Instance Deployment: Feature Activation and Licensing

After you have deployed an instance, you can start the implementation. You need to activate the instance by enabling the default set of features. Then you apply the license and enable any purchased features that are not in the default set.

In this topic, you will read about the first sign-in to a new instance, license obtainment, feature enabling, and the limitations of trial and license modes.

First Sign-In to MYOB Acumatica

When you sign in to a new MYOB Acumatica instance for the first time and attempt to navigate to any form, the system brings up the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form (the only form you can access), which you use to enable the default set of features. After you do this, you can access the Activate License (SM201510) form, where you can activate your license key if you want to remove the trial mode restrictions. If you want to proceed with the trial mode, you can enable any other features that are available.

Obtaining of a License

In MYOB Acumatica, you can request the purchased license by creating a support case through the Partner Portal. You should specify the following settings in the case:

  • Installation ID: The installation ID is available in the About dialog box of the MYOB Acumatica application instance. To open this dialog box, on any MYOB Acumatica form, select Tools > About.
  • Contract ID: You can find this ID on your MYOB Acumatica sales invoice.

After your license request is processed, you will receive a license key. MYOB uses a licensing server to validate licenses. If the server where you installed the MYOB Acumatica instance has no access to the internet, because of the MYOB security policy, you may request a license file instead of the key.

You apply the key to your instance by clicking Enter License Key on the form toolbar of the Activate License (SM201510) form, enter the license key in the Activate New License dialog box, and click OK. The system contacts the licensing server and validates the license online. Each license can be used to activate a predetermined number of instances. If you reach the limit for your license, you generally will not be able to use this license. Alternatively, depending on your license settings, the system may bring up a prompt asking if you want to deactivate the license from the oldest instance.

Attention:
To validate your license, the licensing server requires that port 443 be open on the computer that is running the MYOB Acumatica instance where you enter the key. You may have to open port 443 if the computer has a firewall enabled.

To apply the license file, you should click Upload License File on the form toolbar of the Activate License form, and then select and upload the license file by using the Upload New License File dialog box. If you use a license file, the system validates the license without contacting the licensing server.

Product Features

MYOB Acumatica provides scalable core system functionality and offers a range of add-on features. On the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, you can view and modify the list of enabled features according to your license limitations.

You must enable a feature to cause all feature-related forms and individual elements to appear in MYOB Acumatica. Some features may add only additional elements to the available forms, and others may enable a workspace or a set of workspaces with multiple forms. For example, the Projects menu item appears on the main menu only if the Project Accounting feature is enabled. If you enable the Tax Entry From GL Module feature, it only adds additional elements to the Journal Transactions (GL301000) form, which is available with the default set of features.

The Enable/Disable Features form also displays (at the top of the form) the state of the currently selected feature set—that is, the set of functionality available in your instance of MYOB Acumatica. The following states are possible:

  • Pending Activation: The system displays this status when you access the form for the first time to enable the standard set of features. Also, the system displays the status after you click Modify on the form toolbar to change the selection of features. This status indicates that the current settings on the form do not reflect the actual set of functionality available in MYOB Acumatica.
  • Validated: The system displays this status when you have enabled the features selected on the form by clicking Enable on the form toolbar. With this status, the enabled features on the form reflect the actual functionality available in your instance of MYOB Acumatica.

Before you start implementing MYOB Acumatica, you may find it helpful to become familiar with the functionality to be implemented and the add-on features your organization has included in the license. For details, see Preparing an Instance: MYOB Acumatica Features.

Attention:
You can also use the Enable/Disable Features form to disable individual features in MYOB Acumatica. We recommend that you not disable any feature after it has been enabled and used in the live system; this may cause unexpected results, including data loss.

Trial and License Modes

By default, MYOB Acumatica is installed in trial mode. Although all features are available in this mode, the mode has the following restrictions:

  • You can create no more than 10 tenants per instance.
  • All tenants that you create are assigned the Test Tenant status. For details, see Tenants: General Information.
  • A watermark is added to all printed forms and reports.
  • Only two conventional users can concurrently use the system.
    Tip:
    Conventional users are users who can sign in by using their usernames and passwords on the MYOB Acumatica Sign-In page, through the mobile application, or via the single sign-on page if SSO with Google or Microsoft Account has been set up.

    Each time a third conventional user signs in to MYOB Acumatica, one of the current users is forcibly signed out. The following message is displayed at the bottom of each form: Your product is in trial mode. Only two concurrent users are allowed. The message is followed by the Activate link, which you can click to activate a license.

  • Only two API users can concurrently use the system. A third API user cannot sign in to MYOB Acumatica and receives an error during the sign-in attempt.
    Tip:
    API users are users with client applications that can sign in using the contract-based REST API method, the screen-based SOAP API, or the OAuth 2.0 authorization mechanism for applications.

In trial mode, you can enable and use any feature. For a production site, you should activate the full-product license, thus running the system in license mode. After the license activation, the system hides the features that are not included in your license on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, and you will not be able to enable these features.

When you obtain the license for using MYOB Acumatica and apply this license to an instance, the trial mode restrictions are removed. The license defines the license tier (that is, the level of resources that you can use by using the license) and the set of features you can enable for the instance. For details on license tiers, see Typical Hardware and Virtual Machine Configurations for PCS and PCP Licenses for the MYOB Acumatica Installation.

Attention:
During licensing and activation, the application instance is restarted. When you apply a license to a non-testing environment, make sure that all users of your website are warned about the restart of the site so that they can save all work in progress.

If you use the MYOB Acumatica Customer Portal, you have to obtain a license for the Customer Portal instance, activate the license, and then activate the required Customer Portal features. For details, see Configuring the Customer Portal.

Multiple User Sessions for the Same Username

You can define how an MYOB Acumatica instance handles conventional users (but not API users) who try to sign in by using the same username—for example, from different browsers. In the site web.config settings, you can use the <concurrentUserMode> parameter to specify whether the system allows users to sign in multiple times under the same username.

To specify this, you need to add this parameter to the providers section in membership of the web.config file.

<membership defaultProvider="PXActiveDirectorySyncMembershipProvider">
   <providers>
     <remove name="PXActiveDirectorySyncMembershipProvider"/>
     <remove name="MySQLMembershipProvider" />
     <add name="PXActiveDirectorySyncMembershipProvider"
          type="PX.Data.PXActiveDirectorySyncMembershipProvider, PX.Data"
          mainProviderType="PX.Data.PXDatabaseMembershipProvider" . . .
          concurrentUserMode="true"/>
     </providers>
 </membership>

If the <concurrentUserMode> parameter is set to false (the default setting), the system allows multiple user sessions under the same username or names. For example, the same user or different users can sign in as admin in 10 user sessions, and all of them are counted to comply with the concurrent user limit.

If <concurrentUserMode> is set to true, the system allows only one user session under each username. If anyone tries to sign in the system with a username that is already signed in, the system will forcibly sign out the first user that is signed in with this username.