Configurations are a crucial part of the license process because they link Smart Licensing Client on a user's computer to keystores. For example, in the picture below, Client A looks through the keystores in Configuration ABC when trying to obtain a license. Client B looks through the keystores in Configuration XYZ.
In addition to linking client computers with keystores, configurations are also used to define the projects in which a particular user can work. The configuration of each project specifies the ordered list of keystores that can be accessed when working on that project. For more information, see Keystore order on a project.
Projects can be used to group related work tasks for a resulting deliverable, such as a piece of equipment or a process.
A project can be referenced by more than one configuration and can be associated with different keystores in a different order within each configuration. This means a keystore might be associated with any number of projects or the same project multiple times through different configurations. This flexibility allows license administrators to create configurations that best fit their business model and reporting needs.