do I need a serial per seat for Lightning? (eg 5 seats = 5 copies of Bryce right? so thats 5 serials) or does 1 serial cover the entire setup?

I don't think so, 1 should cover it. But I could be wrong. Hey,.........I like cereals !  Coco Puffs is my favorite !

This is what I love about Bryce Lightning there is no limitation.

Install Bryce on you're Slowest PC and than install Bryce Lightning on you're fastest Machine(s).

From The DAZ Website:

The Bryce Lightning network render application utilizes advanced image compression for improved rendering over Local Area Networks (LAN) or Wide Area Networks (WAN).   Bryce Lightning 2.0 is an easy-to-use, stand-alone application that can be installed on an infinite number of machines without additional licenses. Bryce Lightning 2.0 offers greater stability and a more compact client interface, and improves render times for your Bryce scenes.

ok lets clarify. it's not Lighting I'm asking about.

it's Bryce.

do I need a serial for each copy of bryce on the network? If I'm running 10 machines on the lightning setup do I need 10 bryce serials? 1 per copy of Bryce installed? or will One serial be legal?

sounds like Microsoft...hoo boy...

You dont need 10 Bryce Serials to run on 10 Machines.

You need 1 Bryce Serial on the HOST PC (slowest)
You need to install Bryce Lightning on the remaining 9 Machines.

But I would imagine if you want to run Bryce on 2 Machines you would need a license for each Bryce Installation.

I'm getting confused here.. so I don't need Bryce on a client machine just the host? (sorry all the network renderers I've used before have needed the main software on each machine to render)

Yes!!! You only need Bryce on the Host Machine.    Bryce Lightning on Client Machines.  Thats it.

Install Bryce on you're Host PC and thats it.

Install Bryce Lightning on all you're Client PC's.

but please, make sure to install Bryce on the slowest PC when network rendering because the HOST Does not render but deligates work between clients, so it would be a waste of processor.

This is how the DAZ license works.

DAZ sells "You" a license to use the software. This means you can install a copy of Bryce at work, at home, on any machines where you could use Bryce. If your wife or child gets on your computer at home or a co-worker gets on your work computer you are breaking the license because they need their own copy. If Analog-X shows up in your home and starts using Bryce, that's OK, he has his own license. If you really wanted to install an infinite number of Bryce's with your Bryce lightnings you could but their is no point.

Lightning is a rendering engine only. It has no front panel or way to create scenes. It only gets instructions from another install of lightning that has been given a scene to render by Bryce. In Bryce 5 the control copy of lightning could also render, but they changed it in 6 so it just tells the other nodes what to do. Lightning won't work thru firewalls. Although it's possible to use it over the internet with other machines the problems with keeping a connection for several hours doesn't make it advisable. Lightning requires a fixed IP address to keep connection with its pieces.

You can use this software on as many computers as you can get to. You can even use lightning on other people's computer that don't have a Bryce license if they'll let you.

Welcome to the Not-node-locked world of Not-Maya.

thanks for the lesson.. in all my years on computers... about 20 now.. I'd never knew that. /dry mode off

I found out what I wanted to know in the end. all the software I've used for network rendering in the past has required the core software to be installed on each machine as well as the render client.

no where did I find it written that this is not the case with Bryce. hence the confusion - thinking that each render machine required Bryce to be installed and each Bryce needing a serial number.