Licensing and copy protection questions and answers

ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit uses click-wrap licensing, a signed license agreement is not required. ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit is licensed on a single use basis. Concurrent Use licensing is not available.

ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit is copy protected with a registration number and authorization file similar to the ArcView single use product registration. It does not require hardware keys. It requires an authorization file from ESRI to unlock the software for a specific machine.

How is ArcGIS Engine Runtime licensed?

The following are the two options for licensing ArcGIS Engine Runtime: Single Use or Concurrent Use license software authorization

With both options, the end-user customer must agree to the ESRI Master License Agreement (MLA), E204/E300.

Single Use authorization—Each software license includes an authorization number that can be used with the Software Authorization Wizard to authorize ArcGIS Engine Runtime.

To authorize a license requires an Internet connection. If the end user does not have Internet access on the client machine, contact ESRI Customer Service.

ArcGIS Engine Runtime can be authorized silently using a provisioning file. For more information, see Installing ArcGIS Engine Runtime silently.

Once the License Manager is authorized, the Engine Runtime end user will use the Software Authorization Wizard to select the Concurrent Use License option for each ArcGIS Engine Runtime deployment.

Internet for server-based deployment licensing is not offered because ArcGIS Server offers solutions for Internet or intranet deployments. Deploying ArcGIS Engine Runtime as a Windows service is not supported or allowed under the ESRI Master License Agreement.

ArcGIS Desktop licenses can be used to run ArcGIS Engine applications if the custom application checks for existing ArcGIS Desktop licenses. For example, a developer can build an application using the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit. A user who already has ArcView on their machine does not need to obtain an ArcGIS Engine Runtime license to run the application. The ArcGIS Desktop license allows the use of this application on the user's machine.

Users are not able to mix and match existing ArcGIS Desktop licenses with ArcGIS Engine Runtime licenses. In other words, regular ArcGIS Desktop licenses and ArcGIS Engine Runtime licenses cannot be combined to run an ArcGIS Engine application. For example, you cannot use an existing ArcView license with an ArcGIS Engine Spatial Runtime extension license, to run a custom ArcGIS Engine application that requires the standard ArcGIS Engine and Spatial Runtime extension licenses. In this example, the user is also not able to use a regular ArcGIS Desktop Spatial Analyst extension license with a standard ArcGIS Engine Runtime license.

What's the difference between ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit and ArcGIS Engine Runtime?

ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit and ArcGIS Engine Runtime are different products with different terms of use. ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit is for building custom solutions and ArcGIS Engine Runtime is the required infrastructure to run the custom application.

What's included with ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit?

What's included with ArcGIS Engine Runtime?

ArcGIS Engine Runtime deliverable is a Web download or DVD that includes setup programs for the following:

ArcGIS Engine Runtime install program includes the Standard Engine and all ArcGIS Engine Runtime extensions, but each extension is licensed and sold separately.

Can ArcGIS Engine Runtime be redistributed with a custom solution?

Yes, ArcGIS Engine Runtime setup and installation can be redistributed with a custom solution. Organizations can deploy custom solutions with ArcGIS Engine Runtime within their organization as long as they have acquired the appropriate number of ArcGIS Engine Runtime licenses from ESRI or an authorized reseller. The ArcGIS Engine Runtime license cannot be redistributed outside your organization without express permission from ESRI.

Distribute and deploy ArcGIS Engine Runtime setup program in its entirety. The individual ArcGIS .NET assemblies or other components should not be deployed outside the ArcGIS Engine Runtime setup program.

What is a Designer license?

Designer is the name of the license file feature that corresponds to the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit. It provides access to development with all the ArcGIS Engine ArcObjects components in design time.

If I already have ArcGIS Desktop, do I need ArcGIS Engine Runtime?

ArcGIS Desktop licenses and runtime can be used to run ArcGIS Engine applications if the custom application binds to an existing ArcGIS Desktop runtime, and checks out an ArcGIS Desktop license. For more information, see RuntimeManager.Bind.

For example, a developer can build an application using the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit. A user who already has ArcView on their machine does not need to buy an ArcGIS Engine Runtime license or install ArcGIS Engine Runtime to run this application. The ArcGIS Desktop license and runtime allows the use of this application on that user's machine.

How many custom applications can ArcGIS Engine Runtime support?

ArcGIS Engine Runtime licenses are not limited and licensed by application. A single ArcGIS Engine Runtime license allows the user to run an unlimited number of applications on one specific computer.

Once you develop an ArcGIS Engine solution, how do you get ArcGIS Engine Runtime licenses?

ArcGIS Engine Runtime licenses are only available from ESRI, ESRI distributors, or authorized resellers. For additional information, contact your local ESRI office.

Can ArcGIS Engine be used for Internet or server deployments?

No, ArcGIS Engine Runtime is not for an Internet or server solution. ArcGIS Server is an excellent option for server deployments. ArcGIS Engine is for deployment on individual desktop computers.