Multiple Server Instances - Licensing Issues

jeremyd

I have a question maybe some of you could answer:


If two seperate SQL server instances are running at the same time, using the same license file, which is licensed for, say 10 concurrent users...Does each instance get a 10 user limit? Or does it know to add the two?

I am trying to think of ways that I can create two companies, both owned by the same corporation, which use completely different code units (one company requires quite a bit of customization), without having to buy two seperate licenses.

Is there a way to customize the objects in a company without having these changes effect the others? This leads me down the multiple server instances path...

Thanks for the help!

kine

Read license contract... I think that you are not able to run two Server instances with one license...

It seems, that you need customizations which are conditioned by some setting in company info... you can then make case statement, what you will call in which case etc... but it is big job of course... (but what is not?)

fb

Sounds to me like you simply need two databases (and only one server instance).

In the normal case, the license is uploaded to the 'master' db, and then the number of Navision client connections to the server are subject to license limits without regard for the particular database in use. How you might ask? -- I suspect by counting the records in the 'Session' view that have 'Navision' in the "Application Name" column. If you really want to see all the details, turn on ODBC tracing and then log in...

So -- File, Database, New -- and Bob's your uncle.

jeremyd

Thanks for the help...

If I did simply create two databases using the same server, the objects are the same for the both of them, aren't they? I wanted to create the two databases with one containing a few significantly different objects than the other one. Can this be done?

Again, thanks for the help!

fb

Nope -- C/AL objects are stored 'per database' -- to be precise, they are stored in the "Object" table, which you can see in Enterprise Manager when you connect to the server, expand the db node for a Navision db, then expand the 'Tables' node. You will note that most Navision tables are formed by joining <Company Name>$<Table Name>. However, tables that are common to all companies do not have the <Company Name>$ prefix. "Object" is one such table, resulting in C/AL objects being shared by all companies <<in the database>>.

After you create a new SQL Server database, the second thing you have to do is to restore the 'Application Objects' and 'Data Common to All Companies' from a Navision backup (.fbk) file before the new database is usable by a Navision client. When you do this, you are creating a <<copy>> of the base objects in the new database. When you login to this database and change its objects, these changes are limited to the current database.

On a separate note, if you are only going to be changing a few objects --(less than 100 ?) -- you probably ought to think long and hard about how you could effect your customization in a single db -- if you customize two dbs in different ways, upgrades to new versions/service packs will be twice the work...

spycraft

I have a situation where I need to host 2 navision SQL databases in 1 SQL Server. My client is using 3.01B an they recently bought a separate license for the new company.

I am aware that it is possible to Save License in Database in Version 3.60 and above. Can we achieve this in 3.01B?

kine

You can do technical (C/SIDE) upgrade to newer version and use the Per Database License ...