License Units, Suites, and Applications

As you use Cherwell Asset Management, you'll notice that the term "license unit" is used in places where you may expect to see the terms "application" or "suite." This is because Cherwell Asset Management groups versions of a given application or suite (which consist of two or more related applications) into license units for information collection and reporting purposes. This grouping allows license counts to apply to a group of applications that may have differing version numbers, but are grouped under the same licensing agreement.

In Cherwell Asset Management, license units, suites, and applications are defined as follows:

• License unit: A collection of one or more versions of suites or applications used in reporting to determine which products are present on machines throughout the company in order to ensure license compliance. Typically, the applications or suites that make up a license unit differ only by version. Control and metering are also implemented at the license unit level.
• Suite: A collection of two or more applications that are sold as a bundle (for example, Microsoft Office) in several possible configurations.
• Application: A collection of one or more main executables and related support files. Presence of the main executable file is the primary means of identifying which license units are on which machines.