Using an ArcGIS for Desktop license to run an ArcGIS Engine application


Summary
ArcGIS Engine applications can run on machines with ArcGIS for Desktop.

Product or extension licensing

One of the advantages of the ArcGIS Engine licensing model is that custom ArcGIS Engine applications can be deployed to users with ArcGIS for Desktop installed and the ArcGIS Engine application can leverage the existing ArcGIS for Desktop license to run the ArcGIS Engine application. This allows for more flexibility in the licensing of your application. The following table lists the ArcGIS Engine product or extension license, and its equivalent ArcGIS for Desktop license level:
ArcGIS Engine
ArcGIS for Desktop
License comparison
ArcGIS Engine for Windows
Basic
ArcGIS Engine for Windows is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop Basic at the ArcObjects level. ArcGIS Engine for Windows does not include any of the ArcGIS for Desktop applications, such as ArcMap, but it does include the same core geographic information system (GIS) ArcObjects.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Geodatabase Update extension
Standard
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Geodatabase Update extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop Standard at the ArcObjects level. The Geodatabase Update extension does not include any of the advanced editing user interface (UI)available in ArcMap, but it does provide complete access to the geodatabase application programming interface (API) for creating, editing, and managing geodatabases.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension
ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst extension 
ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst extension
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Spatial Analyst extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop with the Spatial Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level. The Spatial extension for ArcGIS Engine does not include ArcGIS Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for raster cell analysis.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS Network Analyst extension 
ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the ArcGIS Network Analyst extension
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Network extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop with the Network Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Network extension includes commands and ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that solve on any network.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension 
ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop with the ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Data Interoperability extension does not include ArcGIS for Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that read, transform, and export published data formats.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Maplex for ArcGIS extension 
ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the Maplex for ArcGIS extension
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Maplex extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop with the Maplex extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Maplex extension does not include ArcGIS for Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that provide high-quality cartographic text placement and labeling.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS Schematics extension 
ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the ArcGIS Schematics extension
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Schematics extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop with the ArcGIS Schematics extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Schematics extension includes commands and ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that view network datasets as schematic representations.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the ArcGIS Tracking Analyst extension 
ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) with the ArcGIS Tracking Analyst extension
ArcGIS Engine for Windows with the Tracking Analyst extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop with the Tracking Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Tracking extension does not include ArcGIS for Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that play and analyze time series data.
StreetMap USA is no longer a separate extension; however, it is included in ArcGIS Engine for Windows.
There is no ArcGIS Engine for Windows equivalent to ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced. Functionality that is only available with an Advanced license is not available in ArcGIS Engine.
ArcGIS Engine for Windows can be configured to use an ArcGIS for Desktop license that is available on your local network. To make this work, the machine that has ArcGIS Engine for Windows installed needs to have a system-level environment variable present (ARCGIS_LICENSE_FILE). The value of this variable is the path to a valid ArcGIS for Desktop license file or the host name of the License Manager host machine.
The following steps guide you through the process of setting this system variable for Windows:
  1. Click the Start menu, Control Panel, then System.
  2. Click the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button.
  3. Create a system variable and name it ARCGIS_LICENSE_FILE.
  4. Set the value to @<hostname> for a license manager on your local network, for example, @server1.
  5. Click OK.
At this point, any ArcGIS Engine application deployed to this system will have access to all licensing levels on the licensing server, such as ArcGIS for Desktop Basic, Standard, and Advanced.
Your ArcGIS Engine application must check out any one of these three levels explicitly.






Development licensing Deployment licensing
Engine Developer Kit ArcGIS for Desktop Basic
ArcGIS for Desktop Standard
ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced
Engine