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Recognizing commercial software from fingerprints

Introduction

While fingerprints represent a technical application or program installed on a computing device, it is necessary to recognize and document the corresponding commercial software. This step is called "Software Recognition" or "Software Normalization". The result is that fingerprints are assigned to a software product in case that the application is relevant for managing licensing compliance.

Examples:

Publisher of application Name of application Version of application Normalized software product
Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Visio - en-us 16.0.13029.20308 Microsoft Corporation Visio Standard 2016
Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Visio - en-us 16.0.12827.20336 Microsoft Corporation Visio Standard 2016
Microsoft® Corporation Microsoft® Office Visio® 2007 Connector for MBSA 3.0.1049 [Ignored] Irrelevant Application

Automatic recognition

After fingerprints have been imported from a connected inventory management system, the License Intelligence Service (LIS) classifies fingerprints assigning to a software product if the application is relevant for licensing. Fingerprints of software products that do not require a commercial license are not assigned; instead, they are marked as "ignored".

Manual recognition

You may classify any fingerprints yourself at any time. Even in cases when LIS has applied an automatic decision on a Fingerprint.

  1. In the Licenses application go to Fingerprints > All Installed.
  2. Select a fingerprint and click Classify in the action pane. A wizard opens.
  3. Select from the following options:
  • Reset Fingerprint(s): Select this option if you want to reset current classification and re-apply possible software recognition by LIS.
  • Ignore Fingerprint(s): Select this option and select the reason in the Reason drop-down field if the fingerprint is not relevant for licensing.
  • Associate Fingerprint(s) with Software Product: Assign the application to a software product.
  1. Click Classify.

Software distribution packages can be classified only manually. Matrix42 License Intelligence Service does not process them.

Impact of normalization 

Fingerprints that are assigned to a software product may be considered as a source for license requirements. The system will check the setting in the related software product , if license requirements should be created from assigned fingerprints and if this is enabled, use the license model that is assigned to the software product to create license requirements for the computing devices where the fingerprint was found (i.e. the application is installed).

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