Navision 4.0 SP1 License Matter
xer
I need some help please to understand a seriuos matter.
I don't know too much about Navision, i hope some help here.
We have absorbed a littel company, this company is going to close, our
financial offices is going to close all files.
So the company will be definitively closed until the end of this year.
Anyway, this company has Navision 4.0 SP1 and his license has expired,
we need to use just to print some documents...
On question mark, it says licensed to CRONUS, but i think that was a
demo license when the program servers has been installed. I did look
around on server and i found several *.flf files, my question are:
1) what is the .flf file that Navision used as regular license? I
think is fin.flf or am i wrong?
2) why there are several .flf files inside and why they have different
names?
3) just one of this file (principal.flf) is with the RIGHT OUR company
name, but if i open fin.flf, inside there is another company, someone
selled a "hacked" license to us?
4) where i can check expired date in the file "principal.flf" (the
right our company)? thats why i want understand if the last *.flf USED
was with the RIGHT company name, infact as i wrote fin.flf has another
company name.
5) if on the right .flf file (that with our company name) has a serial
number, how can i obtain a new .flf file?
Question 5 is about fix the matter, that's why we don't know WHERE
they have bought navision mbs, i have just called microsoft, but they
told me that we need to ask to our seller...(we can't get inside
navision for get seller name).
Thanx in advance fo any help
Regards
Daniel Rimmelzwaan
"xer" <xer...@hotmail.it> wrote in message
news:faa6a54f-c3d9-4505...@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Anyway, this company has Navision 4.0 SP1 and his license has expired,
> we need to use just to print some documents...
A customer license doesn't expire, only partner licenses expire. If this
company was using a partner license, then this is a serious breach of
contract, both by the partner for leaving the license on the customer's
server, and by the customer for using it.
> On question mark, it says licensed to CRONUS, but i think that was a
> demo license when the program servers has been installed.
Yes, the Cronus license is the demo license.
> 1) what is the .flf file that Navision used as regular license? I
> think is fin.flf or am i wrong?
The file extension is indeed .flf, but you can call it whatever you want. In
order for NAV to pick it up, it needs to be called 'fin.flf', and put in a
certain place to be used as the license.
> 2) why there are several .flf files inside and why they have different
> names?
Probably because they have used the cronus license, the partner license, and
the customer license as well. You can have the same filename only once, so
you have to give different licenses different names. When a license is cut
by Microsoft, the name has a strange combination of letters and numbers.
Depending on which database server you use, you have to install the license
in a certain place, and sometimes you have to rename it to 'fin.flf' first.
> 3) just one of this file (principal.flf) is with the RIGHT OUR company
> name, but if i open fin.flf, inside there is another company, someone
> selled a "hacked" license to us?
I have not heard of anyone successfully hacking NAV license files yet, so
it's probably the right license with the wrong name, or the wrong license
with the right name. If the NAV partner gave the company a copy of their
partner license with the name of the company in it, then they are breaking
the license agreement for sure, and they should be held accountable for it.
> 4) where i can check expired date in the file "principal.flf" (the
> right our company)? thats why i want understand if the last *.flf USED
> was with the RIGHT company name, infact as i wrote fin.flf has another
> company name.
You can see the license number and the company name by opening the license
with Notepad. DO NOT save it from notepad, because that can corrupt the
license.
> 5) if on the right .flf file (that with our company name) has a serial
> number, how can i obtain a new .flf file?
NAV licenses can be ordered through the registered partner. I am sure that
with the purchase of this company, there are still some people working for
this company that know about how NAV was implemented, or that you can get a
hold of those people. They will be able to tell you where to find the NAV
partner. Otherwise, Microsoft should have a record of this too. I'm not sure
if youo will be ale to get a new license, you have to be current on the
enhancement plan to be eligable for a new license.
> Question 5 is about fix the matter, that's why we don't know WHERE
> they have bought navision mbs, i have just called microsoft, but they
> told me that we need to ask to our seller...(we can't get inside
> navision for get seller name).
Microsoft knows which partner is assigned to you. Call them again, give them
the license number and the old name of the company and they should be able
to tell you who is the partner.
xer
Daniel, thanx a lot for your answers, i appreciate that.
After my post on this ng, i got some others details from Microsoft, so
i'm write here again.
Microsoft told me yesterday, that with NAV product, the license can be
made ONLY by the Microsoft Partner and can be made to HOC for every
customers, so i dont' know if they made a special license for us.
Also, Microsoft operator explained me about expired license, that NAV
can be selled as Software Assurance a sort of RENTING.
I found a invoice, the seller is the owner of a Oracle based software
(now dismissed) that the Company used that to manage orders and flows
factory, Navision MBS was selled as economic handle (invoicing and
more) so the two software was connected with import and export /data,
just in mono_direction from Oracle to NAV.
Navision MBS, was used to print and send invoices to their customers.
On the invoice from this company who selled the softwares, they wrote:
- Navision MBS license of use (price)
- Post operators 3 (price)
I did not found any contract, no words about Software Assurance or
Renting software, how did you sounds?
Anyway, Microsoft operator suggest me to recall on September,(august
are all on holydays here), and at that time we will check if the
license can be renewed or not.
So, what you think, is the right line to follow? Did i everything
right?
Thanx for your comments.
Daniel Rimmelzwaan
"xer" <xer...@hotmail.it> wrote in message
news:85d44791-0b39-42eb...@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On 7 Ago, 14:30, "Daniel Rimmelzwaan" wrote:
> Microsoft told me yesterday, that with NAV product, the license can be
> made ONLY by the Microsoft Partner and can be made to HOC for every
> customers, so i dont' know if they made a special license for us.
No, that is false information. Microsoft creates the license, the NAV
partner orders them. NAV partners are NOT capable of creating licenses. I
don't know what HOC means. So as an end user, you will not be able to order
the license directly from Microsoft, you have to order it through a NAV
partner.
> Also, Microsoft operator explained me about expired license, that NAV
> can be selled as Software Assurance a sort of RENTING.
No that is also false information. NAV licenses for end users DO NOT EXPIRE.
The only license that expires is a NAV partner development license. As far
as I know, there is no way to rent software. I don't think ANY Microsoft
product can be rented.
> I found a invoice, the seller is the owner of a Oracle based software
> (now dismissed) that the Company used that to manage orders and flows
> factory, Navision MBS was selled as economic handle (invoicing and
> more) so the two software was connected with import and export /data,
> just in mono_direction from Oracle to NAV.
> Navision MBS, was used to print and send invoices to their customers.
It is very unclear to me what you are talking about here, I don't know what
"manage orders and flows factory" means. So there is an Oracle based app,
and there is NAV, and there is some sort of integration between the two?
> On the invoice from this company who selled the softwares, they wrote:
>
> - Navision MBS license of use (price)
> - Post operators 3 (price)
I do not know what "license of use" means, nor what "Post operators 3"
means. That makes no sense to me at all, sorry.
> I did not found any contract, no words about Software Assurance or
> Renting software, how did you sounds?
Like I said earlier, you can't rent NAV. Microsoft, as far as I know, SELLS
software, they don't rent it.
> Anyway, Microsoft operator suggest me to recall on September,(august
> are all on holydays here), and at that time we will check if the
> license can be renewed or not.
I don't know where you are, but this does not sound like Microsoft at all to
me. Besides the fact that they are very much customer oriented, any chance
they have to sell you something they will take.
xer
I did talk with my boss about that and he want made a legal action, we
don't have microsoft systems, but this company that we have absorbed
yes, and we don't know too much about microsoft licensing.
Sorry for that and thank you again for your help.
> > On 7 Ago, 14:30, "Daniel Rimmelzwaan" wrote:
> > Microsoft told me yesterday, that with NAV product, the license can be
> > made ONLY by the Microsoft Partner and can be made to HOC for every
> > customers, so i dont' know if they made a special license for us.
>
> No, that is false information. Microsoft creates the license, the NAV
> partner orders them. NAV partners are NOT capable of creating licenses. I
> don't know what HOC means. So as an end user, you will not be able to order
> the license directly from Microsoft, you have to order it through a NAV
> partner.
Well, they told me that, HOC i mean "a_contract_for_customer" no
standard, just a license_made_for.
(sorry for my english)
So we had known as a fact the NAV must buy from a partner, but the
partner CANNOT create a different form of licensing.
Ok.
> > Also, Microsoft operator explained me about expired license, that NAV
> > can be selled as Software Assurance a sort of RENTING.
>
> No that is also false information. NAV licenses for end users DO NOT EXPIRE.
> The only license that expires is a NAV partner development license. As far
> as I know, there is no way to rent software. I don't think ANY Microsoft
> product can be rented.
I did check about "Software Assurance" and it's exist, but NOT for
NAV, you right!
Damn! My boss want a legal document for this!
> > I found a invoice, the seller is the owner of a Oracle based software
> > (now dismissed) that the Company used that to manage orders and flows
> > factory, Navision MBS was selled as economic handle (invoicing and
> > more) so the two software was connected with import and export /data,
> > just in mono_direction from Oracle to NAV.
> > Navision MBS, was used to print and send invoices to their customers.
>
> It is very unclear to me what you are talking about here, I don't know what
> "manage orders and flows factory" means. So there is an Oracle based app,
> and there is NAV, and there is some sort of integration between the two?
Sorry again form my english, "manage orders and flows factory":
i mean, for input selled orders, ERP, and picking products for
shipping and more, is a factory software, and yes, they made a sort of
integration between two, but just on NAV, there was a IMPORT data from
Oracle program, that's it. But about Oracle program i don't care too
much, we don't need it anymore, we don't use anymore, is dismissed,
our office need to CLOSE last economic business documents before to
close definitively this little company.
> > On the invoice from this company who selled the softwares, they wrote:
>
> > - Navision MBS license of use (price)
> > - Post operators 3 (price)
>
> I do not know what "license of use" means, nor what "Post operators 3"
> means. That makes no sense to me at all, sorry.
Sorry again for my english.
License to use Navision MBS (that's it)
Post Operators --> 3 users license
> > I did not found any contract, no words about Software Assurance or
> > Renting software, how did you sounds?
>
> Like I said earlier, you can't rent NAV. Microsoft, as far as I know, SELLS
> software, they don't rent it.
Yes, my boss wanna go very deep about that !
> > Anyway, Microsoft operator suggest me to recall on September,(august
> > are all on holydays here), and at that time we will check if the
> > license can be renewed or not.
>
> I don't know where you are, but this does not sound like Microsoft at all to
> me. Besides the fact that they are very much customer oriented, any chance
> they have to sell you something they will take.
I'm in Italy, my calls has been recorded on Microsoft, i think that
the partner has selled a partner license as you said.
In september, my boss will move his lawyer about this.
The single fact about the license, and that NAV license can't expire
and more, there is a partner license installed, is a point to win a
legal action.
Daniel, i really thank you for your very clearly answers!
Daniel Rimmelzwaan
than my Italian :).
"xer" <xer...@hotmail.it> wrote in message
news:e5210fa6-8bf4-4370...@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Daniel, again i appreciate your answers, thank you very much!
>
> I did talk with my boss about that and he want made a legal action, we
> don't have microsoft systems, but this company that we have absorbed
> yes, and we don't know too much about microsoft licensing.
> Sorry for that and thank you again for your help.
I wish you would reconsider legal action, that always seems to harsh. To me
it seems that there is simply some confusion around the NAV system, and it
should be pretty easy to get the answers. I think you should try two things:
- go to http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/default.mspx and see if you can
find a NAV partner near you. Make sure that this partner is certified for
Dynamics NAV, because if they are not they will not know how this works.
Give them a call and see if they can help you find the information you need.
- try once again with Microsoft and see if you can figure out what is going
on. They should be able to tell you more information by giving them your NAV
license number. The least you should get is the name of the NAV partner who
provided the license. If it is a customer license, they will tell you if you
can renew it or if you can get a replacement. If it is a partner license,
you will know where to go next as well.
> Well, they told me that, HOC i mean "a_contract_for_customer" no
> standard, just a license_made_for.
> (sorry for my english)
> So we had known as a fact the NAV must buy from a partner, but the
> partner CANNOT create a different form of licensing.
> Ok.
NAV is a bit different from most other Microsoft products. Usually you
purchase a license for the whole product, and there are different editions
(for instance SQL Server Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition). With NAV,
you order individual granules, which are functional areas within the ERP
system. So for instance, there is a purchasing granule. You can have these
granules added to your license by ordering them from your NAV partner. The
NAV partner then orders it from Microsoft.
> I did check about "Software Assurance" and it's exist, but NOT for
> NAV, you right!
> Damn! My boss want a legal document for this!
Maybe there is something called 'software assurance', or maybe something
that means something similar, I don't know. Once you find a certified NAV
partner they will be able to help you out.
> Sorry again form my english, "manage orders and flows factory":
> i mean, for input selled orders, ERP, and picking products for
> shipping and more, is a factory software, and yes, they made a sort of
> integration between two, but just on NAV, there was a IMPORT data from
> Oracle program, that's it. But about Oracle program i don't care too
> much, we don't need it anymore, we don't use anymore, is dismissed,
> our office need to CLOSE last economic business documents before to
> close definitively this little company.
Alright that makes more sense. So either way you need a license to get into
the database. The NAV partner will also be able to help you get access to
the system. I am sure you should be able to find one that can help you now
instead of having to wait for September.
> I'm in Italy, my calls has been recorded on Microsoft, i think that
> the partner has selled a partner license as you said.
> In september, my boss will move his lawyer about this.
>
> The single fact about the license, and that NAV license can't expire
> and more, there is a partner license installed, is a point to win a
> legal action.
Like I said before, I think you would be better off finding a certified NAV
partner (a different company) and see if they can help you figure this out.
Between you and me we have the language difference and maybe we don't
understand each other completely. This NAV partner will be able to explain
how it all works (you may have to pay for some consulting fees, sp be
prepared for that), and maybe when you understand it all THEN you have
grounds to take legal action. I really feel strongly that you can sort this
out without taking anyone to court though, it just takes some patience.