# License asset groups
License asset groups

License asset groups provide a centralized way to manage and monitor license usage across your Amazon environment. You can group related assets, apply licensing rules, and track compliance from a management account or delegated admin account.

**Topics**
+ [

# Understanding Amazon License Manager license asset groups
](understanding-license-asset-groups.md)
+ [

# Getting started with license asset groups
](getting-started-license-asset-groups.md)
+ [

# Working with license asset groups
](working-with-license-asset-groups.md)
+ [

# Working with license asset rulesets
](working-with-license-asset-rulesets.md)

# Understanding Amazon License Manager license asset groups


License asset groups in Amazon License Manager provide centralized license management across Amazon regions and accounts within an organization, offering consolidated visibility, automated notifications, and comprehensive reporting for software license compliance.

## What are license asset groups


A license asset group is a container within Amazon License Manager that consolidates licenses and their associated EC2 instances based on user-defined rules. These groups provide a unified view of your software licensing state across your entire Amazon Organizations, regardless of which regions or accounts the licenses and instances reside in.

License asset groups work by applying rulesets that define which licenses and instances belong together. For example, you might create a "Windows Server" license asset group that tracks all Windows Server licenses and the EC2 instances running Windows Server across your organization. The group automatically discovers and includes relevant resources based on the rules you configure.

The system supports both Amazon-managed rulesets for common software products like Microsoft Windows Server, SQL Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu Pro, and SUSE Enterprise Linux, as well as custom rulesets that you can create for your specific licensing needs.

## Key capabilities and components


### Centralized license visibility


License asset groups aggregate licensing information from multiple Amazon regions into a single view. This cross-region visibility eliminates the need to check each region individually to understand your organization's software licensing state. The groups automatically discover software products running on your workloads using the Amazon Systems Manager agent and consolidate this information for organization-wide visibility.

### Flexible rule-based organization


License asset groups use rulesets to define which licenses and instances they track and maintain. This flexible relationship between groups and rulesets allows you to organize your licenses in ways that match your business needs. You can use Amazon-managed rulesets for widely adopted products or create custom rules for specialized software.

### Automated compliance monitoring


License asset groups provide automated license expiration notifications through Amazon SNS, helping you proactively manage license renewals. License consumption is tracked against defined usage dimensions such as vCPU, Sockets, Instance, or Core metrics, ensuring you maintain awareness of your licensing obligations.

## Integration with existing Amazon services


License asset groups build upon existing Amazon License Manager capabilities and integrate with several Amazon services to provide comprehensive license management. The feature works alongside license configurations and automated discovery features you may already be using.

To enable software discovery, install the Amazon Systems Manager agent on your EC2 instances. For multi-account scenarios, you need to configure cross-account discovery and ensure appropriate IAM permissions for License Manager operations across your organization.

# Getting started with license asset groups


This section helps you get started with license asset groups in Amazon License Manager. You'll learn how to set up the prerequisites, configure source regions, and create your first license asset group.

## Prerequisites


Before you begin using license asset groups, ensure you have the following prerequisites:
+ Amazon Systems Manager (SSM) agent installed on your EC2 instances
+ Cross-account discovery configured if managing licenses across multiple accounts
+ If you are onboarding for the first time, follow the [License Manager getting started guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/latest/userguide/getting-started.html) to set up all required permissions

## Set up license asset groups


### Configure source regions


License asset groups are available in all Amazon commercial Regions where Amazon License Manager is available. Cross-region discovery requires selecting source Amazon regions during setup. This allows License Manager to discover all software across your selected regions.

**To configure source regions using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Settings**, then choose **License asset discovery and ruleset**.

1. In the **License asset discovery** section, choose **Edit**.

1. Under **Region discovery**, select the regions from where you want to discover your products.

1. If you are an organization owner and want to discover across all organization accounts, choose **Enable**.

1. Choose **Save changes**.

# Working with license asset groups


This section describes how to create, update, delete, and manage license asset groups in Amazon License Manager. License asset groups help track and manage licenses across your Amazon resources.

## Creating license asset groups


License asset groups track and manage licenses across your Amazon resources. You can create multiple asset groups to organize different software products and modify their settings at any time to adapt to your licensing needs.

**Note**  
You can use a one-click template to quickly create a license asset group, or follow the steps below to manually create a license asset group by adding various license rule sets based on your specific needs.

**To create license asset groups using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **License asset discovery and ruleset**.

1. In the **License asset discovery** section, ensure **Region discovery** is populated with regions.

1. In the **License asset ruleset** section, select either **Amazon-managed rulesets** (preset rules configured for specific Amazon-managed products) or **custom rulesets**. See [](working-with-license-asset-rulesets.md).

1. Choose **Create license asset group with ruleset**.

1. For **License asset group name**, enter a friendly name to remember how you are grouping the assets.

1. (Optional) For **License asset group description**, enter a detailed description about how you are grouping the assets.

1. For **Usage Dimension**, choose one of the following options: vCPU, Sockets, Instance, or Core. This field determines the usage calculation for the assets.

1. Select one or more **License asset ruleset**, either **Create new** ruleset or **Add** from existing Amazon managed or custom ruleset. See [](working-with-license-asset-rulesets.md).

1. (Optional) For **Tags**, add one or more tags.

1. Choose **Create license asset group**.

**Note**  
Once a license asset group is created, discovery begins automatically and typically completes within 24 hours. During this time, License Manager scans your configured regions and accounts to identify all instances matching your ruleset criteria.

**To create license asset groups using the CLI**
+ Use the `create-license-asset-group` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/create-license-asset-group.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager create-license-asset-group \
      --name "Windows Server Group" \
      --description "License asset group for Windows Server instances" \
      --license-asset-group-configurations UsageDimension=vCPU \
      --associated-license-asset-ruleset-arns arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:ruleset/ruleset-id \
      --client-token unique-token
  ```

## Updating license asset groups


You can update license asset groups to modify their configuration, add or remove rulesets, and update tags.

**To update license asset groups using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Licenses**.

1. In the **License asset group** section, ensure one or more license asset groups are available.

1. To select a license asset group for editing, select the check box and choose **Actions**, **Edit**. Alternatively, choose the item itself.

1. Choose the **Edit** button on the license asset group's page. From here, you can:
   + Edit the license asset group name
   + Edit the license asset group description
   + Add or remove license asset rulesets
   + Add or remove license asset group tags

1. Choose **Save changes** when your changes are complete.

**To update license asset groups using the CLI**
+ Use the `update-license-asset-group` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/update-license-asset-group.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager update-license-asset-group \
      --license-asset-group-arn arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:license-asset-group/group-id \
      --name "Updated Windows Server Group" \
      --description "Updated description for Windows Server instances"
  ```

## Deleting license asset groups


You can delete license asset groups that are no longer needed. Note that this action cannot be undone, and rulesets associated with the license asset group will not be deleted.

**To delete license asset groups using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Licenses**.

1. In the **License asset group** section, ensure one or more license asset groups are available.

1. To select a license asset group for deletion, select the check box and choose **Actions**, **Delete**. Alternatively, choose the item itself, then choose the **Delete** button from the license asset group's page.

1. To permanently delete the license asset group, type **confirm** in the text box, then choose **Delete**.

**Important**  
This action cannot be undone. Rulesets associated with this license asset group will not be deleted.

**To delete license asset groups using the CLI**
+ Use the `delete-license-asset-group` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/delete-license-asset-group.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager delete-license-asset-group \
      --license-asset-group-arn arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:license-asset-group/group-id
  ```

## Viewing license asset group details


You can view detailed information about your license asset groups, including associated rulesets, instances, and licenses.

**To view license asset group details using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Licenses**.

1. In the **License asset group** section, ensure one or more license asset groups are available.

1. To view details for a license asset group, select the check box and choose **Actions**, **View details**. Alternatively, choose the item itself.

**To view license asset groups using the CLI**
+ Use the `get-license-asset-group` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/get-license-asset-group.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager get-license-asset-group \
      --license-asset-group-arn arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:license-asset-group/group-id
  ```

## List license asset groups


You can list all license asset groups in your account to view their status and configuration.

**To list license asset groups using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the left navigation pane, choose **License asset groups**.

1. View the list of license asset groups with their names, status, and associated rulesets.

**To list license asset groups using the CLI**
+ Use the `list-license-asset-groups` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/list-license-asset-groups.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager list-license-asset-groups \
      --max-results 50 \
      --next-token token-from-previous-call
  ```

## Listing discovered assets for a license asset group


It takes up to 24 hours to view all instances, granted licenses, and self-managed licenses associated within a license asset group. Any changes to your instances, granted licenses, and self-managed licenses are reflected in 24 hours.

**To list assets for a license asset group using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Licenses**.

1. View details for a license asset group by selecting the check box and choosing **Actions**, **View details**. Alternatively, choose the item itself.

1. From the license asset group's page, you can view all instances, granted licenses, and self-managed licenses associated with the license asset group.

**To list assets for license asset groups using the CLI**
+ Use the `list-assets-for-license-asset-group` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/list-assets-for-license-asset-group.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager list-assets-for-license-asset-group \
      --license-asset-group-arn arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:license-asset-group/group-id
  ```

# Working with license asset rulesets


This section describes how to create, update, delete, and manage license asset rulesets in Amazon License Manager. License asset rulesets define the resource discovery criteria for license asset groups.

## Understanding rulesets


A ruleset is a resource within License Manager that defines the resource discovery criteria for a product. It serves as a logical grouping of related rules that can be used for product discovery, with rulesets being able to be used across different products.

There are two different types of rulesets:
+ **Amazon Managed Rulesets** - Created and maintained by the License Manager service
+ **Custom Rulesets** - Created and managed by customers

The key benefit of rulesets is that new rules can be added to a ruleset, and those changes are automatically reflected in all license asset groups using the same ruleset, which are automatically used to discover products.

### Ruleset types


License-based  
For self-managed or granted licenses, including Amazon Marketplace products

Instance-based  
To discover instances based on certain properties

Each ruleset contains up to 5 rules that define how to discover and track your software. You can create rules to identify licenses, instances, or both, and combine multiple conditions using AND, OR, or exact matching logic to precisely target the resources you want to manage.

The following table shows the available keys you can use when creating license asset ruleset rules:


**License asset ruleset rule keys**  
[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/license-manager/latest/userguide/working-with-license-asset-rulesets.html)

## Using Amazon-managed rulesets


Amazon provides pre-configured rulesets for common software products. These managed rulesets are automatically updated and maintained by Amazon.

**To use Amazon-managed rulesets**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **License asset discovery and ruleset**.

1. In the **License asset ruleset** section, select **Amazon-managed rulesets**.

1. Browse the available managed rulesets and select the ones that match your software products.

Available Amazon-managed rulesets include:
+ Microsoft Windows Server Datacenter
+ Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition
+ Microsoft SQL Server Standard Edition
+ Red Hat Enterprise Linux
+ Ubuntu Pro
+ SUSE Enterprise Linux

## Creating custom rulesets


You can create your own ruleset for defining license and instance tracking rules that are specific to your environment and requirements.

**To create rulesets using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **License asset discovery and ruleset**.

1. In the **License asset ruleset** section, choose **Create Ruleset**.

1. For **Ruleset name**, enter a friendly name for the ruleset.

1. For **Ruleset description**, provide a description of what the ruleset is meant to be.

1. (Optional) Add tags for the ruleset and choose **Next**.

1. In step 2 (Configure discovery of licenses), you can add rules related to your licenses. This ensures the system can use the license to calculate license usage for instances the product is installed on. While configuring discovery of licenses is optional, we recommend adding it if you want license usage calculations.
   + You can add self-managed licenses and provide ARN or account ID
   + You can also add granted licenses (licenses procured from Amazon Marketplace) ARN, ProductSKU, etc.
   + You can add multiple rules by choosing **Add rule**

1. In step 3 (Configure discovery of instances), you can add rules on how to discover various instances. This ensures instances can be found based on selection criteria and that those instances are accounted for the product you are configuring your license asset group. You can add one or more rules by selecting the following fields:
   + Platform (Windows or Linux)
   + EC2 billing product code
   + Marketplace product code
   + AMI ID, Host ID, Instance ID, etc.

1. Review your configuration and choose **Submit**.

1. You can see your recently created ruleset under **My rulesets**.

**To create rulesets using the CLI**
+ Use the `create-license-asset-ruleset` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/create-license-asset-ruleset.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager create-license-asset-ruleset \
      --name "Custom Windows Ruleset" \
      --description "Custom ruleset for Windows Server tracking" \
      --rules '[
        {
          "RuleStatement": {
            "InstanceRuleStatement": {
              "MatchingRuleStatement": {
                "Attribute": "Platform",
                "Values": ["Windows"]
              }
            }
          }
        }
      ]' \
      --client-token unique-token
  ```

## Updating rulesets


You can update custom rulesets to modify their configuration, add or remove rules, and update tags.

**To update rulesets using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **License asset discovery and ruleset**.

1. In the **License asset ruleset** section, navigate to **My rulesets**.

1. To select a ruleset, select the associated check box and choose **Actions**, **Edit**. Alternatively, choose the ruleset name, then choose the **Edit** button on the ruleset page.

1. From here, you can make the following updates:
   + Edit the ruleset name
   + Edit the ruleset description
   + Add or remove tags associated with the resource

1. Choose **Next** when your changes are complete. From the next screen, you can:
   + Add or remove rules
   + Update license types for existing rules
   + Update conditions for existing rules

1. Choose **Next** when your changes are complete. From the next screen, you can:
   + Add or remove inclusion rules to specify conditions to identify instances you want to include

1. Review and edit changes made on the previous screens. Choose **Submit** to finalize changes.

**To update rulesets using the CLI**
+ Use the `update-license-asset-ruleset` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/update-license-asset-ruleset.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager update-license-asset-ruleset \
      --license-asset-ruleset-arn arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:ruleset/ruleset-id \
      --name "Updated Custom Windows Ruleset" \
      --description "Updated description for Windows Server tracking"
  ```

## Deleting rulesets


You can delete custom rulesets that are no longer needed. Note that rulesets cannot be deleted until they have been removed from all license asset groups.

**To delete rulesets using the console**

1. Open the License Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **License asset discovery and ruleset**.

1. In the **License asset ruleset** section, navigate to **My rulesets**.

1. To select a ruleset for deletion, select the associated check box and choose **Actions**, **Delete**. Alternatively, choose the ruleset name, then choose the **Delete** button on the ruleset page.

1. To permanently delete the ruleset, type **confirm** in the text box, then choose **Delete**.

**Important**  
This action cannot be undone. Rulesets cannot be deleted until they have been removed from all license asset groups.

**To delete rulesets using the CLI**
+ Use the `delete-license-asset-ruleset` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/delete-license-asset-ruleset.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager delete-license-asset-ruleset \
      --license-asset-ruleset-arn arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:ruleset/ruleset-id
  ```

## Getting ruleset details


You can retrieve detailed information about a specific ruleset, including its configuration and rules.

**To get rulesets using the CLI**
+ Use the `get-license-asset-ruleset` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/get-license-asset-ruleset.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager get-license-asset-ruleset \
      --license-asset-ruleset-arn arn:aws:license-manager:region:account:ruleset/ruleset-id
  ```

## Listing rulesets


You can list all rulesets in your account to get an overview of your available rulesets.

**To list rulesets using the CLI**
+ Use the `list-license-asset-rulesets` command. For more information, see the [Amazon CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/license-manager/list-license-asset-rulesets.html).

  ```
  aws license-manager list-license-asset-rulesets \
      --max-results 50 \
      --next-token token-from-previous-call
  ```