Chapter 2

License File Basics

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The license file contains information required by FLEXlm to manage licenses for a FLEXlm-licensed application. This information includes:

License server names and hostids
Vendor names and paths to vendor daemon executables
Feature information

In general, the license file, or a copy of it, must be accessible to every machine that runs a FLEXlm-licensed application, and to each machine designated as a license server.

2.1 Specifying Location of the License File

Software vendors often recommend a specific location for your license file. If you are running the application on multiple machines, you have these options for making your licenses available on all the machines:

Place the license file in a partition which is available to all machines in the network that need the license file.
Copy the license file to all of the machines where it is needed.
Set the LM_LICENSE_FILE or VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE (where VENDOR is the vendor daemon name) environment variable to port@host, where host and port come from the SERVER line in the license file. Alternatively, if the license file SERVER line specifies a TCP/IP port in the default port range (27000-27009) or does not specify a port (thereby allowing the system to choose one from the default range), use the shortcut specification, @host. Table 2-1 shows some examples of LM_LICENSE_FILE and VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE environment variable settings.

Table 2-1: Environment Variable Specification Examples

SERVER Line	LM_LICENSE_FILE or VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE Setting
SERVER myserver 17007ea8 \        40000 where: host = myserver port = 40000	40000@myserver
SERVER myserver 17007ea8 \        27001 where: host = myserver port = 27001, within the default range	@myserver
SERVER myserver 17007ea8 where: host = myserver port = none specified, uses a default TCP/IP port number in the range of 27000-27009	@myserver

On Windows, if the application cannot find the license file, the user is presented with a dialog that asks the user to specify the license file location, the license server, or license fulfillment from the internet.

Since the vendor daemon keeps track of license usage, and since the license file contains encrypted data to protect it against modification, you may move and copy the license file as much as necessary.

For counted licenses, no matter which option you choose, you must first copy lmgrd and the vendor daemon to a location accessible by the licensed application.

2.1.1 Setting the Path with an Environment Variable

Most applications specify a location where they expect to find the license file and install it automatically. However, you can change the license file location by setting the LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable. For example, in the C shell:

setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE license_file_list

In the Korn and Bourne shells:

LM_LICENSE_FILE=license_file_list
export LM_LICENSE_FILE

On Windows 95/98/ME, add the following line to C:\autoexec.bat:

SET LM_LICENSE_FILE=license_file_list

On Windows NT/2000/XP, use the System Control Panel to change the global environment, adding license_file_list to LM_LICENSE_FILE.

Wherever license_file_list is specified it can consist of the following components:

the full path to the license file
a directory containing one or more license files with a .lic extension
a port@host setting, where port and host are the TCP/IP port number and host name from the SERVER line in the license file. Alternatively, use the shortcut specification, @host, if the license file SERVER line uses a default TCP/IP port or specifies a port in the default port range (27000-27009)

Applications accept an environment variable (or Windows Registry) named VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE, where VENDOR is the vendor daemon name, e.g., GSI_LICENSE_FILE. This environment variable’s scope is limited to just those applications from vendor VENDOR.

With lmgrd and lmutil (lmstat, lmdown, etc.), the -c option overrides the setting of the LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable.

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Note: Some applications do not recognize the LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable. FLEXlm-enabled Java applications, in particular, do not recognize it.

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See Also

Section 3.5, “Managing Multiple License Files,” for more information about LM_LICENSE_FILE.
Appendix D, “FLEXlm Environment Variables”

	FLEXlm Version Notes

Default TCP/IP port number range introduced in v6.0 of lmgrd.
License file location dialog introduced in v6.0 of the FLEXlm client library.

2.2 License File Format Overview

License files usually begin with a SERVER line (or three lines for three-server redundant servers) followed by one or more VENDOR lines, followed by one or more FEATURE or INCREMENT lines. In some cases the license file requires no SERVER line and no VENDOR line.

You can modify these elements in the license file:

Host names on the SERVER line(s)
TCP/IP port numbers on the SERVER line(s)
Paths on the VENDOR line(s)
Options file paths on the VENDOR line(s)
Optional TCP/IP port numbers on the VENDOR line(s) (for firewall support only)
USE_SERVER line
Values in keyword=value pairs on FEATURE lines, if keyword is specified in lowercase

See Also

Section 4.3, “Redundant License Servers”
Section 4.4, “Counted vs. Uncounted Licenses,”
Appendix B, “License File Format,” for details on each one of these components.

	FLEXlm Version Notes

USE_SERVER introduced in the v5.0 FLEXlm client library.
VENDOR lines are known as DAEMON lines in the pre-v6.0 lmgrd and vendor daemon.

2.3 Types of License Files

License files are created by the software vendor. License files specify floating (concurrent) usage, node-locked (both counted and uncounted), or any combination of floating, counted, and uncounted.

2.3.1 Floating (Concurrent) Licenses

A floating license means anyone on the network can use the FLEXlm-licensed application, up to the limit specified in the license file (also referred to as concurrent usage or network licensing). Floating licenses have no hostids on the individual FEATURE lines. Floating licenses requires an lmgrd and a vendor daemon to be running to count the concurrent usage of the licenses.

An example of a license file that provides floating licenses is:

SERVER lulu 17007ea8
VENDOR sampled
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 2 SIGN=signature1
FEATURE f2 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 6 SIGN=signature2
FEATURE f3 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 1 SIGN=signature3

This license file specifies that two licenses for feature “f1,” six licenses for feature “f2,” and one license for feature “f3” are available anywhere on the network that can access the license server “lulu.” lmgrd uses one of the default FLEXlm ports.

2.3.2 Node-Locked Licenses

Node-locking means the licensed software can only be used on one machine or a set of machines. A node-locked license has a hostid on any FEATURE line that is node-locked to a particular host. There are two types of node-locked licenses; uncounted and counted.

If the number of licenses is set to 0 (or uncounted), then the license is uncounted and unlimited use is permitted on the specified machine. This configuration does not require an lmgrd or a vendor daemon because it is not going to count the concurrent usage of the features.

The following license file allows unlimited usage of feature “f1” on the machines with hostids of “17007ea8” and “1700ab12”:

FEATURE f1 sampled 1.000 1-jan-2005 uncounted SIGN=signature1 \
        HOSTID=17007ea8
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.000 1-jan-2005 uncounted SIGN=signature2 \
        HOSTID=1700ab12

Alternately, these two FEATURE lines could have been issued by your software vendor with a hostid list:

FEATURE f1 sampled 1.000 1-jan-2005 uncounted SIGN=signature \
        HOSTID="17007ea8 1700ab12"

If these were the only FEATURE lines in this license file, no lmgrd daemon is necessary and you do not need to start one.

The following license file provides three licenses for feature “f1”, locked to the machine with hostid “1300ab43.” Since the license server and licenses are locked to the same machine, the daemons run on the same machine that runs the licensed application.

SERVER lulu 1300ab43 1700
VENDOR sampled /etc/sampled
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 3 SIGN=signature \
        HOSTID=1300ab43

2.3.3 Mixed Node-Locked and Floating Licenses

Uncounted node-locked and concurrent usage licenses can be mixed in the same license file.

The following license file allows unlimited use of feature “f1” on machines “17007ea8” and “1700ab12,” while allowing two other licenses for feature “f1” to be used anywhere else on the network:

SERVER lulu 17001234 1700
VENDOR sampled C:\flexlm\sampled.exe
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 uncounted SIGN=signature1 \
        HOSTID=17007ea8
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 uncounted SIGN=signature2 \
        HOSTID=1700ab12
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 2 SIGN=signature3

This configuration requires an lmgrd and a vendor daemon because the concurrent usage of the two licenses on the third FEATURE line is counted.