New license terms in Notes/Domino 8.5.3, including changes to Domino Express

October 4 2011

In addition to new entitlements and new features, Notes/Domino 8.5.3 has a completely re-written set of license agreements. Earlier this year, IBM legal and operations commenced a set of activities to simplify IBM software licensing. The goal was to make the license text much clearer in terms of what is NOT allowed, as opposed to trying to document what IS allowed. We got rid of a lot -- historical clauses, positive and negative opposites, extraneous terminology. Thus, the new licenses are a lot simpler and cleaner. They are also starkly different, so I wanted to summarize what is truly changed vs. what is simply expressed differently than in the past.

The main change to the Notes/Domino 8.5.3 license terms revolves around the Express offerings. One of the areas in which we have had feedback in the past is that it is hard to determine what kind of organization is actually eligible to buy and deploy Domino Express. The terminology used to define that eligibility has changed somewhat over the years that the Domino Express products have been available, but the last several versions have defined eligibility around an organization which employees 1000 or fewer people.

Since that is hard to track and audit, in Domino Collaboration Express and Domino Messaging Express 8.5.3, we have changed the eligibility metric to a technical restriction, of no more than 1000 users per Domino domain. This means that any size organization can purchase Domino Messaging/Collaboration Express, as long as they factor their deployments into Domino domains of 1000 or less. Clearly, Express is still intended to be our family of products for small and medium-sized businesses, thus that 1000 user restriction per domain mirrors original intent, in a clearly-measurable way.

Because the Messaging/Collaboration Express restriction is no longer explicitly around the size of organization, I couldn't pursue a previously sought-after goal of allowing anonymous access to Domino Collaboration Express servers. We would be suddenly in the web server market at approximately US$160 per server, an unintended consequence. On the other hand, nor could I change the term of the Domino Utility Express product at this point -- we thought about changing the metric for the Utility Express offering, but a technical restriction would immediately have put a number of customers out of license compliance. For Utility Express, thus, the restriction is still based on 1000 or fewer employees in the buyer's organization.

There is an error in the Domino license, unfortunately. The Domino Utility Express server includes a statement that each authenticated user requires a CAL, which is actually not the case with the Utility Server offerings. We will be fixing this error via a separate announcement, and the first fixpack will have the correction.

Otherwise, the new license is pretty simple. It mostly says what you can't do, it tells you what other programs you are licensed to use and which parts of them, and it includes standard terms common to all IBM software. I hope this makes your license management easier.

Here are links to the new license agreements online (pretty handy Domino application, really...)

2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Collaboration Express 8.5.3 5724Z10
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Designer 8.5.3 For Developers
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Designer 8.5.3 5724Z08
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Enterprise Client Access License 8.5.3 5724Z08
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Enterprise Server 8.5.3 5724Z14
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Messaging Client Access License 8.5.3 5724Z09
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Messaging Express 8.5.3 5724Z10
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Messaging Server 8.5.3 5724Z14
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Utility Express 8.5.3 5724Z14
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Utility Server 8.5.3 5724Z14
2011/10/04 IBM Lotus Domino Utility Server for LotusLive Notes 8.5.3 5724Z14



Since these new agreements are first appearing in 8.5.3, and are the first wholesale rewrite we have done in many, many years, I am expecting questions about the new wording or terms. Feel free to leave those here, or you can email me (ed_brill at us.ibm.com). Since we are just launching today, it may take my team and I some time to respond, but we are happy to help.

Ed Brill | Highland Park, IL USA Category: Add/View Comments [34]

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  1. 1  nick halliwell  | 10/4/2011 10:41:57 AM

    This is indeed a good and positive move, its was quite hard previously to advise customers exactly what they could and could not do.

    Now it looks like its a lot easier for us.

    Thanks

  1. 2  Kam Cheung  | 10/4/2011 10:51:31 AM

    I am sure existing CEO Lotus Communications users will be asking how to "trade down" to express. Short of advising new licenses, what is IBM's approach to handle this scenario?

  1. 3  Chris C http://www.bssuk.net | 10/4/2011 10:58:05 AM

    +@3 - I have had experience of this question...

  1. 4  Irv Schor  | 10/4/2011 11:26:43 AM

    @2 - That's exactly what I'm looking at. We currently roll up a bunch of co's in one domain. I'm going to need to crunch some numbers to see if rolling each on their own VM makes, X-Certifying the Domains, etc. makes sense for us.

  1. 5  Henning Heinz  | 10/4/2011 11:46:15 AM

    Well Microsoft already is in the in the web server market (Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Web Edition). Not at $160 but for about 400$. It is a pity that anonymous access did not make it. Apart from that all good stuff.

  1. 6  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/4/2011 12:15:03 PM

    @2 the two licensing models are not designed to be inter-changeable. There are reasons that Express may not be attractive for those on CEO today, I encourage you to price out the S&S renewal for CEO vs. net-new purchases on Express.

  1. 7  Darren Duke http://blog.darrenduke.net | 10/4/2011 12:20:30 PM

    So basically, as long as I can live with, let's say 50 Domino Domains, a company of 50,000 can still *all* use Express?

    Just to 2nd Hennings (@5) point here, you are still over what MS would charge by quit a margin here. You could always give an XWork Server entitlement to orgs that drop $3,000 or more (my made up number here) to avoid the anonymous @ $160/server issue. Just a thought.

    On the whole *I think* I like this.... :)

  1. 8  Finn L Knudsen http://www.idocode.net | 10/4/2011 12:55:07 PM

    Can a user with a Domino Messaging Express license use Connections Files to send files to external recipients ?

  1. 9  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/4/2011 1:37:06 PM

    @8 I think you asked that somewhere else as well. The answer is no, because the Connections license is per authorized user, and there is a restriction in the Connections license as follows:

    "If Licensee licenses the Program or any portion of the Program on a Authorized User basis, the Program or portion of the Program may be used only by employees or independent contractors of Licensee."

  1. 10  Finn L Knudsen http://www.idocode.net | 10/4/2011 1:50:12 PM

    Thanks for the answer. Just needed it before a customer asked me

  1. 11  Jeremy Hodge  | 10/4/2011 2:40:15 PM

    Just to clarify - a Developer that wishes to design and publish Lotus Notes applications still needs to have a Enterprise CAL even if the user is covered by an express license, or in other words developers whose organizations purchase an express license must be "dual-licensed" ... I know there was some talk early on about possibly changing that, but it appears to still stand that way by my reading. Is that correct?

  1. 12  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/4/2011 2:55:29 PM

    @11 Yes, we weren't able to cleanly address that case, where the developer needs a CAL to connect to the Express server.

  1. 13  JC Nieto  | 10/4/2011 4:44:14 PM

    Hope the "new entitlements" are not reflected as "new prices" for our renewals in January 2012.

  1. 14  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/4/2011 9:04:07 PM

    @13 cynical, eh? There is no change to Notes/Domino pricing at this time nor any plan specifically to change the pricing schedule for Notes/Domino. IBM generally adjusts prices around the 1st of each year to reflect inflation and currency conversion, but that could go up or down. At any rate, there is no price action tied to the new included entitlement, period.

  1. 15  Kit Davis  | 10/5/2011 8:52:48 AM

    It is disappointing you couldn't work out the anonymous access issue. I have acquired several very small clients that have used Domino and been self supporting for years. They were all running version 5 and I have managed to get most of them to purchase current express licenses. They are all in the same geographic area, there has not been a business partner or IBM rep within a hundred miles for years and as a result they shared their successes. My problem is they all use a Domino application to run their company websites. These are small companies, the largest one has 10 employees and each website might get 10 visits a day. Getting them to get current on the express licensing was hard enough in this economy - telling them that they need to purchase the utility server may push them to abandon, Domino for cost reasons. I know at this size these companies and quite insignificant, but they are loyal Domino users. I know that there are many other small companies both here and elsewhere that are in the same boat - if the software lets you do it, it most be OK. (And since I have upgraded these companies, I have others that want to sign up for the same thing) For the last year, while I let them know they were not in compliance, I have "turned a blind eye" anticipating that this would be resolved in the 8.5.3 time frame. Now, I am going to have to tell them to either pony up for a utility license or move their websites to some hosting company or worse yet help them move to google apps or something similar.

  1. 16  Removed  | 10/6/2011 2:42:37 PM

    Removed a comment from an IBMer which I am handling internally within IBM...

  1. 17  Steve Medure  | 10/6/2011 10:49:49 PM

    @14, 13 wasn't being cynical, just asking an obvious question. Cynical would be something like... Does the new licensing structure allow for cash back on all bugs, regressions and general neglect of quality? That would be cynical....just as an example.

  1. 18  Thomas Bahn http://www.assono.de/blog | 10/12/2011 10:49:24 AM

    Up until now, you only need to buy a license per person, who connects to the server.

    Does the new, "technical" condition (users in Domino domain) only apply, if a company may buy und use Express licenses?

    Or do they have to buy licenses for technical users (administrative users, agent signer IDs etc.), too?

  1. 19  Birgit Robers  | 10/13/2011 5:42:32 AM

    I read in the new licence agreement that in the new versin of Lotus Domino Collaboration Express 8.5.3 the Designer Licence is included that's great so we need not to buy the IBM Lotus Domino Enterprise Client Access License and we have no mixed licence model and there is no extra authorization needed

  1. 20  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/14/2011 9:39:42 AM

    That is incorrect. The Designer is an "included program" because it is how we distribute the Domino Administrator. Further down in the license text, the use of Designer is restricted to Domino Administrator only. A Designer user in an Express environment still needs a CAL.

  1. 21  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/14/2011 10:09:58 AM

    @18 Still based on the principal of an "authorized user", which maps to a human.

  1. 22  Karen Knight  | 10/19/2011 11:00:16 AM

    Hi..I have been talking to many people within IBM regarding the 2 server cluster limitation now included in the licence agreement for Express. I have potential customers to who have 2 or more servers in their clustered environment and this limitation has a severe impact on the ability to sell express.

    Can you confirm that this is correct and how it would work if the company are spread across several offices all using the clustering capabilities for failover etc?

    Many thanks

  1. 23  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/20/2011 5:47:29 PM

    Hi Karen, I'll send you an email.

  1. 24  Borje S  | 11/1/2011 5:40:15 AM

    Hi, I'm consulting in a company that is preparing for a split in 3 parts for all their assets in licenses. They are today about 1.500 employees and after the split there will be three almost equal size of companies. They have today 1120 Lotus Domino Utility Server Value Unit.

    Question: If they want to change the licenses to Lotus Domino Utility Express Processor Value Unit licenses instead what do they have to consider and think about?

    Is it possible to have a mix of these licenses if needed?

  1. 25  Fabrizio  | 2/13/2012 9:02:57 AM

    Same issue as Kit Davis (n. 15). It's a pity.

  1. 26  Marc Garcia http://www.kelros.com | 2/21/2012 2:50:52 PM

    @23 - Ed, would it be possible for us to see your answer regarding the 2 server clustering limit as this is becoming a restriction for a number of our customers as well. Thanks

  1. 27  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 2/21/2012 2:57:31 PM

    @26 Marc the license states the following:

    "Licensee may use Lotus Domino clustering technology to cluster no more than two servers."

  1. 28  Sachin  | 4/10/2012 7:37:22 AM

    Hi Ed,

    I am a Lotus Domino Developer and want to buy a Lotus Domino Collaboration Express License so that I could host a website.

    Is it necessary that I should represent any organisation ? Or I can buy it just as an independent developer.

  1. 29  Pascal De Mulder  | 9/14/2012 10:20:39 AM

    Hi Ed,

    "Licensee may use Lotus Domino clustering technology to cluster no more than two servers"

    My customer wants to deploy this and is asking if the limitation is per cluster ? In other words can you have more the 1 cluster each with two servers ?

  1. 30  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 9/17/2012 9:09:23 PM

    No it is a total limitation.

  1. 31  Sven Sjodin  | 10/25/2012 2:41:09 AM

    Hi!

    Is it possible to use Lotus Notus without a Domino server for a small business user?

    What license should I buy?

    Only configuring POP3/SMTP for the email provider?

    Is it possible to configure several email POP3/SMTP accounts?

    I was using Lotus Notes back in year 2002 in a company.

    Have since been using MCS Calypso and Courier.

    But those products are no longer being updated.

  1. 32  Karl-Henry Martinsson http://www.texasswede.com | 10/25/2012 3:34:20 PM

    @31: If you read between the lines in the license for the free Domino Designer, you can download it for free, as long as you don't use it to develop production databases/application. Since the Notes client is (requried) part of Designer, you get that one included in the free download/install.

    Not sure if that is what IBM intended, though.

    See { Link }

    "The CAL is an activation -- it entitles the user to connect to a Domino server for deployment, to redistribute the apps they build with the Designer, and to access technical support (assuming that the CAL is covered by active maintenance). The CAL also opens up the use of that free Designer as a full Notes client -- the ability to use applications (from a server or even locally) and connect to Domino. That user then also gets all the other benefits of the CAL -- being able to use any Domino application or email, through any client, and also the right to use tools like Lotus Mobile Connect and Symphony."

    I read that the following way: If you don't connect the Notes client included with Domino Designer to a Domino server to access applications or email, you don't need a CAL.

  1. 33  Mark G http://www.2roads.com | 12/28/2012 1:56:14 PM

    Ed,

    The lack of a reasonably priced option (IMO) for anonymous application access for very small companies is pushing us away from Domino - despite the fact that I'm fighting to find a way to make it work. We have under 20 employees that need mail and application access as well as customers and visitors who need anonymous web access (only the 20 employees need occasional authenticated web access, and they have Enterprise Client Access licenses).

    We need new servers, as we're running an enterprise domino server license on neolithic iron with a single-core (!) CPU. We can't figure out a way to afford to bridge to the same capabilities both internally and externally without forking over tens of thousands for new hardware and new software licenses the first year while simultaneously locking us in to recurring licensing costs at least 3-5 times our current fees. It's simply a non-starter financially. It would be laughed out of the meeting.

    The killer, as you know, is the required PVU fees. No solid vendor makes a decent server with fewer than 4 cores (and few of those), with most being 8, 12, 16+ cores. Unless I buy a used server with old low-end Xeons, we're talking bare minimum 2.8 times the recurring fees and more likely 4-8 times.

    Can't you put a limit on the anonymous connections on the utility server express and eliminate the per-processor core pricing? On a very good day we might see a peak of 5-10 visitors at once, but I'm paying the same as firms which have hundreds to thousands of times that traffic.

    There has got to be a way to make this reasonable for truly small companies. 1,000 in a domain isn't anywhere close to a small company, except from IBM's perspective. Under 100 total employess is a small company.

    Any suggestions?

  1. 34  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 12/28/2012 10:18:30 PM

    Actually, Utility Express is fine for anonymous users, if you qualify to buy Utility Express. If you don't, perhaps XWork Server is an option. I'll follow up in email.