# Licensing of the video conferencing server
Access to different features of TrueConf Server collaboration platform is determined in two ways:
- Availability of extensions.
| Name | Terms of provision |
|---|---|
| LDAP/Active Directory | Free |
| SIP/H.323/RTSP gateway | Free, one has to purchase licenses for a certain number of connections |
| Public conferences (webinars) | Free, one has to purchase licenses for a certain number of connections |
| Federation | Purchase of any paid license |
| Live streaming | Purchase of the extended or full technical support package |
| Conference UDP Multicast | Purchase of the full technical support package |
| Integration with DLP | Included in TrueConf Enterprise |
| TrueConf Directory | Included in TrueConf Enterprise |
| TrueConf License Manager | Included in TrueConf Enterprise |
| TrueConf Border Controller | Included in TrueConf Enterprise |
| Simultaneous interpretation | Purchase of any paid license |
| SDK applications support | Provided on request |
To learn more about different levels of TrueConf technical support, follow this link.
2. Licenses that set the number of connections for each of these types:
| License type | Who can use it | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Online users | Users authorized on TrueConf Server | All features provided by the video conferencing server, except participation in group conferences |
| PRO users | Users authorized on TrueConf Server | Participation in group conferences |
| Guest users | Users without a permanent account on TrueConf Server | Participation in public conferences (webinars) |
| SIP/H.323/RTSP connections | Connections via SIP, H.323, and RTSP protocols (endpoints, PBX users, IP cameras) | Participation in conferences via SIP, H.323, and RTSP protocols |
On the Summary → License info tab, one can check the number of available licenses for each type.
In TrueConf Server Free there are restrictions on the number of licenses for each type of connection. To learn more, go to the web page of this solution.
Below we will closely discuss the licensing of each connection type.
# Online users
Online users are the users who are authorized under their account on your TrueConf Server. An online license is linked to the device, but not to the TrueConf ID of a user. So, if a person is authorized on a smartphone and PC at the same time, 2 online licenses will be taken.
If the OS run on a user`s device puts TrueConf client application to sleep mode or closes it (e.g., if the PC was put in idle mode), TrueConf Server will not count such connections as online users. For example, if a user is authorized on a mobile device and has the status 
(recent activity), no online license will be taken. Such a person is technically offline, even though he/she can receive push notifications.
When purchasing a license, 3 online users are provided for every 2 PRO users to ensure they can connect to the system from different devices. It is also possible to buy additional online licenses as packages for 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 users at the price which is much lower than the price for PRO licenses.
So, the main competitive advantage of licensing online users on TrueConf Server separately is that it enables employees to be constantly online in a messenger and make video calls from time to time. In other words, authorized users have access to all the features of the TrueConf collaboration platform except participation in group conferences.
# PRO licenses and conference participation
The rules described in this section apply to the registered users of your video conferencing server. They can connect from:
TrueConf client applications for desktops (Windows, macOS, Linux)
TrueConf client applications for mobile devices (Android and iOS/iPadOS)
TrueConf client applications for Android TV
TrueConf Room software-based endpoint
TrueConf Videobar hardware-based endpoint
TrueConf Kiosk, a software solution for information and self-service kiosks
Browser (via WebRTC), in other words, the user joins a conference with a link (this does not include guests who are licensed separately).
PRO users are the users authorized on your TrueConf Server who are allowed to participate in group conferences. The user, who is authorized on the server from a single device, takes only one online license without taking a PRO license until he/she starts to participate in a group conference.
The number of available slots for participation in conferences is regulated by the parameter PRO users that you can check in the TrueConf Server control panel on the License info tab of the Summary section.
# Key aspects of using PRO licenses
The administrator of TrueConf Server can distribute the common pool of PRO licenses into two groups: permanent and temporary.
Permanent licenses are given without any time restrictions to the users from the groups selected by the administrators. They can join conferences at any moment without waiting for licenses to be released into the common pool. Distribution of licenses is not available on the free version of the video conferencing server.
Temporary licenses are taken from the remaining pool of available PRO licenses and are given to other users based on the common rules that will be described below.
If a user, who was not given a permanent PRO license, tries to join a group conference when PRO licenses are available, this person will automatically receive a temporary PRO license. It will be reserved for this user for 24 hours. If the user joins the same group conference or any other during this period, the countdown will be reset to zero. While a user is staying in a conference, the license is automatically renewed.
The TrueConf Server administrator can instantly revoke a temporary PRO license from any user by clicking on the
button next to this user's name (check the description of the PRO licenses section in the control panel).The server administrator can allow users to request a PRO license manually before participating in a conference (it will also be active for 24 hours after reception).
The number of devices used by a person for participating in conferences does not affect the number of available PRO licenses since such a license is linked to a specific user account (TrueConf ID). It is not tied to the device on which the user is authorized. So, if the user, who is simultaneously signed in on two devices, joins two conferences from these devices, two online licenses and one PRO license will be taken.
When the number of available PRO licenses becomes equal to 0 and a user tries to join a group conference, the following checks will be made:
If this person has a permanent PRO license, he/she will be allowed to participate in the conference.
If this user previously received a temporary PRO license, and it is still valid (check part 1), he/she will be able to participate in the conference.
In other cases, the user will be unable to participate in a conference. At the same time, this person will still be able to participate in one-on-one calls and chats or make use of other features.
5. Permanent PRO licenses will be redistributed right after the manual restart of TrueConf Server. They can also be redistributed automatically every 24 hours (the countdown starts from the latest launch of the main server service):
5.1 If the pool of available licenses is not sufficient for the users with permanent licenses, they will be taken away from the users with temporary licenses (starting from the users whose temporary PRO license has the shortest expiry period).
5.2. If a user is removed in the group with permanent licenses after the redistribution, this person will be given a temporary PRO license (if such licenses are available). This step will be performed after part 5.1.
5.3. If there are ongoing conferences, only the participants, whose licenses were taken away after the automatic redistribution (part 5.1 and 5.2) will be removed from meetings.
Licenses are redistributed automatically so that one does not have to restart TrueConf Server manually to apply changes in the lists of user groups for which permanent PRO licenses are reserved. Besides, when licenses are redistributed automatically, ongoing meetings are not ended as it is the case when the server is restarted manually.
The TrueConf Server administrator can check the validity period of temporary PRO licenses and distribute permanent licenses in the PRO Licenses section of the control panel.
# Use of PRO licenses during federation
If a conference hosted on your TrueConf Server is joined by external users from a federated server, no PRO license will be taken.
Alternatively, if your users participate in conferences hosted on a federated server, only your PRO licenses will be taken.
# Examples of how PRO licenses are counted
Let us discuss some examples to get a better idea of this question.
Case 1
There are 10 PRO licenses on the server.
No permanent licenses were given to users which means that 10 temporary PRO licenses are available.
In total, four users are authorized on the server (each one is authorized on a single device).
A user (this person`s login will be user) takes part in a single group conference.
In the TrueConf Server control panel, you will see that 1 PRO license and 4 licenses for online users are taken (the PRO license is taken by the person with the login user).
The PRO license will be released by the person with the user login in 24 hours after he/she leaves the conference.
Case 2
There are 10 PRO licenses on the server.
Permanent licenses are given to the IT group that includes 3 users.
In total, there are 2 users authorized on the server and they do not belong to the IT group.
One of the users from part 2 is taking part in a conference.
In the TrueConf Server control panel, the administrator will see that 4 PRO licenses and two licenses for online users are taken. This result can be explained by the fact that permanent licenses are reserved (always available to three users from the IT group) and one temporary license is given to the user who is currently participating in the conference (check part 3).
At the same time, 6 PRO licenses will be available to other users. These licenses will be given automatically as it was described above.
Case 3
There are 10 PRO licenses on the server.
No permanent licenses were given to users which means that 10 temporary PRO licenses are available.
In total, 4 different users are authorized on the server with 3 of them being authorized from one device each.
One of the users (this person's login will be user) is authorized on 2 different devices and is participating in two group conferences from these devices.
In the TrueConf Server control panel, you will see that 1 PRO license is taken by the person with the *user login due to the rule according to which a PRO license is bound to TrueConf ID instead of a user`s devices. In addition to that, 5 licenses for online users will be taken (two of them are taken by the user person and 3 by other authorized users from part 3).
The PRO license will be released in 24 hours by the user person after he/she leaves the last conference on any of the applications.
# SIP/H.323/RTSP connections
The number of participants who can join your conferences via SIP/H.323/RTSP is regulated by the licenses needed for connections via the built-in gateway. TrueConf Server Free provides 1 connection via the SIP/H.323/RTSP gateway.
Connections via SIP/H.323/RTSP do not require PRO licenses. If the endpoint is authorized with the user account, an additional online license is used. SIP/H.323/RTSP devices are always allowed to connect to a conference.
Case 1
There are 150 licenses for online users, 100 PRO licenses and 5 SIP/H.323/RTSP licenses.
A server user invites 2 SIP endpoints (none of them is authorized on TrueConf Server) and 1 RTSP surveillance camera to a conference.
In the TrueConf Server control panel, the administrator will see that 1 online license and 3 SIP/H.323/RTSP licenses are taken.
Case 2
There are 150 licenses for online users, 100 PRO licenses and 5 SIP/H.323/RTSP licenses.
A server user invites 2 SIP endpoints to a conference. One of the endpoints is authorized on TrueConf Server.
In the TrueConf Server control panel, the administrator will see that 2 online licenses and 2 SIP/H.323/RTSP licenses are taken.
# Guest connections
Public conferences (webinars) can be joined by guests or users who are not registered on your server. The number of such participants is determined by a separate license for guest connections. TrueConf Server Free offers 1 guest connection.
Guest connections do not require PRO or online licenses. Guests are always allowed to join conferences. However, you need to keep in mind that one cannot send a text message to a guest user outside a conference or make a point-to-point call.
Example
There are 150 online licenses, 100 PRO licenses and 5 guest licenses.
A server user invites 3 guests to a public conference.
In the TrueConf Server control panel, the administrator will see that 1 online license, 1 PRO license and 3 guest licenses are taken.