
- What is an Assisted Self-Audit?
- Where do I find instructions to audit the usage of my products?
- How do I count usage for the products not listed on your audit instructions page?
- How do I know how many licenses I own?
- How do I submit my Self-Audit online?
- How do I get a password for the Online Self-Audit tool?
- If I don't need to purchase additional items per the Self-Audit results, do I still have to submit the Self-Audit?
- Who can help me do my Self-Audit or answer my Self-Audit questions?
- What is the method required to pay for Licenses and Maintenance/Upgrade Protection as a result of the Self-Audit?
- Will the Formal Audit satisfy our annual Self-Audit requirement, or vice versa?
Formal Audit
- Why are we being audited? Have we done something wrong, or are we under suspicion?
- What impact will an Audit have on my network?
- How will I be notified that my company is being audited?
- How can I best prepare for the Audit?
- Will the Formal Audit be conducted on-site?
- How long does it take to complete the on-site portion of an audit?
- Will the auditors need access to my network?
- Who will be visiting us from Novell?
- Who should attend the audit from my company?
- What is a Node?
- What if I own a Site product that is not fully deployed at my Site?
- If Node or Site counts include workstations, why do we look at User Objects?
- May we submit our workstation inventory instead of making adjustments to the Active User Object count?
- What is a "Shift Worker"?
- What is an "admin object"?
- What is a "duplicate object"?
- What is a "test object"?
- What is an "application object"?
- Do my training IDs require a license?
- Will we receive a report that summarizes the audit?
Self-Audit
Who must complete a Self-Audit?
All CLA and MLA customers must complete an annual Self-Audit.
How often must a Self-Audit be completed?
Annually—in preparation for your renewal
Why do I have to submit a Self-Audit annually?
Both the MLA and CLA contracts state that an annual Self-Audit must be completed and submitted to Novell. In exchange for Novell providing you with Master Media that has no watchdog and thereby allows unlimited duplication of the software, Novell requires you to report your usage of the software. This is a time when you can determine whether there has been any growth in license usage in your company during the prior year.
How do I complete my Self-Audit?
1) Determine your software license usage for all products purchased and/or installed under your Novell Licensing Agreement. (There are several methods to determine software usage available to you; however, many of our customers have adopted our audit methodology for use in completing their Self-Audits. You may download a copy of the Audit Instructions from our Audit Instructions & Tools page).
2) Obtain your purchasing records to determine the number of licenses you own for each Novell product.
3) Determine any variances for each product by comparing the software license usage number to the number of licenses you own. Enter and submit the results of your Self-Audit using our Online Self-Audit Tool. Instructions for the Online Self-Audit Tool can be found at here.
4) Submit a purchase order for additional Licenses and Maintenance/Upgrade Protection direct through your normal procurement channel.
What is an Assisted Self-Audit?
A Novell License Management Services Analyst analyzes the data you have collected and works with you to determine your license ownership and product usage.
Where do I find instructions to audit the usage of my products?
For a list of instructions on auditing products, go to this Website.
How do I count usage for the products not listed on your audit instructions page?
Refer to the End User License Agreement (EULA) for each respective product, and count your usage according to the terms specified by the EULA.
How do I know how many licenses I own?
You are required to keep a record of all purchases under the contract. It is important that you keep a record of all sales transactions, and other type of transactions (mergers, acquisitions, etc.) to document all licenses owned. Novell License Management Services will be happy to validate this with you.
How do I submit my Self-Audit online?
Go to Online Self-Audit Tool. For instructions on how to complete your Self-Audit go here. Download the Online Self-Audit instructions.
How do I get a password for the Online Self-Audit tool?
You may request it by emailing Novell at lms@novell.com.
If I don't need to purchase additional items per the Self-Audit results, do I still have to submit the Self-Audit?
Yes. The Self-Audit is due each year—even if you don't owe Novell anything. MLA customers must also submit a PO to renew Maintenance on all products each year. Simply go to the Online Self-Audit Tool and enter in the data requested. This will store all Self-Audits entered into the database for future reference.
Who can help me do my Self-Audit or answer my Self-Audit questions?
Your Novell Reseller and Novell Account Manager can help you gather information for a Self-Audit. You can also visit the License Management Services Website or contact them at lms@novell.com.
What is the method required to pay for Licenses and Maintenance/Upgrade Protection as a result of the Self-Audit?
If you are a CLA customer, issue a purchase order to a Novell-Approved Reseller. If you are an MLA customer, you may either issue a purchase order directly to Novell or to a Novell-Approved Reseller.
Will the Formal Audit satisfy our annual Self-Audit requirement, or vice versa?
If you have not already completed your annual Self-Audit, the Formal Audit will count in its stead for those products that were included in the audit scope if it is completed within 90 days of your co-term. If the scope of the Formal Audit only examines a sample of our products, a Self-Audit will need to be completed for the products excluded from the audit scope. If your annual Self-Audit is due more than 90 days after a Formal Audit is completed, the Self-Audit (including all products) should be submitted.
Formal Audit
Why are we being audited? Have we done something wrong, or are we under suspicion?
All of our MLA, CLA, VLA, and ALA customers with Licensing Agreements over one year old are being audited. No prior suspicions or assumptions have been made as to proper reporting or purchasing.
What impact will an Audit have on my network?
After conducting thousands of Audits, it has been our experience that little to no impact should be experienced by your network.
How will I be notified that my company is being audited?
Depending on audit type, Novell will 1) send an official announcement letter and documentation explaining the audit process in advance of the audit, 2) notify you via email or phone. Novell will follow up via phone or email to coordinate audit timeline and to answer and ask questions.
How can I best prepare for the Audit?
Run the Audit Tools and gather the data as specified in Audit Instructions, and email the results to the Auditor. The more quickly this data is provided to the Auditor, the more quickly the Audit will be completed. Discuss any questions or concerns with your Novell Sales Representative or with the Novell Auditor.
Will the Formal Audit be conducted on-site?
Not all Audits are conducted on-site. In fact, most Audits are conducted remotely. You will be contacted by a Novell Auditor. S/he will coordinate with you and determine how the Audit should proceed and whether an on-site visit will be necessary.
How long does it take to complete the on-site portion of an audit?
Depending on the complexity of the network and business structure, on-site visits can be completed in as little as 2 hours. In cases where visits to multiple sites are required, complex network and business structure exist, and/or complex issues require resolution, completion time increases proportionately.
Will the auditors need access to my network?
The auditors will not need access to the network; however, an individual with administrative rights to your entire Novell network will be needed to run utilities on the network. If no singular individual holds administrative rights to your entire Novell network, multiple persons will need to run the audit tools on their respective portion of the network. In cases where an on-site visit is required, Novell requests that this information be provided to the Auditor prior to the meeting to allow time for analysis; thereby minimizing the amount of time needed to complete the on-site activities.
Who will be visiting us from Novell?
In most cases, two of Novell's Auditors and the Novell Sales Representative assigned to your account will be present during the on-site visit.
Who should attend the audit from my company?
At least one person with administrator rights to your company's Novell network should attend. Potentially, someone may be needed who can answer questions related to your historical Novell purchases. Someone with authority to sign the technical and executive agreement sections of the final audit report should also attend. These sections acknowledge agreement with the technical process used to arrive at the product usage counts and agreement to authorize & submit a purchase order for any amounts found owing, if any. You are welcome to invite anyone else you feel should attend.
What is a Node?
A Node is a physical connection to the network as identified by a unique network address. This has been defined as workstations, servers, and printers.
What if I own a Site product that is not fully deployed at my Site?
The Site terms require that all Site licenses be owned for all Site products in a quantity that equals or exceeds the certified workstation count—regardless of product deployment.
If Node or Site counts include workstations, why do we look at User Objects?
We use User Objects to determine a workstation count. Often adjustments to the Active User Object count are needed to do this. We make negative adjustments to the Active User Objects for those objects that do not represent a dedicated workstation (i.e., admin objects, shift workers, duplicate objects, test objects, etc.) We also make positive adjustments for any workstations not identified by a User Object (i.e., generic objects that authenticate via multiple workstations, individuals who have multiple workstations yet authenticate with the same User Object, etc.)
May we submit our workstation inventory instead of making adjustments to the Active User Object count?
You are welcome, and even encouraged, to submit your workstation inventory for the Auditor to review. If the Auditor can determine that the inventory is current and the methodology used to maintain the inventory is reliable, the inventory will most likely be accepted.
What is a "Shift Worker"?
A shift worker is someone that works on a workstation that is used by more than one person. You need to account for the workstation not the user. If the User authenticates with their own unique User ID, which is required by many of our products' End User License Agreements-(EULAs), negative adjustments to the Active User Object report will be needed if you are a Node or Site Customer. If a generic ID logs into these workstations, no adjustments will be needed.
What is an "admin object"?
Admin or administrative objects are objects in the NDS/e-Directory for administrative purposes only, and do not represent a workstation in the network. Negative adjustments to the Active User Object report will be needed if you are a Node or Site Customer.
What is a "duplicate object"?
A User Object, representing one person, that authenticates to multiple contexts and/or NDS/e-Directory trees. If that user has only one workstation, we will make negative adjustments for the duplicate objects to the Active User Object if you are a Node or Site Customer.
What is a "test object"?
A User Object used solely for testing products. Negative adjustments to the Active User Object report will be needed if you are a Node or Site Customer.
What is an "application object"?
A User Object that is systematically created by an application/system. These do not require a BorderManager User or ZENworks User license. These do require an OES/NetWare User license.
Do my training IDs require a license?
For Node or Site Customers, training IDs require a license if they authenticate through a dedicated workstation used for training (i.e., workstations in a training room). For User Customers, training IDs require a license.
Will we receive a report that summarizes the audit?
Yes. The technical report will explain how the license usage was determined. The Audit Findings Sheet will contrast the licenses in use with the licenses owned and will list any Licenses and/or Maintenance/Upgrade Protection that needs to be purchased. If a purchase is required, signatures of agreement by an individual with the authority to sign the reports will be needed.