FlexSim LAN License Server

Transcription

1 FlexSim LAN License Server Installation Instructions Rev Table of Contents Introduction... 2 Using lmtools Download the installation files Install the license server Connecting to FlexNet Publisher (lmadmin) Activate licenses from FlexSim s Master Licensing Server Copy the vendor daemon files Setup Windows Firewall Windows Windows Windows Vista Windows XP Configure FlexNet Publisher (lmadmin) Activate client PCs... 22

2 Introduction FlexSim uses FlexNet Publisher by Flexera Software for license management. Flexera is a 3 rd party vendor not affiliated with FlexSim Software Products, Inc. This document will guide you through the installation and basic configuration of lmadmin, a FlexNet license server manager, on desktop or server versions of Windows. While we recommend following these instructions for your LAN licensing setups, users with additional needs can explore Flexera s FlexNet Publisher documentation, the License Administration Guide for FlexNet Publisher, included in the LANlicense.zip download under the LANlicense\License Manager\ folder, or directly at There you can learn about many other options available when setting up your LAN License Server, as well as some underlying principles of how FlexNet licensing works. ATTENTION! If your LAN License Server is already using Flexera licensing to host licenses for other software products, it is highly likely that these instructions for installing lmadmin will not work. In this case you usually need to use lmtools. Examples of other software that uses Flexera licensing includes: MiniTab, MatLab, 3D Studio Max, other Autodesk products, Arena, and some Adobe products (this is not meant as a comprehensive list, but rather some common examples). If your LAN License Server is already hosting licenses for these or other Flexera-licensed products, you should not follow these instructions. Instead, see Using lmtools below. Using lmtools For instructions on using lmtools to host your FlexSim licenses on your LAN License Server, please see this thread on FlexSim s community forum: For more information on the difference between lmadmin and lmtools, please read Flexera s FAQ lmadmin Migration: 2

3 1. Download the installation files Download the LAN License Tools directly here: You can also download the LAN License Tools from within your FlexSim Account. To do so, sign in to your FlexSim Account at Click the Downloads link in the left menu, then click on the LAN License Tools download link. If you do not see the link for the LAN License Tools on your Downloads account page, it is because you do not currently have a server-based license for FlexSim. If you are not the owner of the licenses, ask the owner to share the licenses with you. Once you can view a server-based license from your FlexSim Account, you will have access to the LAN License Tools from within your FlexSim Account. As a reminder, you can also download the LAN License Tools directly. Please contact FlexSim if you have any questions. Once the download is complete, right-click the LANlicense.zip archive and extract all files. NOTE: Some of the files in this installation rely upon other files inside the archive. For this reason be sure to extract the.zip archive. Attempting this installation from within the.zip without first extracting will cause this installation to fail. 3

4 2. Install the license server After extraction, you will have a folder called LANlicense. Run LANlicense\License Manager\lmadmini86_n3-[version number].exe. At time of writing, the latest version of the installer is lmadmin-i86_n3-11_12_1_1.exe. These instructions will probably remain valid for future versions of the installer beyond 11_12_1_1. NOTE: To avoid potential issues with installing, it is recommended that you right-click on the.exe file and select Run as Administrator (For Windows XP, simply double-click). Depending on your computer s settings, you may be prompted to allow the installer to continue. Click Yes. If you get this error: Could not find a valid Java virtual machine to load, then you need to install Java before you can install lmadmin. The java installer can be downloaded from 4

5 The Introduction screen of the FlexNet Publisher License Server Installer outlines some important instructions to be sure to follow: You need to have admin privileges to run this installer You need to stop any current running License server. You also need to stop any License Servers installed as Windows Services and remove those services If you have never installed any FlexNet licenses on your server for FlexSim or any other products, it is unlikely that you need to worry about the 2 nd point. Click Next. You may wish to modify the default path for the installation directory. Click Next. If you are upgrading lmadmin from a previous version and wish to import your previous license files, logs, and daemons, be sure to provide the previous installation path and check Yes Import. If you upgrade in this manner and you have issues later on, it may be better to perform a clean installation, not importing any previous settings. Click Next. lmadmin is about to be installed on your LAN License Server. Review the settings. Click Install. 5

6 On the Important Information step, be sure to check Install Visual C SP 1 Redistributable Package. Click Next. On the Launch Configuration step, the default HTTP Port Number (the number you ll use to access the server s configuration and status from a web browser) is The default License Server Port Number is chosen from the range If you are already using a server on either port 8090 or the range, you should change the port number to something different just be sure to remember the custom port numbers that you choose. Click Next. 6

7 On the Service Configuration step, make sure to check Run as a service. This option specifies that lmadmin should be installed as a service on your computer. In most cases, this allows lmadmin to start automatically when your computer starts. Click Next. On the Install Complete step, check Start server now to load a web browser and connect to the server. Click Next. The installer does two final things: attempts to start the lmadmin service opens your default web browser and attempts to connect to the lmadmin server. The next section will cover these items. Click Done to close the installer. 7

8 3. Connecting to FlexNet Publisher (lmadmin) Before the installer finished it attempted to start lmadmin. If lmadmin was successfully started, you may be prompted with a Windows Security Alert about Windows Firewall. You should allow Flexera Software LLC (lmadmin.exe) to communicate on Domain and Private networks. Talk with your network administrator about whether to allow access to the lmadmin web console over Public networks. In addition to starting lmadmin, the installer opens your default web browser and attempts to connect to the lmadmin server. NOTE: Due to known incompatibilities between versions of Internet Explorer with this version of lmadmin, please consider using an alternative web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. By default, the installer will try to access the server at If this page does not work, you can also try We recommend using the address by default, rather than localhost, since some server programs may remap localhost for their own purpose, or localhost may not be configured on your server to point to the local LAN License Server is the default port number. Change this number if you configured a custom HTTP port. If you have forgotten your custom port number, you can find it at the end of the file httpd.conf (C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\conf\httpd.conf). 8

9 If your web browser cannot connect to the lmadmin server at any of the addresses described above, the lmadmin service may not have been started and will need to be manually started. To manually start lmadmin and add it as a service: 1. Run the lmadmin program found at C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\lmadmin.exe by right-clicking and selecting Run as Administrator. 2. Press + R to open a Run dialogue. Type services.msc and hit Enter. 3. Find the lmadmin service and open its properties by double-clicking. 4. Click the Start button to begin the service. 5. Make sure the Startup type is set to Automatic. If you still have issues with the lmadmin service, or your service does not start up automatically when the computer restarts, please refer to the License Administration Guide: See Managing lmadmin from the Command Line, on page 83, to install the service from a command line. Specifically, you may want to refer to the subsection Installing lmadmin License Server Manager as an Operating System Service on page 85. 9

10 4. Activate licenses from FlexSim s Master Licensing Server Before you can set up the server, your licenses need to be activated from FlexSim s Master Licensing Server. Use flexsimserveractutil.exe to install the licensing service and activate your licenses onto your license server. Run the flexsimserveractutil program LANlicense\flexsimserveractutil\flexsimserveractutil.exe by right-clicking and selecting Run as Administrator (For Windows XP, simply double-click). a. Select the menu option Tools > Licensing Service > Install anchor service. b. The process for activating your license(s) to your LAN License Server will vary whether your LAN License Server is connected to the Internet, or has no connectivity. i. If your LAN License Server is connected to the Internet, activate license rights by selecting Connect > Activate. flexsimserveractutil.exe will connect with FlexSim s Master Licensing Server in order to activate your licenses onto your license server. You will need to supply the Activation ID and Quantity (Count) sent to you by FlexSim Software Products, Inc. You can activate a count lower than your total seat count. For instance, if you have a 20 seat license, but want to host 10 of the seats on this server and 10 seats somewhere else, you can enter 10 for the Count value. Then simply follow these instructions on another server to activate the other 10 seats there. 10

11 ii. If your LAN License Server cannot connect to the Internet, you will need to activate manually by selecting Tools > Manual Activation > Generate Request. This process will create an XML formatted licensing request file. You will need to get this XML request file off of your LAN License Server and to a computer with Internet access to submit it to technical support at The support form only allows files with.zip extensions, so please compress your XML request before submitting to technical support. To create your XML request, supply the Activation ID and Quantity (Count) sent to you by FlexSim Software Products, Inc. You can activate a count lower than your total seat count. For instance, if you have a 20 seat license, but want to host 10 of the seats on this server and 10 seats somewhere else, you can enter 10 for the Count value. Then simply follow these instructions on another server to activate the other 10 seats there. Finally, choose an Output File and hit Generate. Browse to the location of the saved request XML file. Right click the file and choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. This will create a.zip archive containing your request XML file. Submit this to FlexSim technical support at FlexSim technical support will you back a response XML file within 1-2 business days (we can usually turn these around the same business day). Process the response XML file sent to you by FlexSim technical support by opening flexsimserveractutil.exe and going to Tools > Manual Activation > Process Response. If this is the first time a license has been activated on this LAN License Server, then this initial request/response communication configures your local Trusted Storage, and a 2 nd request/response communication will be required to actually activate your license. 11

12 c. If you have several activation IDs that you need to activate on this LAN License Server, repeat step 4-b (4-b-i or 4-b-ii, depending on your LAN License Server s Internet connectivity) for each one. d. Once a license has been activated on your LAN License Server, you can use Tools > View License Rights to view the contents of trusted storage on your server. NOTE: When using flexsimserveractutil.exe, you may encounter the following error message: ERROR: flxactcommonhandleopen - (50003,71000,1) "This is an internal error." If you get this error, please make sure you are using the latest flexsimserveractutil.exe, available for download here: Please contact FlexSim if you have any questions or other problems. 5. Copy the vendor daemon files Copy the vendor daemon folder (LANlicense\License Manager\flexsim) to the lmadmin install directory, which by default is found at: C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager You should end up with a folder structure similar to the following: 6. Setup Windows Firewall Allow flexsim.exe and lmadmin.exe to be accessed through your firewall. Instructions for different operating systems follow below: 12

13 Windows 8 1. Open the Control Panel by right-clicking in the lower left corner of any monitor and choosing Control Panel from the context menu. 2. Select System and Security. Then select Windows Firewall 3. Click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall 4. Click the Change settings button 5. Click the Allow another app button 6. Browse to C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\lmadmin.exe. Program may show as lmadmin, Flexera Software, Inc., or Flexera Software LLC. 7. Click Add. 8. Click Allow another app 9. Navigate to C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\flexsim\flexsim.exe. Program may show as Flexsim vendor daemon. 13

14 Windows 7 1. Open Windows Firewall through the start menu (Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall OR type Windows Firewall into the search box) 2. Click on Allow a program through Windows Firewall 3. Click Change settings 4. Click Allow another program 5. Navigate to C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\lmadmin.exe. Program may show as lmadmin, Flexera Software, Inc., or Flexera Software LLC. 6. Click Add. 7. Click Allow another program 8. Navigate to C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\flexsim\flexsim.exe. Program may show as Flexsim vendor daemon. 14

15 Windows Vista 1. Open Windows Firewall through the start menu (Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall OR type Windows Firewall into the search box) 2. Click on Allow a program through Windows Firewall 3. Click Add a Program 4. Browse 5. Navigate to C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\lmadmin.exe. Program may show as lmadmin, Flexera Software, Inc., or Flexera Software LLC. 6. Click OK. 7. lmadmin will now show up in the list of programs (it may also show up as Flexera Software, Inc., or Flexera Software LLC.) 8. Repeat steps 1-7 to add C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\flexsim\flexsim.exe as an exception in your firewall settings. Program may show as Flexsim vendor daemon. 15

16 Windows XP 1. Start menu > Settings > Control Panel > Windows Firewall 2. Click on the Exceptions tab at the top. 3. Click Add Program 4. Browse 5. Navigate to C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\lmadmin.exe. Program may show as lmadmin, Flexera Software, Inc., or Flexera Software LLC. 6. Click OK. 7. lmadmin will now show up in the list of programs (it may also show up as Flexera Software, Inc., or Flexera Software LLC.) 8. Repeat steps 1-7 to add C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\flexsim\flexsim.exe as an exception in your firewall settings. Program may show as Flexsim vendor daemon. 16

17 7. Configure FlexNet Publisher (lmadmin) NOTE: Due to known incompatibilities between versions of Internet Explorer with this version of lmadmin, please consider using an alternative web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. By default, the installer will try to access the server at If this page does not work, you can also try We recommend using the address by default, rather than localhost, since some server programs may remap localhost for their own purpose, or localhost may not be configured on your server to point to the local LAN License Server is the default port number. Change this number if you configured a custom HTTP port. If you have forgotten your custom port number, you can find it at the end of the file httpd.conf (C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\conf\httpd.conf). Your browser should connect to the lmadmin service and open the FLEXnet Publisher interface. Click on Administration to Sign In. 17

18 Use the default login credentials to log in for the first time: Username: admin Password: admin You will be prompted to enter a new password. Enter a new password and hit Save. Click the Vendor Daemon Configuration tab on the bottom left. Click on the Import License button at the top. 18

19 Click Choose File (or Browse) and select the flexsim_server.lic file. This will be found in C:\Program Files\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager\flexsim\flexsim_server.lic. Click Import License. You will likely get an error message and a warning message. Ignore them and click OK. You should now see one Vendor Daemon called flexsim with a status of NEVER_STARTED or STOPPED. Click flexsim to set its configuration. NOTE: If nothing happens when you click flexsim, it may be a browser incompatibility with the lmadmin web interface. This occurs with some versions of Internet Explorer with this version of lmadmin. In this case, please try an alternate web browser like Chrome or Firefox. 19

20 In the Vendor Daemon Location field, enter flexsim\flexsim.exe Click Save at the bottom, then click Start to begin the daemon. NOTE: The Vendor Daemon Port is not the same as the License Server Port. When you start the vendor daemon, you may be prompted with a Windows Security Alert about Windows Firewall. You should allow FlexSim vendor daemon to communicate on Domain and Private networks. Talk with your network administrator about whether to allow FlexSim LAN license activation over Public networks. 20

21 If your vendor daemon status does not progress beyond Starting Up, it may simply be that the web page is not updating. Try clicking on flexsim again in the list of vendor daemons. If there is a Stop button under Vendor Daemon Actions, then the vendor daemon is started. Just hit Cancel. If there are other problems starting the flexsim vendor daemon, try the following: 1. Open Windows Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc. 2. Under the Processes tab, End Task for any Flexera or FlexSim processes by right-clicking the process and choosing End Task. 6. Open the Services management console by pressing + R to open a Run dialogue. Type services.msc and hit Enter. 3. Find the lmadmin service and right-click it. 4. Choose restart to stop and restart the lmadmin service. 5. Refresh your web browser. Your vendor daemon should have the status Up. If your vendor daemon still does not progress beyond Starting Up, you may have a conflict on your LAN License Server. Please see the Attention section of the Introduction at the beginning of these instructions for more information. To view your available licenses, click on the Dashboard at the top of the page and then click the Concurrent button. The configuration of your LAN License Server is complete. 21

22 8. Activate client PCs The client PCs need the port and address for your LAN License Server in order to obtain a license. To view this information, click on Administration, then choose System Information from the left panel. To activate a client license: 1. If you have not already, download and install FlexSim Simulation Software on the client PC. Installers can be downloaded from within your FlexSim Account. Log in and visit the Downloads link for access to the latest versions of FlexSim Simulation Software. See section 1. Download the installation files above for detailed instructions on accessing the Downloads section of your FlexSim Account. 2. Open FlexSim Simulation Software on the client PC. 3. Go to Help > License Activation. 4. Click on the License Server tab. 5. Check the Use concurrent licensing checkbox. 6. Enter the License Server Address using the or port@host. For example: a. Default License Server Port b. Custom License Server Port: 27500@ Click Apply Configuration. 22

23 8. Restart FlexSim 9. Verify that the client PC is able to retrieve a license from your server: a. On the server s web-browser Dashboard, you should see that a seat is in use b. On the client PC, you can go to the menu Help > About FlexSim to view the type of license currently activated 10. Once you have successfully activated a client PC, repeat steps 1-9 to license any other client PCs. If your client PC cannot get a license from the server, here are some things you can try: SERVER SETUP - Double check that your server is configured properly. When viewing your LAN License Server s Dashboard, press the Concurrent button. You should see a list of features with In Use (Available) counts. If no features are listed, revisit the instructions above to properly configure your server. SPECIFIC PORT - On the client PC, try explicitly specifying the port number (even if you left it as the default value), as described in step 6-b of 8. Activate Client PCs, above. BASIC CONNECTIVITY - On the client PC, press + R to open a Run dialogue. Type cmd and hit Enter. From the command line, enter ping [server IP address]. For example: ping If you can ping your LAN License Server from your client PC, then you know that a network connection can be established between the client and the server. ADVANCED CONNECTIVITY - Use telnet to determine if the client PC can communicate with the LAN License Server over the port specified for lmadmin. See the video example here: FIREWALL ISSUE - If there is a connection issue, the problem could be a firewall configuration problem on the client PC, on the LAN License Server, or on some network appliance between the two. Disable the firewall on the client PC. If nothing changes, also disable the firewall on the server. If this fixes the issue, work with your network administrator to set up the correct firewall rules to allow FlexSim Simulation Software to access your LAN License Server. Remember to reactivate your firewall(s) after this experiment. ANTI-VIRUS ISSUE - Some anti-virus solutions will block application communications. Disable anti-virus software on the client PC. If nothing changes, also disable anti-virus on the server. If this fixes the issue, work with your administrator to modify your anti-virus settings to allow FlexSim Simulation Software to access your LAN License Server. Remember to reactivate your anti-virus after this experiment. GENERAL NETWORK SETTINGS - The network may have settings/topology/filtering that affects the client PC s ability to communicate with the server. Please work with your network administrator to make sure the client PC can communicate with the LAN License Server. 23