This topic provides more information about how to manage the available credits.

It is assumed that you understand how to assign credits (using the portal) and activate resources (in HOME).

Credit Assignments (in the portal)

Once a HOME system is connected to your Lawo Flex account, you can manage its available credits from the licensing portal. This is done by clicking on the label of the HOME system (in the Systems page).

Here you will see the online status of the HOME system and a list of credits that have been assigned.

The columns show the following information:
  • Credits - the number of credits assigned.
  • Assigned - the date when the assignment was made.
  • Valid - the validity period of the credits. By default, this is set to 30 days, unless Auto Revoke is enabled.
  • Auto Revoke - a tick appears if the credits are set to automatically revoke back to the subscription.
  • Downloaded - a tick appears if the credits have been downloaded from the portal. This can happen either automatically (after an online transfer) or manually (when you download the credits file).
  • Sub Order ID - the order ID of the subscription.
  • Sub Duration - the duration of the subscription.
  • Sub Status - the status of the subscription.

The "Valid" column shows the validity period of the credits. By default, this is set to 30 days. It may be less than 30 days if:

  • Auto Revoke has been used to specify an end date.
  • The credits were assigned from a cancelled subscription, in which case the end date will be the same as the subscription cancellation date

You can hover over the "Valid" field to display a tooltip showing the exact time when the validity expires.

Credit Validity (and Expiry)

Once credits are transferred to the HOME system, they have a default validity period of 30 days. At the end this period, HOME must "check-in" with the Lawo Flex account to obtain a new copy of the credits.
  • If HOME has an online connection to the licensing portal, then this happens automatically (via the licensing cloud). In this instance, the credit refresh happens 24 hours before the date of renewal.
  • If HOME is not online, then a credit refresh must be performed manually (by opening HOME's 'Licenses → Credits' page and clicking on Refresh Now).

Note that the monthly "check-in" process needs to occur even if the underlying subscription is for say 6 or 12 months. This is to prevent credits from becoming stuck in a HOME system that is out of action (e.g. an OB van in transit).

If a HOME system is offline then, at the end of the validity period, the credits are automatically revoked. This allows them to be reused elsewhere without needing access to the offline system.

Important: If HOME does NOT have online connection to the licensing cloud, or you are planning to take the system offline, then it is important to check the validity of the credits and, if necessary, perform a manual refresh. How to do this is described in more detail below.

Tip: The Auto Revoke option (in the licensing portal) can be used to set an auto-revoke date. This can be used to assign credits to HOME on a temporary basis (e.g. for the duration of a production). When the auto-revoke date is reached, the credits are automatically removed from HOME and returned to the customer's Lawo Flex account. For more information, please see Revoke Credits from HOME.

Checking the Credit Availability (in HOME)

Credits can be assigned to the HOME system in values following a 0.25 granularity.

To check the current and future availability, open HOME's 'Licenses' page and select the Credits tab (as shown below).

The Credit Total, Credits in Use and Credits Remaining values show the current status (on today's date). In the example above, there are 100 credits assigned of which 15.75 are in use with 84.25 remaining.

The bargraph shows a visualization of the available credits over time, where the day and month are indicated on the X-axis. The bars are lit in different colors to indicate the current and future usage as follows:

  • Blue bars indicate the overall credit balance until the day of renewal.
  • Light grey bars indicate that the underlying subscription allows for a next lifecycle, after the renewal date and that the credit refresh will happen automatically (via the licensing cloud). 
  • Yellow bars can appear if HOME does NOT have an online connection to the licensing portal. In this instance, the credit validity must be refreshed manually by the user, before the date of renewal.
  • Pink bars will appear if the credit usage is (or will be) exceeded; please take note of the date or expiry and the alerts at the bottom of the page.

If any immediate actions are required by the user, then these appear as alerts at the bottom of the page. Otherwise, you will see a message providing information about the current status. e.g. "Credits are valid for xx days...."

Refreshing Credits

The Refresh Now button can be used to refresh the validity of the credits to their maximum validity (e.g. for another 30 days). This can be useful if the HOME system will be disconnected from the licensing cloud for a short while.

Providing the HOME system is online, the refresh takes place immediately (and you will see a confirmation message at the bottom of the page). The bar chart and text information update accordingly (to extend the date on which the next "check-in" must take place).

Refresh Credits (if HOME is offline)

If the HOME system is disconnected from the licensing cloud, then the Licenses page will look slightly different. 

The yellow bars in the timeline and text information inform that a manual refresh is required. In this instance, the Refresh Now button opens a dialog with instructions. 

Follow the on-screen instructions to refresh the credits manually. This involves downloading the latest credits to a file on your computer and uploading the file into HOME (as explained here).

Once the upload is complete, the bar chart and text information update accordingly (to extend the date on which the next "check-in" must take place).

Credit Usage Examples

How to interpret the bargraph color-coding in HOME's 'Licenses → Credits' page is best explained by looking at some examples.

In each case, the images show how the credits assigned to the HOME system (via the portal) correspond to the Licenses page in HOME.

Credits Available, Usage OK

In the example below there are 56 credits in use and 4 credits remaining.

In the timeline:

  • The blue bars show that the credits are valid for 30 days and the current usage is ok.
  • The light grey bars show the date when the credit validity expires. At this point, the credits will automatically refresh and so no action is required. 

Below the timeline:

  • The text confirms the current validity of the credits.
  • The Refresh Now button can be used to refresh the validity of the credits to their maximum validity (e.g. for another 30 days).
  • There are no alerts (as no action is required).

Current Usage Exceeds Future Credits

In the next example, there are 90 credits assigned to the HOME system, where 30 are set to automatically revoke after 7 days.

In the timeline:

  • The blue bars show that the system has enough valid credits to meet the usage until the end of day on April 8th.
  • The pink bars show that from the start of day on April 9th, the credit usage will be exceeded.
  • By hovering over one of the bars in the timeline, you can check the credits available and current usage on a specific date: in our example, to see what will happen at the start of day on April 9th.

Below the timeline:

  • The text confirms that additional credits need to be added to the system.
  • The Open Licensing Portal button can be used to open the portal in the new browser tab.
  • The yellow alert confirms that some action is required, but that there is time left to do this. In our example, the credits expire in 8 days.

Current Credits are Exceeded

In the final example, some credits have been revoked and so the current usage now exceeds the number of available credits. This is indicated by several red alerts (in HOME), including the Exceeding Credits alert that appears at the top right of all pages.

In the timeline:

  • The pink bars show that the current credits are exceeded, and that from April 9th they will reduce further.

Below the timeline:

  • The text confirms that additional credits need to be added to the system.
  • The Open Licensing Portal button can be used to open the portal in the new browser tab.
  • The red alert confirms that immediate action is required to resolve the current usage issue.
  • The yellow alert relates to the future expiry of credits in 8 days time.

Important: If the current usage exceeds the valid licenses and credits, then any apps that have been started will continue to run. This allows productions to be completed. The change in usage only becomes relevant once an app is stopped or the entire system / app server is shutdown. In this instance, the app will not start up again until the licensing issue is resolved.

You can check which app(s) are affected by returning to the "Devices" page in HOME. Any affected app(s) are shown as Unlicensed in the "Status" column. In our example, the Multiviewer 1 app.

Resolving Issues with Credits

If either a red or yellow alert message appears in HOME, then some action must be taken.

To keep using credits, there are three possibilities:

  1. Top-up the available credits (by assigning more credits to HOME using the my.lawo.com licensing portal).
    To do this you may need to activate a new Lawo Flex subscription or revoke some credits from another HOME system.
  2. Sacrifice an existing resource (e.g. by disabling an option elsewhere).
  3. Reduce the licensing requirement (by editing the configuration of the device or app).

Alternatively, if more perpetual licenses are installed, then this will have an impact on the available credits (in a mixed licenses + credits system).