How does the named user model actually work?

AK

Hi all,

can someone please explain how this works on a technical level?
Does the licence file contain the user names? Has this to be updated through microsoft everytime a user leaves the company and a new one joins? What if a user marries and gets a new name?
Does one still enter records to the user table or are they already present according to the licence?
How does BC check if a user is licenced when he logs in?
Are the names somehow checked during licencing, or is "Generic Worker 1" a valid user that could be used alternately by different persons? I know it's not allowed legally, but does it work technically?

I fully understand the legal part of this model, my question is purely aimed at the technical part.

I went away from the NAV world for a while and I don't have access to BC, but now I might buy it for my current company and I haven't found any real explanation on how this actually works.

Thanks!

lynge

> can someone please explain how this works on a technical level?
I can try :-)

> Does the licence file contain the user names?
No. It only contains the qty of named user licenses. Just like the concurrent qty, just another kind of users.

>Has this to be updated through microsoft everytime a user leaves the company and a new one joins?
No. You just adjust the user list in NAV/BC.

>What if a user marries and gets a new name?
You just rename him/her in NAVs/BCs user list

>Does one still enter records to the user table or are they already present according to the licence?
You still maintain the user table in NAV/BC. They are not in the license.

>How does BC check if a user is licenced when he logs in?
If he is present in the user table and he is enabled, he is licensed.

>Are the names somehow checked during licencing
If you have 10 full users, you can only have 10 active full users (+ one free auditor and + one free supporter - with some limits (you are not legally allowed to do regular work with them)). If someone leaves you can disable his account in the user table. And if another employee starts, you can then create him/her.
If you create more than you have licenses for, everyone will get a message when they log in to NAV/BC.

>, or is "Generic Worker 1" a valid user that could be used alternately by different persons? I know it's not allowed legally, but does it work technically?
Technically yes i believe. Legally no. A "named user" is a specific person with a name.
I don't think NAV/BC prevents it today, but it might in the future (maybe limit the number of devices a single user can use at the same time).

A general disclaimer: I strongly recommend everyone to strictly honor the legal part of the license limitations. After all if you purchased a legal license, you paid good money for it, and it is then kind of stupid if you end up using it illegally after all (not that I'm implying in any way that this is why you are asking :-) )

Best Regards
Gert Lynge

lynge

> can someone please explain how this works on a technical level?
I can try :-)

> Does the licence file contain the user names?
No. It only contains the qty of named user licenses. Just like the concurrent qty, just another kind of users.

>Has this to be updated through microsoft everytime a user leaves the company and a new one joins?
No. You just adjust the user list in NAV/BC.

>What if a user marries and gets a new name?
You just rename him/her in NAVs/BCs user list

>Does one still enter records to the user table or are they already present according to the licence?
You still maintain the user table in NAV/BC. They are not in the license.

>How does BC check if a user is licenced when he logs in?
If he is present in the user table and he is enabled, he is licensed.

>Are the names somehow checked during licencing
If you have 10 full users, you can only have 10 active full users (+ one free auditor and + one free supporter - with some limits (you are not legally allowed to do regular work with them)). If someone leaves you can disable his account in the user table. And if another employee starts, you can then create him/her.
If you create more than you have licenses for, everyone will get a message when they log in to NAV/BC.

>, or is "Generic Worker 1" a valid user that could be used alternately by different persons? I know it's not allowed legally, but does it work technically?
Technically yes i believe. Legally no. A "named user" is a specific person with a name.
I don't think NAV/BC prevents it today, but it might in the future (maybe limit the number of devices a single user can use at the same time).

A general disclaimer: I strongly recommend everyone to strictly honor the legal part of the license limitations. After all if you purchased a legal license, you paid good money for it, and it is then kind of stupid if you end up using it illegally after all (not that I'm implying in any way that this is why you are asking :-) )

Best Regards
Gert Lynge

AK

Thank you very much, that leaves nothing to the imagination! So at the moment it is nothing more than a legal change, technically it is still the concurrent user model. I'm relieved...
And no, I don't plan to cheat. But in our business users change quite often and it would be impossible to deal with real named users.

lynge

Hi AK
No, that is NOT what I'm writing and NOT true.

There are multiple technical differences, i.e.:
- With concurrent users you can create as many active users in NAV/BC as you want. But only the licensed no. of concurrent users can log in at the same time. With named users you can only have as many active users as you are licensed for
- With concurrent users you can login with same username on multiple device, but it will count as a concurrent user on each device. With named users you can log in on as many devices as you desire. That is probably why it is legally restricted to a single physical person per license

If you cannot deal with named users, you should not use that license model. If you are required to for using the product, you should not use the product.

AK

Got it, thanks for the clarification.