I know this is a Cisco group, but I know some of you handle large/complex configurations wherein the Cisco tools are not adequate, too complex, overkill or just too expensive..
A few years ago I bought the Solarwinds Toolset Engineers Edition V8 and it has been very useful, nay say their licensing.
If a disk crashes or heaven forbid you upgrade from a 100GB to a 160GB disk--the software refuses to work---need a new license key and you must wait patiently for the Software Gods to re-issue. This is also a perpetual license. I paid to use this software and I see this Mickey Mouse restriction as a restraint of trade and quite possibly a UCC violation of the title, baylee, and baylor concepts.
Software is sold just like a car and as such should have similar warranties and Vendor responsibilities and penalties--if in breach..
I have a consulting firm which handles some large accounts that will flat tell you to get lost if you want to work Mon-Fri, 8am to 5 pm.
A lot of the work happens after hours and as such the above software licensing issue drives me nuts (I know its a short drive). Why do these firms persist in this ancient behavior? Adobe will let you remove a license key (requires an Internet connection) from a pc/host--do your upgrade, then reconnect to adobe and restore your key. Works wonderful. A fabulous software vendor.
Is the rest of the software industry a bunch of greedy morons---I am tired of vapor-ware and the BS that these SW vendors put out as fact--loosing money to hackers and crooks. I say they do not want competition...
I say that those of us who depend on reliable software say NO to the avarice Software vendors. Every company has losses, don't punish the honest folks.
For those of you in the software business-don't tie keys to a disk drive---one of the few things that every PC will sooner or later lose, crash, or upgrade. Furthermore cram your dongles were the sun don't shine. Every software vendor that tells me their software is dongled is escorted of premise. Sort of funny after they just spent $3000 on a flight--what were they hiding?
Don't use software from companies that don't consider your time. Do not be judged by their behavior.
And for my final comment, Hardware Engineers have to make it work--Software Engineers (and I use the term Engineer very loosely here) make excuses and then have the !!!*!xx to charge you. We are paying for less than professional work--this needs to end.
Digital Doug Avid Cisco user.
Final Postscript: Digital Equipment Corp--2nd largest computer company in the 80's sold to a PC company....they had the audacity to require a license key for a mouse. The BIG RAT got them....learn from history software dudes/dudets..