IMSL Products: License Tips

1. License manager - How to get system hostids on various systems

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How do I get the system hostid (lmhostid, Ethernet, ncp, DECStation / Ultrix,
     DG / dgux5, HP700, RS - 6000 / AIX, SCO / Unix, SGI / IRIX, SUN, VMS, Windows
     and NT) ?

     SOLUTION

     This differs by hardware platform and operating system.  You can always get
     the hostid using the command :

     lmhostid

     However, customers that don't have access to lmhostid often need to get the
     hostid.  Following is a chart for the most popular operating systems :

     Hardware / OS          Hostid type                 How to obtain
     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     DECStation / Ultrix    Ethernet                    lmhostid
                                                        arp on a different node
                                                        usually works.

     DG / dgux5             32 - bit number             /usr/sbin/systemid

     HP700 (also LM HP700   32 - bit number             uname -i
     question)

     RS - 6000 / AIX        32 - bit number             uname -m, remove last 2
                                                        digits, then use
                                                        remaining last 8 digits;
                                                        000276513100 becomes
                                                        02765131

     SCO / Unix             String                      uname -x, then prepend
     (post v3.0)                                        ID_STRING=

     SCO / Unix             32 - bit                    uname -x, remove any
     (pre v3.0)                                         leading letters, then
                                                        use only next hex digits;
                                                        sco3ax5 becomes 3a.

     SGI / IRIX             32 - bit                    echo '/etc/sysinfo -s'
                                                        and convert to hex from
                                                        decimal

     SUN                    32  - bit                   hostid

     VMS

     For systems running Decnet Phase IV
     procedure :

      $mcr ncp
      NCP> show known lines char
      NCP> exit

     Use the  "Hardware address" as the hostid.

     For systems running Decnet Plus:

     $MCR NCL
     NCL> show csma-cd station * all status
     NCL> exit

     Use the  "Hardware address" as the hostid.

     ALSO : to get the hostname from VMS, type : show node

     Windows and NT         Ethernet                    lmhostid

                          (Windows : Supports ODI, NDIS, and  Packet Driver
     Ethernet
                           interfaces.
                           NT : Supports "NWLink IPX/SPX" --
                           available from NT system CD)

                           32 - bit C : vol           dir c:\ and look for
                           serial number              "Volume Serial Number is",
                                                      and remove '-'.

                           32 - bit Sentinel          lmhostid -sentinel
                           dongle from
                           Globetrotter

2. License manager - Blank hostid or wrong host on HP700

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: HP700

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     On HP700, the hostid seems to be blank (""). Executing a
     program returns the error message "Wrong host for xxxxxx",
     where xxxxxx is the product name.

     SOLUTION

     Because obtaining the Ethernet address (which is sometimes used
     as the hostid on hp700 systems) requires read and
     write permissions on "/dev/lan0".  To fix this,

                     1) log in as root
                     2) type "chmod 777 /dev/lan0"

     No, this is not a security hole.  It is trivial to read TCP
     packets by simply connecting a notebook computer to the net.
     System administrators should assume these packets are readable.
     Therefore, changing perms on /dev/lan0 is not a security
     problem.

     We've seen postings suggesting using setuid to get around this
     problem.  Using setuid is a serious, real security hole;
     setting permissions on /dev/lan0 is not.

     Better yet, if you're using v3.0 or later of FlexLM, use the
     uname -i hostid.  This is the default hostid produced by
     lmhostid with v3.0 and later, primarily to get around all the
     problems we were seeing using Ethernet address.

3. License manager - HP gives Ethernet or uname hostid, why?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: HP

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     At some HP sites lmhostid gives an Ethernet hostid, and at others a uname -i
     hostid.  Why?

     SOLUTION

     Until v3.0 of FlexLM, FlexLM only supported Ethernet hostid on hp700. VNI
     uses FlexLM 2.4, so using LMHOSTID is recommended when using this version.

     On hp700:

     Command            Version        Result
     lmhostid            v3.0+   uname -i hostid
     lmhostid -long      v3.0+   uname -i hostid
     lmhostid -idmodule  v3.0+   id-module hostid

     lmhostid            v2.4    Ethernet hostid
     lmhostid -long      v2.4    id-module hostid

     lmhostid -ether     v2.2+   Ethernet hostid

     lmhostid            v2.1   id-module hostid
                       (^--rare, and old)

4. License manager - SGI gives wrong hostid

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: SGI

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     For some applications, the hostid on some SGI systems (IRIX 4 / IRIX 5) seems
     to be wrong.  Why?

     SOLUTION

     This only happens when an application has been compiled on
     IRIX 4, and is running on an IRIX 5 system.  Since IRIX 4
     is now getting old, this problem should occur less often.

     After IRIX 5.1, SGI has two hostids available on each
     system, and old and a new hostid.  A hostid problem arises
     when using FlexLM binaries linked with IRIX 4 on an
     IRIX 5 system.  The IRIX 4 binaries only see the "old" hostid,
     whereas the IRIX 5 binaries see the "new" hostid.  To
     use FlexLM binaries linked with IRIX 4 on an IRIX 5 system,
     the end-user will have to change his system's hostid to
     the "old" hostid.

     To fix, as root, run:

     # systune -i
     systune- use_old_serialnum
     use_old_serialnum = 0
     systune- use old_serialnum 1
     Do you want to change this to 1? y
     systune- quit
     #

     You will see several values printed, one of which is "use old
     serial num".  Value is set to 0 on 5.1 by default.  This should
     be set to 1 using systune.

     Example:  new:  332293  old: 53336b32

5. License manager - Wrong hostid (0 or FFFFFFFF) on Windows NT (NWLink
IPX/SPX)

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: Windows NT

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     On NT, I'm getting a 0 hostid (or FFFFFFFF)--how do I fix this (NWLink
     IPX/SPX)?

     SOLUTION

     The "NWLink IPX/SPX" network driver must be installed. To do this:
     o Put the NT system disk in the CDROM drive.
     o Select "Main"
     o Select "Control Panel"
     o Select "Network"
     o Select "Add"
     o And add the NWLink IPX SPX driver

6. License manager - Application can't find license file

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     My application can't seem to find the license file. What do I do
     ($LM_LICENSE_FILE / license.dat) ?  (Error -1 NOCONFILE "cannot find license
     file")

     SOLUTION

     Applications find the license file in one of 3 places:

     1) A location specified in the application by the vendor.  See the
     application manual for this location.

     2) $LM_LICENSE_FILE (including VMS and Windows/NT). This can also be a
     colon-separated list (like $PATH) of license files, so that this environment
     variable can be set once for all applications.

     3) the default FlexLM license location:
     /usr/local/FlexLM/licenses/license.dat

     With v4.0+ applications (available spring-1995), a new feature, the License
     Finder, can also be used in place of $LM_LICENSE_FILE.  See the FlexLM
     End-Users or Programmers Guide

7. License manager - LMSTAT doesn't report features

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     lmstat doesn't report all the features in my license file (LM_LICENSE_FILE,
     "uncounted" features).  Why?

     SOLUTION

     Here's the possibilities:
     1) $LM_LICENSE_FILE is set to the wrong file.
     2) lmstat only reports the first file in the $LM_LICENSE_FILE colon-separated
     list.  Use lmstat -c to report on each file separately.
     3) lmstat doesn't report on "uncounted" features.
     These are features with a "number of licenses" field set to '0'.  "Number of
     licenses" is the 6th item on a FEATURE line (after the expiration date).
     There's nothing to report on uncounted features.

8. License manager - FlexLM license files from multiple vendors

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     I've received FlexLM license files from 2 different companies.  Do I have to
     combine them?


     SOLUTION

     You don't have to combine license files.  Each license file that has any
     "counted" lines (the "number of licenses" field is 0) requires a server.
     It's perfectly OK to have any number of separate license files, with
     different lmgrd server processes supporting each file.  Moreover, since lmgrd
     is a lightweight process, for sites without system administrators, this is
     often the simplest (and therefore recommended) way to proceed.

9. License manager - How to combine license files

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     I want to combine license files.  How do I do it?

     SOLUTION

     Only license files with identical hostids on the SERVER line can be combined.
     Note that license files may refer to the same host using different hostids,
     particularly on hp700, where one file may use Ethernet hostid, and another
     uname -i.  In this case these license files CANNOT be combined because the
     hostids are not identical.

     If the hostids are identical, concatenate the 2 files, and then remove
     identical SERVER lines, so there's only one (or three for redundant servers)
     SERVER line(s).

     It's then strongly recommended that symbolic links be made from the new,
     merged file to the old file locations.  That way, the applications will be
     able to find the newly merged file without having to change anything.

     Finally, make sure you use the latest version of lmgrd on the merged file.
     The FlexLM version of lmgrd MUST be = the FlexLM version of the vendor
     daemon (noted on the DAEMON line).  Use lmver to determine the FlexLM version
     of the vendor daemon or lmgrd.  (The patch letters at the end of the version
     are not significant when comparing versions for this purpose.)

     ALSO
     The LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable can be used to establish a new
     default location for the license file ( note that a " -c " option will
     override the setting of LM_LICENSE_FILE ).  In addition, client programs can
     process a series of license files by setting LM_LICENSE_FILE to a path, as in
     :
     setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE file1:file2:file3:...:filen
     or on VMS :
     assign file1,file2,file3,...,filen LM_LICENSE_FILE
     or also on VMS (for example) :
     define LM_LICENSE_FILE
     DISK$USER:[abc]license.dat,DISK$USER:[def]license.dat,DISK$USER:[ghi]license.
     dat , ....etc

     Client programs will then try using file1; if it fails, file2 will be tried,
     etc.

10. License manager - When to consider combining license files

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     When is it recommended to combine license files?

     SOLUTION

     Many system administrators, especially for larger sites, prefer to combine
     license files to ease administration of FlexLM licenses.  It's purely a
     matter of preference.

11. License manager - Conflict with MATLAB and IMSL on VAX / VMS

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: IMSL libraries
         Architecture/OS version: VAX/VMS

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     There seems to be a license manager conflict with MATLAB and IMSL on the VAX
     / VMS.  MATLAB ignores the ACL's (access control lists) on the license.dat
     file and MATLAB must be checking its
     access to this file not using the VMS-provided RMS (Record Management
     Services) facilities;  otherwise, whether access is granted due to protection
     codes or ACLs is normally totally transparent. Also MATLAB uses port number
     201 and IMSL / VNI uses port number 200 in the DAEMON lines. What are the
     issues involved in combining the license.dat files of both products ?

     SOLUTION

     1.  MATLAB and ACL's :

     VMS has 2 mechanisms for controlling who can access a file:  There is the
     "protection codes" and the more elaborate "access control lists" (ACLs).  We
     tend  to control access to the library of 3rd-party software using ACLs.  The
     ACLs on the file allow everyone who is authorized to run the 3rd-party
     software access to it.  However, MATLAB, by some convolutions, was ignoring
     the ACLs on the license  file.  Instead, the protection code had to be set to
     world read/execute (W=RE).  This means MATLAB must be checking its access to
     this file not using the VMS-provided RMS (Record Management Services)
     facilities;  otherwise, whether access is granted due to protection codes or
     ACLs is normally totally  transparent.  To change the protection codes, type
     : set prot = (w:re) <license file name

     2. Different Port Numbers : Matlab uses port number 201. We use port number
     200. To combine the license.dat files the SERVER lines must be the same.
     MATLAB uses a newer version of the license manager than IMSL / VNI .  We use
     v2.4. The suggestions / warnings / ideas about helping to  combine the two
     license.dat files are :

     - Use the existing common SERVER line
     - Use the 2 daemon lines, one with port 200, one with 201 (it doesn't matter
     which one uses which)
     - Append the FEATURE lines for both products
     - Use the vendor daemons both companies normally ship
     - There are no lmgrd version dependencies, since there is no lmgrd on VMS
     - Use a single pathname to the license.dat file in the logicals LICENSE_DIR,
     and LM_LICENSE_FILE.  The pathname will be to the newly combined license.dat
     file.
     - type LMDOWN
     - type VNI_LICENSE_MGR
     - type LMSTAT - to check the status

12. License manager - What are the components of a license file?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     What are the components of a license file (SERVER, DAEMON, FEATURE,
     INCREMENT, UPGRADE, PACKAGE )?

     SOLUTION

     The license file keywords are:

     SERVER, DAEMON, FEATURE, INCREMENT, UPGRADE, PACKAGE

     Any line not beginning with a keyword is a comment.

     Following is a summary of these lines and their meaning. For a more complete
     description, please refer to the End-Users or Programmers Manual.

     SERVER: This line is required if any FEATURE lines are
     "counted" (number of licenses  0).
     This indicates 1) the hostname of the server (so the client applications will
     know which host to talk to),
     2) the host's unique hostid, and
     3) the "port" number the server is using.

     This "port" number is a unique address on that host.  The combination of port
     number and hostname is a unique address, like a unique telephone number, so
     any process on that network can talk to the lmgrd server.

     The hostname and port number can be changed.  The hostid CANNOT be changed,
     or the license is invalidated.  If there are no "counted" FEATURE lines, this
     line is not needed, and is ignored if it's included.

     DAEMON: This line is also required only if there are "counted" FEATUREs.
     This specifies the daemon's unique name, and the path to the vendor daemon
     binary.  This path can be changed and often needs to be modified upon
     installation.

     FEATURE/INCREMENT/UPGRADE: This is the heart of the license file, and lists
     what the user is licensed to use.  These three keywords have nearly identical
     layouts and similar meaning.

     FEATURE: There's 2 formats for a FEATURE line, pre-v3.0 and v3.0+.
     Both formats have the same first 7 fields.  ALL versions of FlexLM understand
     the pre-v3.0 format.

     Here's the first 7 fields:

     "FEATURE name daemon version exp-date #lic key"

     name:   feature name
     daemon: The vendor's unique daemon name.  Ties this feature to the
     appropriate        DAEMON line.
     version: Software version licensed.  Any version of the software up to this
     version number is licensed.  Later version numbers will be denied.  Format is
     floating-point, e.g.,

     nnn.nnn.

     exp-date: License expires on this date.
     Format: dd-mm-yy[yy], "01-mar-2002".  If the year is
     '0' the software never expires, e.g., 01-jan-00.

     #lic:   Number of licenses.  Usually this refers to the number of concurrent
     users of the feature.

     key:    A 20-character hex key. Heart of the license file security, it's a
     checksum of the FEATURE line, and the hostid, and the vendor's encryption
     seeds.  Guarantees the user cannot change most of the license file (hostname,
     port number, and daemon path can be changed without changing this key).

     In pre-v3.0 format, there's one more required field, and an optional field:

     vendor-defined string: This is often blank, and is then specified with a
     blank string: "".  This field is required in pre-v3.0 format.  If non-blank,
     it's meaning is determined by the application vendor.

     hostid: This field is optional in pre-v3.0 format.  For node-locked licenses.
      This differs from the hostid on the SERVER line: on the SERVER line, the
     FlexLM server must be run on the specified hostid; on the FEATURE line, the
     USER must be on the specified hostid to use the licensed feature.
     _______________________________________________

     v3.0+ format:  After the first 7 fields, the remaining fields are always of
     the format "name=value", and are called "name-value pairs," for example,
     "HOSTID=12345678".  Name-value pairs where the name is uppercase are part of
     the license key, and cannot be altered.  If the name is lowercase, it's not
     part of the key, and users are welcome to change it.

     Here's the v3.0+ name keywords for name-value pairs:

     HOSTID: See description above.
     ck:     Used in conjunction with lmcksum to determine that the license file
     has
     been typed in correctly.

     OVERDRAFT: Allows a number of uses beyond the #lic field, for a more lenient
     licensing policy.

     DUP_GROUP: With this field, the application can allow, for example, a user on
     the same node and display to have any number of uses counted as one use.
     Please see the manuals for further information on this.

     The following FEATURE keywords have no predefined meaning by FlexLM -- their
     use is defined by the application vendor.

     VENDOR_STRING
     vendor_info
     dist_info
     user_info
     asset_info
     ISSUER
     NOTICE

     INCREMENT: The fields are identical to a FEATURE line, but "increments" the
     #lic field.  This way a distributor can issue an INCREMENT line for 1 use,
     and then, later, another INCREMENT line for 2 uses, totaling 3 uses.

     Note that if the INCREMENT's differ by version, hostid (node-locked), they
     will "pool" separately in the server -- that is, they'll be counted
     separately.

     Also, if vendor-defined strings are different they may or may not pool
     separately, depending on the vendor.

     UPGRADE: Identical format to FEATURE, except there's 2 version numbers, a
     "from" version and a "to" version.  Useful with INCREMENT lines, to upgrade a
     number of the existing licenses from one version to another.

     PACKAGE: Package has 2 different purposes:

     1) to license a product SUITE, or
     2) to provide a more efficient way of distributing a license file that has a
     large number of features.

     Since PACKAGE lines contain no customer-specific information, they can be
     optionally included with the application software to further ease license
     distribution.

     Format:

     PACKAGE name vendor version key
     COMPONENTS=list  [ OPTIONS=SUITE ]

     pkg-name: If a corresponding FEATURE line has the same name, this package
     will be "enabled" - each feature name in "list" will become an independent
     FEATURE.

     vendor: Ties in to DAEMON name.

     version: The corresponding FEATURE line must have the same version.

     key: 20-character license key - secures the PACKAGE line.
     list: feature names which will become features if the packaged is "enabled".

     SUITE: If this is set, the PACKAGE behaves as a suite.  The package name
     itself becomes a feature, which is checked out in parallel with each
     component feature.

13. License manager - What does a demo license file look like?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     What does a demo license look like (FEATURE, DEMO)?

     SOLUTION

     Companies can implement demo licenses in unlimited ways, but there is one most
     common method, which will be explained.
     Example:

     FEATURE f1 demo 1.0 01-jan-1996 0 87ced98ce12a12900878 "" DEMO

     This is a complete demo license for feature "f1".  The attributes of a
     standard demo license, like this one, are:
     o It expires relatively soon.
     o It's uncounted (Note the "Number of licenses" field is '0') and therefore
     requires no server.
     o Since it is uncounted, there's no SERVER or DAEMON lines.
     o The word "DEMO" at the end is a pseudo-hostid, which indicates it will run
     on any system.

     Normally, the software vendor will preprint these demo licenses, one set for
     each time period, and hand out the licenses based on the appropriate
     expiration date.

14. License manager - License file locations

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     My application can't seem to find the license file (default FlexLM license
     location, LM_LICENSE_FILE, LICENSE_DIR, license.dat) .  What do I do?

     SOLUTION

     Applications find the license file in one of 3 places:

     1) A location specified in the application by the vendor.  See the
     application manual for this location.

     2) $LM_LICENSE_FILE (including VMS and Windows/NT).
     This can also be a colon-separated list (like $PATH) of license files, so
     that this environment variable can be set once for all applications.

     3) the default FlexLM license location:

     /usr/local/FlexLM/licenses/license.dat

     With v4.0+ applications (available spring-1995), a new feature,  the License
     Finder, can also be used in place of $LM_LICENSE_FILE.  See the FlexLM
     End-Users or Programmers Manual for more details on this.

15. License manager - LMSTAT doesn't report all features

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     lmstat doesn't report all the features in my license file (LM_LICENSE_FILE, 0
     number of licenses, unlimited node - locked, lmstat -c, uncounted features).
     Why?

     SOLUTION

     Here's the possibilities:
     1) $LM_LICENSE_FILE is set to the wrong file.
     2) lmstat only reports the first file in the $LM_LICENSE_FILE colon-separated
     list.  Use lmstat -c to report on each file separately.
     3) lmstat doesn't report on "uncounted" features.  These are features with a
     "number of licenses"  field set to '0'.  "Number of licenses" is the 6th item
     on a FEATURE line (after the expiration date).  There's nothing to report on
     uncounted features.

16. License manager - Handling various FlexLM versions from different

     vendors

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     I have products from several companies at various FlexLM version levels.  Do
     I have to worry about how these versions work together?

     SOLUTION

     If you're not combining license files from different vendors, the simplest
     thing to do is make sure you use the tools (especially lmgrd) that are
     shipped by each vendor.

     lmgrd will always correctly support older versions of vendor daemons and
     applications, so it's ALWAYS safe to use the latest version of lmgrd.  If
     you've combined license files from 2 vendors, you MUST use the latest version
     of lmgrd.

     If you've received 2 versions of a product from the same vendor, you MUST use
     the latest vendor daemon they send you.  An older vendor daemon with a newer
     client will cause communication errors.

     Please ignore letters appended to FlexLM versions, i.e., v2.4d.  The appended
     letter indicates a patch, and does NOT indicate any compatibility
     differences.  In particular, some elements of FlexLM didn't require certain
     patches, so a 2.4 lmgrd can work successfully with a 2.4b vendor daemon.

17. License manager - old license files with newer versions of FlexLM

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     I've received a new copy of a product from a vendor, and it uses a new
     version of FlexLM.  Is my old license file still valid?

     SOLUTION

     Yes.  Older FlexLM license files are always valid with newer versions of
     FlexLM.

18. License manager - new license file format

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     I've received a new license file, and the format is different from the old
     one I had from the same vendor?  Why?  Are they compatible? (FlexLM,
     license.dat file, LM_LICENSE_FILE, LICENSE_DIR)

     SOLUTION

     As of v3.0, FlexLM has an optional new format for license files, which is
     explained fully in Q3.1.  FlexLM products always understand older versions;
     therefore, the pre-v3.0 files are understood by every FlexLM version.
     However, your old applications (pre-FlexLM v3.0) will not be able to use the
     new license file.

19. License manager - How to install a FlexLM license file

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How do I install a FlexLM license file ($LICENSE_DIR) ?

     SOLUTION

     The simplest thing to do is put the license file where the vendor suggests
     putting it.  If you've received the file via e-mail, you can use the email
     message itself is the license file, since all lines not beginning with FlexLM
      keywords are considered comments.

     The sure-fire place to put a license file is in the
     default location:  /usr/local/FlexLM/licenses/license.dat.
                       or
                       $LICENSE_DIR

     Normally, the only things you can change in a license file are
     1) The hostname (not the hostid!).
     2) The port number on the SERVER line.  This number may already be in use
     (lmgrd will report "Address In Use" if the port is in use).
     3) The path to the vendor daemon executable on the DAEMON line.

     FEATURE lines in the new (v3.0+) format sometimes have name=value pairs,
     which can be changed IF the 'name=' is lowercase.

20. License manager - How to start FlexLM on license server

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How do I start the FlexLM license server (lmgrd, VNI_LICENSE_MGR) ?


     SOLUTION

     (type ) % lmgrd -c "path-to-license-file"  logfile &

     or

     (type ) VNI_LICENSE_MGR

21. License manager - Trouble starting license server in system bootup files

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: IBM RS-6000 / AIX

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     I'm having trouble starting the license server in the system bootup files.
     How can I get this to work?  I want to have the license server daemon
     automatically start every time the servers are booted.

     SOLUTION

     For reasons unknown some /etc/rc (/etc/rc2.d, /sbin/rc2.d, etc.) files refuse
     to run lmgrd with the simple command listed above.  There are 2 workarounds
     we know to work - either or both should fix the problem:

     1) Use 'nohup lmgrd -c ...'.  (NOTE: this does NOT work with the c-shell,
     only sh or ksh).
     2) Add 'sleep 2' after the lmgrd command.

     Finally, on RS-6000 systems, you have to use /etc/inittab to start the
     license server.  The reason is that AIX has not started TCP networking when
     /etc/rc is run, and lmgrd requires TCP networking.

     To have the license server daemon automatically start every time the servers
     are booted add the lmgrd command to the system start-up script.  Although the
     general idea is the same for all systems, the exact details differ between
     computer vendors.  In all cases, the user should consult the documentation
     for his system.  For example, BSD operating systems that are based on
     Berkeley 4.2 and 4.3 distributions (SunOS, DEC ULTRIX) use the file
     /etc/rc.local for this purpose.  In this case, add the daemon start-up
     command to the end of this file.  These systems all require modifying the
     system files and/or directories to start the daemon.  Such changes can be
     lost when the operating system is updated.

22. License manager - Server refuses to start, "No license to serve" message

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     My server refuses to start.  I get the message "No licenses to serve" (or
     malloc 0)

     SOLUTION

     That's because the license file has only "uncounted" licenses, and these
     don't require a server.  Uncounted licenses have a '0' in the
     "number-of-licenses" field on the FEATURE line.  This is an unlimited
     license, or  unlimited node-locked if the hostid is at the end of the FEATURE
     line.

     To resolve comment out the SERVER and DAEMON lines for the IMSL products and
     do not start the license manager.  Leave the FEATURE lines intact.

23. License manager - Does FlexLM work across the Internet?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Does FlexLM work across the Internet?

     SOLUTION

     Yes.  A server on the Internet will serve licenses to anyone else on the
     Internet.  This can be limited with the INTERNET=attribute on the FEATURE
     line, which limits access to a range of Internet addresses.   You can also
     use the INCLUDE and EXCLUDE options in the daemon option file to allow (or
     deny) access to clients running on a range of Internet addresses

24. License manager - If client dies, does server free license?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     If my client dies, does the server free the license ( TCP )?

     SOLUTION

     Yes.  Assuming communications is TCP, the license is automatically freed
     immediately.  If communications are UDP, then the license is freed after the
     UDP timeout, which is set by each vendor, but defaults to 45 minutes.  UDP
     communications is normally only set by the end-user, so TCP should be
     assumed.

25. License manager - What happens when license server dies?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     What happens when the license server dies?

     SOLUTION

     FlexLM applications send periodic heartbeats to the server to discover if it
     has died.  What happens when the server dies is then up to the application.
     Some will simply continue periodically attempting to re-checkout the license
     when the server comes back up.  Some will attempt to re-checkout a license a
     few times, and then, presumably with some warning, exit.  Some GUI
     applications will present pop-ups to the user periodically letting them know
     the server is down and needs to be re-started.

26. License manager - "inconsistent encryption code" error

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     I'm getting the error "encryption code in license file is inconsistent".
     What does this mean?

     SOLUTION

     CAUSE : The reason could be any one of the following :
     (1) There are demo license features in the license file with permanent
     features.
     (2)There are typographical errors in any one of the following critical
     password dependent components : hostname, hostid, and the password itself.
     (3) An attempt to merge with an existing licensed software's license file.
     (4) Running an old version of lmgrd which does not support the new passwords;
     (5) Password was obtained for redundant servers.

     SOLUTION : The solution could be any one of the following.
     (1)If there are demo license features in the license file, put their FEATURE
     lines in a separate license.dat file a.k.a demolicense.dat.  Then append this
     filename and its path to $LM_LICENSE_FILE.
     (2)If the license file contains licenses for other software and different
     license servers are used for the different software, use a separate license
     file for each software.
     (3)Use 'which lmgrd' to check  whether you are running the right version of
     lmgrd in your current installation directory or an old version of lmgrd.
     (4)If the password is obtained for redundant servers, you will need multiple
     SERVER lines and run the lmgrd process on all of those machines specified on
     the SERVER lines.
     (5)Otherwise, check the hostname, hostid and password fields carefully for
     typos.

27. License manager - How to tell if a port is already in use

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How do you tell if a port is already in use ( cannot connect, can't connect)
     ?

     SOLUTION

     99.44% of the time, if it's in use, it's because lmgrd is already running on
     the port - or was recently killed, and the port isn't freed yet.  Assuming
     this is not the case, then use 'telnet host port' - if it says "can't
     connect", it's a free port.

28. License manager - How to start lmgrd on Windows NT

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: Windows NT

     LM / license manager / lmgrd on NT

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How do you start lmgrd on NT?

     SOLUTION

     There's two methods -- install it as a service, or type the command in a DOS
     window.  For a DOS window, assuming the license file is in the default
     location (C:\FLEXLM\LICENSE.DAT), use

     D:\FLEXLM lmgrd -app -l logfile

     Note that -app MUST be there, and it must be lowercase.  If it's not there,
     or it's typed uppercase, it will hang for 10 seconds, and then the DOS prompt
     will return.  To install as a service, use the INSTALL.EXE command provided
     by FlexLM.  For example:

     D:\FLEXLM install d:\flexlm\lmgrd.exe

     Note that the full pathname to lmgrd.exe must follow the install command, and
     you must make sure that the full path name, including drive letter, for your
     vendor daemon is specified in the license file, C:\FLEXLM\LICENSE.DAT.
     Finally, as usual, lmgr32.dll must be in the system's DLL search path. As a
     service, lmgrd is started when the system is booted.  The log file is located
     in SYSTEM32\LMGRD.LOG.

29. License manager - Error codes caused by FEATURE line fields

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     The user may get an error code returned once the product is to be used.  An
     example of the error code possible is Error code -11.  This code is typically
     for a wrong date.  However if the fields in the FEATURE line are positioned
     incorrectly or more likely if a field is missing then the fields themselves
     are read in the wrong order by the license manager daemon.

     SOLUTION

     Verify that the nature of the error code and that the fields are correct for
     each field.  Verify that  each field is present and correct.

30. License manager - Cannot connect to license server

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     When trying to run the license manager (VNI_LICENSE_MGR , lmgrd), or access
     the IMSL library routines the message appears "cannot connect to license
     server". Error(-15) CANTCONNECT.  lmstat returns CANTCONNECT or cannot
     connect to license server.

     SOLUTION

     CHECKLIST OF POSSIBILITIES :
     1. you may have to delete a lock file : /usr/tmp/lockIMSL or /usr/tmp/lockVNI
     2. the wrong license file is being referenced; check the pathname/file
     3. the server machine specified in the license file is down; try  ping
     <hostname
     4. the environmental variables are not pointing to the right
     files(LM_LICENSE_FILE, LICENSE_DIR ), run iptsetup.csh to set the
     environmental variables
     5. the vendor daemon specified in the license file is not running; type
     LMSTAT, then if it is down, type LMGRD to start the license manager.  You can
     also check if the process if running by typing : ps -ax | grep VNI or  ps -ax
     | grep lmgrd ( note : grep for lmgrd may also find license processes for
     other products )
     6. the hostname in the license file is not recognized by the system;(see
     /etc/hosts )
     7. the network between the client machine and the server machine is down
     8. on HP :  /dev/lan0 must have global read/write permissions ( chmod 666
     lan0 )
     9. make sure lmgrd or VNI_LICENSE_MGR has been started. You can also check if
     the process if running by typing : ps -ax | grep VNI or  ps -ax | grep lmgrd
     ( note : grep for lmgrd may also find license processes for other products )
     10. check that the file $LICENSE_DIR/machine.dat has the correct information
     in it.

     Also from the FlexLM manual
     The connect() system call failed, while attempting to connect to the daemon.
             The attempt to connect to the vendor daemon on all SERVER nodes was
     unsuccessful. lmstat returns CANTCONNECT if the feature had been checked out
     but the program is in the process of reconnecting.

31. License manager - Cannot open lock file or start license manager

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     You do not have write permission in the directory /usr/tmp.  To start the
     license manager, you must have write privileges for this directory.

     SOLUTION

     Set the correct privileges and start the license manager by typing the
     following commands:

     1. chmod a+w /usr/tmp
     2. VNI_LICENSE_MGR

     The VNI_LICENSE_MGR command starts the Visual Numerics license manager as a
     background process.  You must be logged in to the license server host
     computer when you enter this command.  In addition, the product's environment
     variables setup file must be sourced on this computer.

32. License manager - Error binding to socket

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     "error binding to socket, retrying" indicates a problem with starting the
     license-manager process, also known as lmgrd or VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY .

     SOLUTION

     Two steps and one alternative
     1. Verify that the TCP/IP port number assigned to your license manager
     process is not already in use by entering the following :

     netstat -a | grep 7659 ( or other port numbers i.e. 1700 1710 1701 etc)

     7659 is the default port number.  If a different port number was used,
     substitute that number in place of 7659.
     If the port number you assigned to the license manager is being used by a
     process other than the license manager, edit the license.dat file,
     $LM_LICENSE_FILE, and change the port number of your license manager.  The
     port number is found in the SERVER line in the license file as shown in this
     sample :

     SERVER opus 22002153 7659

     In this SERVER line, opus is the host name,  22002153 is the hostid,  and
     7659 is the port number.

     2. If the license manager process already exists with the port number you
     have assigned to it, run lmstat as described in Appendix A, Controlling the
     License Manager.  If LMSTAT indicates your license manager is running
     normally, do nothing more.  If LMSTAT gives the message :

     VNI : cannot connect to license server

     or alternately

     IMSL : cannot connect to license server

     halt and restart the license manager by entering the following two commands :

     LMDOWN
     VNI_LICENSE_MGR

     NOTE : The LMDOWN command stops all Visual Numerics license managers on your
     system (for primary and backup servers), and the VNI_LICENSE_MGR command
     starts the Visual Numerics license manager as a background process.

     3rd Alternative
     The user may have to delete a lock file : /usr/tmp/lockIMSL or
     /usr/tmp/lockVNI then restart the license manager (lmgrd or VNI_LICENSE_MGR)

33. License Manager - Problems on multiple-node VMS clusters

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: VAX/VMS

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     The user has multiple nodes in a VMS cluster, some of which are alphas and
     are to run IMSL. One is the server node and is always started first.
     Invoking VNI_LICENSE_MGR.COM creates (if necessary) the queue VNI_LICENSE_MGR
     and submits the START_LICENSE job.  When the second node starts, it sees the
     same queue and tries to submit the same job.  However, the VNI_LICENSE_MGR
     queue has a job limit of 1 so the second node START_LICENSE job never
     executes - it just remains in a pending state.  The result is that IMSL
     cannot be used on the second node .  Try to do so yields the following
     message:  "Cannot find the license file. The environment variable
     LM_LICENSE_FILE is not set."

     SOLUTION

     The recommended solution would be to combine the LICENSE.AXPVMS files into
     one file and only run one license manager for both licenses (actually for any
     VNI products on the cluster).  This is certainly the intent of the FlexLM license
     manager.  This would require a new softkey in that one of the licenses would
     have to move to a different server.  A few other people have run into this,
     and one customer found a way to run the license manager in a detached
     process.  VNI does not have any of the changes he may have made to the
     scripts to make this happen, so VNI cannot help in making this work.
     Another obvious solution might be to change the names of the batch processes
     from VNI_LICENSE_MGR to VNI_LICENSE_MGR_<node2 etc. to make the queues
     unique, but VNI does not believe this works.

34. License manager - Wrong hostid on SGI

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: SGI IRIX 4 / IRIX 5

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     For some applications, the hostid on some SGI systems (IRIX 4 / IRIX 5) seems
     to be wrong.  Why?

     SOLUTION

     This only happens when an application has been compiled on IRIX 4, and is
     running on an IRIX 5 system.  Since IRIX 4 is now getting old, this problem
     should occur less often. After IRIX 5.1, SGI has two hostids available on
     each system, and old and a new hostid.  A hostid problem arises when using
     FlexLM binaries linked with IRIX 4 on an IRIX 5 system.  The IRIX 4 binaries
     only see the "old" hostid, whereas the IRIX 5 binaries see the "new" hostid.
     To use FlexLM binaries linked with IRIX 4 on an IRIX 5 system, the end-user
     will have to change his system's hostid to the "old" hostid.

             To fix, as root, run:

             # systune -i
             systune- use_old_serialnum
             use_old_serialnum = 0
             systune- use old_serialnum 1
             Do you want to change this to 1? y
             systune- quit
             #

     You will see several values printed, one of which is "use old serialnum".
     Value is set to 0 on 5.1 by default.  This should be set to 1 using systune.
     Example:  new:  332293  old: 53336b32

35. License manager - general trouble unlocking software on Unix

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     The user, in general, has trouble starting / unlocking the software.

     SOLUTION

     Be sure that you enter the license server host name and the host ID / hostid
     correctly.  The correct name and ID appear on the user's Softkey Notification
     form.  Also, remember that the default answers to prompts during the
     unlocking program are correct only if the user is logged onto the license
     server host computer.  Note :  on HP / Hewlett Packard systems, the file
     /dev/lan0 must have read/write permissions for all users in order to unlock
     and run the software.

36. License manager - Getting rid of activity log from lmgrd

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     The license manager daemon on a Unix system writes a log of its activities to
     the standard output.  If a log is not wanted, redirect the standard output to
     the null device, /dev/null.
     It is possible to have the log go to the system console and also to generate
     a permanent log file.

     SOLUTION

     If a log is not wanted, redirect the standard output to the null device,
     /dev/null : <maindir/bin/lmgrd  /dev/null &
     It is possible to have the log go to the system console : <maindir/bin/lmgrd
      /dev/console &
     If a permanent log file is desirable, choose a location on the system where a
     growing log does not cause disk space problems.  The /var/adm and /usr/temp
     are reasonable choices.

37. License manager - Wrong hostid problem

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     When I run the license manager on my machine, it tells me it is the wrong
     hostid.

     The vendor daemon, VNI, checks the hostid listed on the SERVER line in the
     license file; if it does not match the hostid of the machine it is running
     on, this message ( Wrong host ) will be printed.  Possible causes include:
     1) you are trying to run the license server on a different machine from the
     machine the file was made for;
     2) the hostid of the machine you are running on changed ( for example, the HP
     ID module was moved, or the CPU board was replaced);
     3) the hostid in the license file was modified.

     SOLUTION

     Verify that the hostid of the machine on which the vendor daemon VNI (or
     node-locked client program) is being run matches the hostid specified in the
     license file ( on the SERVER line for the vendor daemon, VNI, or on the
     FEATURE line for a node-locked client ).  One can run the lmhostid program to
     see what FlexLM thinks the hostid is.  If the hostid of the server machine
     has changed, a new license file has to be obtained from our license
     administrator.

38. License manager - entered softkey does not match expected softkey

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     When using the VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY unlocking program the error message :

     The softkey you entered does not match the expected softkey.  Please check
     the Softkey Notification Form and enter the softkey exactly as shown there.
     If you continue to have trouble, contact Visual Numerics Customer Support.

     The user may have an evaluation or previous license.dat file already in
     $VNI_DIR/license/license.dat.

     SOLUTION

     Make sure the softkey does not have an expiration date.  In such a case the
     VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY program will not work and the license.dat file must be
     edited by hand.

     The user may have an evaluation or previous license.dat file already in :

     $VNI_DIR/license/license.dat.

     ( see LM_LICENSE_FILE )

     If this is the case then the user must backup the original license.dat file.
     Once this is done, then the user should start VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY and enter the
     new softkeys.

     Another alternative would be to backup the original license.dat file, then
     edit the license.dat file by hand.

     Another possible solution is to make a backup of the older license.dat file
     and rerun the unlocking program VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY.  The unlocking program
     looks for any previous license.dat files, and if it finds one it may give
     the error message while the user is trying to update their license.dat file.

     Or, re-enter the number carefully.  Be sure that you have not entered
     a lowercase L(l) instead of a one (1) or a letter o (upper or lower-case)
     instead of a zero (0).  Because it is a hexadecimal number, the softkey
     never contains the letters L or O or o.

     Finally, try this:

     Edit a license.dat file, so that you can try to run the license manager
     directly, and not use the unlocking program, VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY.  EXAMPLE :
     a. backup the previous license.dat file
     b. Please verify the pathnames and data seen in this license.dat file :
        SERVER briar 807a356b 7659
        DAEMON VNI /usr/local/vni/license/bin/VNI
     /usr/local/vni/license/OPTIONS.VNI
        FEATURE IMSLFNL VNI 3.000 1-jan-00 1 8c90c6f9bd093125aad2 ""
     c. Save this as license.dat
     d. Set up your environmental variables. source $VNI_DIR/ipt/bin/iptsetup.csh
     e. verify the environmental variables : echo $LICENSE_DIR, and echo
     $LM_LICENSE_FILE
     f. verify the status of the license manager daemon : lmstat -a
     g. if it is not responding or is down then start the license manager lmgrd,
     or VNI_LICENSE_MGR

     NOTE : These pathnames will vary according to your system installation
     configuration.

39. License manager - Breakdown of fields within a softkey

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How can you tell you have a softkey for a floating license and how many
     seats?  How can you tell that a license softkey is a DEMO license?  How can
     you tell that a license softkey is a node lock permanent softkey ?  The
     softkeys for the IMSL products can be broken down as follows:

     SOLUTION

     permanent node locked:

     #SERVER grafton.dartmouth.edu 1327270 7659
     #DAEMON VNI /gcgtmp2/imsl/license/bin/VNI  /gcgtmp2/imsl/license/OPTIONS.VNI
     feature  IMSLFNL  VNI  3.000  22-may-96  0  fc9066fffcce7d735610 "" 1327270
                [product]             |     [expir. date] |        [softkeys]
                [host id]
                                    [version]          [# licenses]

     How can you tell you have a softkey for a floating license and how many
     seats?

     EXAMPLE:  one seat floating permanent softkey

     SoftKey CMATH 1.020:  0102 1110 4ce0 187f a40c 4c06 6227
     Checksum:  28
     Expires:  never

     SoftKey CMATH 1.020:  9102 9110 4ce0 187f a40c 4c06 6227
     Checksum:  28
     Expires:  never

     You can tell that this is a one seat floating permanent softkey by looking at
     the 1st and 5th digit.  In this example, the 1st digit is 0 and the 5th digit
     is 1; therefore, this is a one seat floating license.  If the 1st digit was 9
     and the 5th digit was 9, then the softkey would be for 99 floating seats. The
     maximum number of floating seats is 99.

     NODE LOCK permanent softkeys, the 1st digit will be the letter 'b' and the
     5th digit will be the number of licensed seats.  For example, the softkey
     below is a one seat node-lock license.  If the 5th digit was 9, they the
     softkey would be a 9 seat node-lock.  If the 5th digit was zero (0), the
     softkey would be an unlimited node-lock.

     SoftKey CMATH 1.020:  b102 1110 1c60 989f 67e4 5deb 9f8d
     Checksum:  95
     Expires:  never
     Node-locked to hostid 714031b2

     DEMO softkeys begin with the letter 'a' and it is usually an unlimited
     floating license.

     Checksum 87, expiration on  3-apr-96    CMATH 1.020:   a102 0110 3bbf 4589
     9b66 fdb5 aa02

40. License manager - More on breakdown of fields within a softkey

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How can you tell you have a softkey for a floating license and how many
     seats?  How can you tell that a license softkey is a DEMO license?  How can
     you tell that a license softkey is a node lock permanent softkey ?  The
     softkeys for the IMSL products can be broken down as follows:

     SOLUTION

     permanent floating:

     SERVER grafton.dartmouth.edu 1327270 7659
     DAEMON VNI /gcgtmp2/imsl/license/bin/VNI  /gcgtmp2/imsl/license/OPTIONS.VNI
     feature  IMSLFNL  VNI  3.000  22-may-96  3  fc9066fffcce7d735610 ""
                [product]             |     [expir. date] |        [softkeys]
                [ no host id]
                                    [version]          [# licenses]

41. License manager - Does FlexLM work with NFS?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Does FlexLM work with NFS?

     SOLUTION

     Yes. FlexLM has no direct interaction with NFS.  FlexLM uses an NFS-mounted
     file like any other application.

42. License manager - Does FlexLM work with subnets, fully-qualified names,
etc.?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Does FlexLM work with subnets, fully-qualified names, multiple domains, etc.?

     SOLUTION

     Yes, although this behavior has been improved in v3.0. When a license server
     and a client are located in different domains, fully-qualified host names
     have to be used.  A         "fully-qualified hostname" is of the form:
     node.domain.xxx, where "node" is the local hostname (usually returned by the
     'hostname' command or 'uname -n') "domain.xxx" is the Internet domain name,
     and "xxx" is "com" or "edu" or "org", etc. To ensure success with FlexLM
     across domains, do the following:

     1) Make the sure the fully-qualified hostname is the name on the SERVER line
     of the license file

     2) Make sure ALL client nodes, as well as the server node, are able to
     'telnet' to that fully-qualified hostname.  For example, if the host is
     locally called "speedy", and the                   domain name is "corp.com",
     local systems will be able to logon to speedy via 'telnet speedy'.  But very
     often, 'telnet speedy.corp.com' will fail, locally.  Note that this telnet
     command will always succeed on hosts in other domains (assuming everything is
     configured correctly), since the network will resolve speedy.corp.com
     automatically.

     3) Finally, there must be an "alias" for speedy so it's also known locally as
     speedy.corp.com.  This alias is added to the /etc/hosts file, or if
     NIS/Yellow Pages are  being used, then it will have to be added to the NIS
     database.  This requirement goes away in version 3.0 of FlexLM.

43. License manager - What are FlexLM redundant servers?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     SOLUTION

     There's 2 kind of redundancy available through FlexLM: true redundant
     servers, and use of colon-separated list in $LM_LICENSE_FILE.  To avoid
     confusion, only true redundant servers are addressed here. Redundant servers
     are a set of 3 nodes designated to serve the same license file.  The license
     file has 3 SERVER lines.  lmgrd is started on all 3 nodes.  One of the
     servers starts out as the master server and serves licenses. If the master
     goes down, another server takes over as master. Redundant servers require a
     quorum of 2 servers to be up, or no licenses are served.

44. License manager - How do I start up redundant servers?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How do I start up redundant servers?  Is there a time-limit for starting all
     the servers?

     SOLUTION

     There is no time limit.  Simply start the servers as convenient.  The first
     server started of the first 2 listed in the license file becomes the master.
     For example,

     SERVER node1 12345678 2937
     SERVER node2 55489789 2937
     SERVER node3 87564543 2937

     The first to start of node1 or node2 becomes the master. node3 is never the
     master -- it's there only to maintain quorum.

     There is one FEATURE line for each product. When the softkey is generated the
     customer must specify that it is going to be used for redundant servers and
     give the license manager all three host ids, i.e. the softkey is generated to
     work with all three host ids.

45. License manager - Why is a quorum of 2 servers required?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Why is a quorum of 2 servers required?

     SOLUTION

     Without a quorum, you could easily steal licenses.  Here's how: request
     licenses from redundant servers for 3 nodes each of which are on separate
     networks.  Start each of the 3 nodes.  If quorum is not required, they'll
     each become master, and 3 times the number of licenses purchased will be
     available.  With quorum, this is impossible.

46. License manager - When are redundant servers recommended?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     When are redundant servers recommended?

     SOLUTION

     For mission critical applications where there's a system administrator
     available.  A good example is a Wall Street trading floor, where a lost
     server can mean a lost trade.  The reason an administrator is recommended is
     the following: since a quorum of 2 servers is required, when one server goes
     down, there are suddenly 2 points of failure.  That is, with 2 servers up, if
     EITHER goes down, licenses are denied.  In this state, the mathematical
     reliability of the system is twice as bad as it would be WITHOUT redundant
     servers, where only one of those 2 nodes would cause failure.  Therefore,
     it's the administrators job to detect when any of the 3 servers are down, and
     bring it back up as soon as possible.  This job is made easier with
     FLEXadmin, where detection is automatic.

47. License manager - When are redundant servers discouraged?

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     When are redundant servers discouraged?

     SOLUTION

     1) At sites without system administrators.  2) When the software relies on a
     single host.  In this case, there's a single point of failure, and redundant
     FlexLM servers only  complicates administration and does not add any
     redundancy to the overall system.

48. License manager - Ok to mount NFS-mounted license files w/redundant
servers

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Is it OK to NFS-mount license files when using redundant servers?

     SOLUTION

     If the license file is located only on one node, the redundancy is being
     defeated.  That is, there's a single point of failure, and the redundant
     servers only complicate administration.

49. License manager - Using colon-separated list for redundancy

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     How can the colon-separated list in $LM_LICENSE_FILE be used for redundancy?

     SOLUTION

     Suppose a customer wants 20 licenses for feature 'f1'.  The license
     distributor can ship 2 license files for 10  licenses each of 'f1', each with
     one SERVER line, for 2 different hostids.  For example:
     File 1:
     ____________________________________________________
     SERVER node1 12345678 2837
     DAEMON demo /usr/local/FlexLM/demo
     FEATURE f1 ...

     File 2:
     _____________________________________________________

     SERVER node2 87654321 2837
     DAEMON demo /usr/local/FlexLM/demo
     FEATURE f1 ...

     The user sets LM_LICENSE_FILE to file1:file2 (or 2837@node1:2837@node2).
     When a checkout for f1 is attempted it first attempts a checkout from node1.
     If this fails for any reason, a checkout is attempted from node2.

50. License manager - When to use colon-separated list for redundancy

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     When is it recommended to use colon-separated list for redundancy rather than
     true redundant servers?

     SOLUTION

     When there's less system administration available to monitor license servers,
     and when the applications are not mission-critical.  The colon-separated list
     has some other advantages:
     it's more forgiving if you lose quorum; it's not limited to 3 servers (any
     number will work); and for wide-area networks, you can make servers available
     locally, with remote servers available as backup.

51. License Manager / license error return code -31

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     check out of license failed with error return code -31

     SOLUTION

     Error -31 "feature not yet available" means that the start date encrypted in
     the soft key is later than the actual system date. For example, a demo
     softkey is typically set for 90 days, so if the end date is Nov 1, then the
     start date is around the beginning of august, so that softkey cannot be used
     before august (i.e. 90 days before Nov 1).

52. License manager - Path to VNI daemon not correct

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     User complains that the path to the VNI daemon in the license.dat file is
     incorrect.  He says that the path should extend to the bin.platform
     subdirectory.

     SOLUTION

     The VNI entry at the end of the path is a link to the VNI daemon in one of
     the directories below the /bin directory.   DAEMON VNI
     /usr/vni/license/bin/VNI  <---- for example, on a Solaris machine, the link
     points to the .../license/bin/bin.solaris/VNI

53. License Manager - invalid extended softkey format/VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY core
dump

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY gives "invalid extended softkey format" or core dumps on
     Solaris 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 on certain demo softkeys. The same softkeys work
     fine on other operating systems. This occurs on both versions 1.26 and 1.19
     of validate.

     SOLUTION

     Edit the license.dat file by hand to enter the softkey information.

54. License Manager - checkout failed with return code -2 on VMS

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     On a VMS system, the license manager is returning a messages of "Checkout of
     IMSLFNL failed, return code -2".

     SOLUTION

     An invalid softkey can produce this error message.

55. License Manager - not a valid server hostname

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: All

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Customer is getting the following error message in the log file when they
     start the license manager:

     "blue": Not a valid server hostname, exiting.
     Valid server hosts are: "BLUE"

     blue is the name of the server. The license is a node locked license to blue.
     The error occurs with either "blue" or "BLUE" in the SERVER line of the
     license.dat file.

     SOLUTION

     We were never able to definitely find the source of this error. Two sets of
     softkeys were generated and neither worked. The server name does not affect
     the softkey. Only the host id affects the softkey. FlexLM support suggested
     that it might be a bug in version 2.4 of FlexLM and that using version 5 of
     the license manager might correct it. This problem has been seen on both
     Solaris 2.4 and VMS 6.2 systems.

56. License Manager - Redundant Servers on VMS

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: VMS

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Are redundant servers supported on VMS systems?

     SOLUTION

     No.

57. License Manager - VNI_LICENSE_MGR setting incorrect architecture

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: DEC Alpha / VMS

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     On a DEC Alpha running VMS, the logical VNI_LICENSE_MGR points to the command
     procedure vni_license_mgr.com. This in turn executes a batch job
     start_license.com. START_LICENSE.COM tries to determine the architecture of
     the machine it is running on by using the command
     F$GETDVI("SYS$COMMAND","HOST_TYPE"). This is a somewhat questionable method
     of determining the architecture. In one customer's case, it did not work
     because the start_license.com file was residing on a vax disk but the license
     manager was to run on an alpha. The result of this command was vax as the
     architecture and thus it looked in the wrong directory for the vni.exe.

     SOLUTION

     Edit START_LICENSE.COM to use F$GETSYI("ARCH_NAME") instead of
     F$GETDVI("SYS$COMMAND","HOST_TYPE").

58. License Manager - Cannot set process name lock on VMS

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: All
         Architecture/OS version: VMS

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     After attempting to start the license manager on a VMS system, the
     vni_axpvms.log file contains the message "cannot set process name lock
     (VNI_FLEXlm) (148)". The license manager does not start.

     SOLUTION

     This message indicates the  process VNI_FLEXlm is already running. Possibly
     there has been more than one attempt to start the license manager. Use LMSTAT
     -a to check the status of the license manager. If it does not seem to be
     running, issue the LMDOWN command and then check processes running with "SHOW
     SYSTEM". If VNI_FLEXlm is still running, kill it and then try restarting the
     license manager.

59. License Manager - unresolvable symbol from VNI daemon on DEC Unix

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #:  CTT 2.1, CTT 2.0, CTT 1.1
         Architecture/OS version: DEC Unix 4.0d, 4.0e, or 4.0f

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     Running VNI_LICENSE_MGR on a DEC Unix 4.0d or 4.0e machine gives the following
     error messages:

     /....../license/bin/VNI:  /sbin/loader: Error: unresolvable symbol in /.../license/bin/VNI:
     /...../license/bin/VNI:  /sbin/loader: Fatal Error: this executable has unresolvable symbols

     The VNI.LOG file contains these error messages:

     13:54:15 (lmgrd) FLEXlm (v6.1c) started on xxx (DEC OSF alpha) (5/18/1999)
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) FLEXlm Copyright 1988-1998, Globetrotter Software, Inc.
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) US Patents 5,390,297 and 5,671,412.
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) World Wide Web:  http://www.globetrotter.com
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) License file(s): /usr/local/vni/license/license.dat
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) lmgrd tcp-port 7659
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) Starting vendor daemons ...
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) Started VNI (internet tcp_port 37906 pid 10259)
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) Vendor daemon died with status 1
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) Since this is an unknown status, lmgrd will
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) attempt to re-start the vendor daemon.
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) REStarted VNI (internet tcp_port 37907 pid 10234)
     13:54:15 (lmgrd) Vendor daemon died with status 1

     These errors are known to occur with VNI daemon for both Flexlm 6.1 and 4.1.

     SOLUTION

     The VNI daemon, delivered with CTT 2.0 and CTT 2.1,  was built on a DEC Unix 4.0b system.
     This problem has been traced to differences in the /shlib/libc.so library  on various
     DEC Unix 4.0 systems.

     A VNI daemon that is not dependent on a particular version of libc is available from
     Technical Support.

60. License Manager - VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY incorrectly converts softkeys

     PRODUCT/PLATFORM INFORMATION
         Product/Version #: CTT 2.1
         Architecture/OS version: unix

     PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

     The VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY delivered with CTT2.1 products,  incorrectly converts the softkeys
     for license seat quantities of over 25.  Explanation of the case that lead to the
     discovery is as follows:

     A customer received the following softkeys:

     SERVER  (name)  (host id)       27000

     SoftKey CMATH 3.010:  0301 e11b 1c56 4e5d d180 f778 d846
     Checksum: 52
     Expires: 01-jan-00

     SoftKey CSTAT 3.010:  0301 e21b 3c66 eecd c24d 1134 da3a
     Checksum: 86
     Expires: 01-jan-00

     SERVER (name) (host id) 27000
     DAEMON VNI /usr/local/vni/license/bin/VNI
     FEATURE CMATH VNI 3.010 01-jan-00 30 1C564E5DD180F778D846 ""
     FEATURE CSTAT VNI 3.010 01-jan-00 30 3C66EECDC24D1134DA3A ""

     However, when he used VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY to convert the above softkeys, the license.dat
     file looked like this:

     SERVER (name) (host id) 27000
     DAEMON VNI /h/reuse/vni2.1/license/bin/VNI
     FEATURE CSTAT VNI 3.010 01-jan-00 14 3C66EECDC24D1134DA3A ""
     FEATURE CMATH VNI 3.010 01-jan-00 14 1C564E5DD180F778D846 ""

     NOTICE the 14 floating licenses in these FEATURE lines versus the correct value of 30 as
     shown above in the FEATURE lines that we sent with the softkey notification form.  These
     softkeys have an (e) in position 5 and a (b) in position 8 which should produce 30
     floating licenses.

     When using the new script included in CTT2.1 (CNL 3.01), the script actually accepts
     the softkey with a letter in position 8 but converts the softkey into an incorrect
     FEATURE line.  Using CTT1.1, the script will not accept the softkey as entered with a
     letter in position 8.  Using CTT2.1, the softkey is converted incorrectly to a 14
     instead of a 30.

     SOLUTION

     The license generator includes the correctly converted FEATURE lines on the same
     form as the softkeys that are sent to the customer.  The customer should cut that
     FEATURE line and paste it directly into the license.dat file instead of using
     VNI_ENTER_SOFTKEY to convert the softkey.

     If the customer has already converted the softkey using validate, then the customer
     could just edit that FEATURE line to include the correct number of seats.