概要信息：

License Administration 
Guide
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit 11.6.1
FNP-1161-LA01
Legal and Contact Information
Contacting Acresso Software
You may contact us from anywhere in the world by visiting the Acresso Web site at http://www.acresso.com/company.htm. 
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Trademarks
Acresso, FLEXenabled, FLEXlm, FLEXnet, FLEXcertified, FLEXnet Connect, FLEXnet Connector, FLEXnet Manager, FLEXnet Publisher, Globetrotter, 
InstallShield, InstallShield Developer, InstallShield DevStudio, InstallShield Professional, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Acresso Software Inc. 
and/or InstallShield Co. Inc. in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are the 
trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Restricted Rights Legend
The software and documentation are “commercial items,” as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of “commercial computer software” and 
“commercial computer software documentation,” as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.2702, as applicable. Consistent with 
48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.2702-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, the commercial computer software and commercial computer 
software documentation are being licensed to U.S. government end users (A) only as commercial items and (B) with only those rights as are granted to all 
other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Acresso Software standard commercial agreement for this software. Unpublished 
rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States of America.
Part Number: FNP-1161-LA01
Product Release Date: December 2008
Contents
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 3
Legal and Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What’s New in this Document  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 Selecting Systems to Run the License Server  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Resources Used by the License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
CPU Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Disk Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Network Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Remote Mounted Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
System Requirements for lmadmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Using the License Server Installer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
License Server Directory Structure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Upgrading lmadmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using lmadmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Manually Starting the License Server Manager  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Manually Stopping the License Server Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Accessing the License Server Management Interface  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Viewing the lmadmin Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Adding a Vendor Daemon to lmadmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Configuring the License File Upload Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Installing lmadmin License Server Manager as an Operating System Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
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lmadmin Command-line Arguments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Extending lmadmin License Server Capability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using the lmadmin Web Service Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Creating an lmadmin Alerter Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3 Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
A Fundamental Mode Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Command Changes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
lmadmin License Administration Functions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4 lmgrd - License Server Manager  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
lmgrd Command-Line Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Starting the License Server Manager on UNIX Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Manual Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Automatic Start  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Starting the License Server Manager on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Manual Start from the Command Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Configuring the License Server Manager as a Windows Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Configuring the License Server Manager Service for a Delayed Start  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Manually Start the License Server Using the lmtools Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Automatically Start the License Server when System Starts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5 Using License Administration Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Command-Line Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Common Arguments for lmutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
lmborrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Initiating Borrowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Clearing the Borrowed License Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Determining Borrowed License Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Returning a Borrowed License Early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
lmdiag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
lmdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
lmhostid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
lminstall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
lmnewlog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
lmpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
lmremove. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
lmreread  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
lmstat  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
lmswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
lmswitchr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
lmver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
lmtools (Windows only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 5
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6 IPv6 Support  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Capabilities that Support IPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Deploying License Servers in Mixed Protocol Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Using Wildcards in an IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
7 Using Three-Server Redundancy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Overview of Three-Server Redundancy  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Managing License Servers in this Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Configuring License Servers for Three-Server Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Using Other Capabilities with Three-Server Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Troubleshooting Tips and Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
8 Reading a License File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Specifying the Location of the License File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Setting the License Search Path using an Environment Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
License File Format Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
License File Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
SERVER Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
VENDOR Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
USE_SERVER Line  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
FEATURE and INCREMENT Lines  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Sort Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Changes in FEATURE and INCREMENT Line Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
PACKAGE Lines  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
UPGRADE Lines  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Feature Lines in Decimal Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Order of Lines in the License File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
9 License Models  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Floating (Concurrent) Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Node-Locked Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Mixed Node-Locked and Floating Licenses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Counted vs. Uncounted Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Mobile Licensing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Node-Locked to a Laptop Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Node-locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Node-Locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Initiating FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Returning a FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
License Borrowing with BORROW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Initiating License Borrowing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Application Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
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Running the lmborrow Utility  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Setting the LM_BORROW Environment Variable Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Borrowing a License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Clearing the Borrow Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Checking Borrow Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Returning a Borrowed License Early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Support for License Borrowing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Node-locked to a User Name  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Fulfilled from a Prepaid License Pool  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
10 Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Overview of Multiple License Management Strategies  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Multiple Systems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Starting the License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
One System with Multiple License Server Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Starting the License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
One System with One License Server and Multiple License Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Starting the License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Managing Multiple License Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Additional Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Combining license files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Starting the License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Criteria for Combining License Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
How to Combine License Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Version Component Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
11 Hostids for Supported Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Hostid Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Obtaining System Hostids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Special Hostids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
12 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
General Troubleshooting Hints  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Level 1 Content  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Level 2 Content  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Level 3 Content (Version 6.0 or Later Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
13 Managing the Options File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Creating an Options File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Options File Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
BORROW_LOWWATER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
DEBUGLOG  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 7
Contents
EXCLUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
EXCLUDE_BORROW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
EXCLUDEALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
FQDN_MATCHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
GROUP  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
HOST_GROUP  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
INCLUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
INCLUDE_BORROW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
INCLUDEALL  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
LINGER  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
MAX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
MAX_BORROW_HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
MAX_OVERDRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
NOLOG  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
REPORTLOG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Reporting on Projects with LM_PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
RESERVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
TIMEOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
TIMEOUTALL  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
How the Vendor Daemon Uses the Options File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Rules of Precedence in Options Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Options File Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Simple Options File Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Limiting Access for Multiple Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
EXCLUDE Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
INCLUDE Example  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
14 Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
How to Set Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Windows Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Environment Variables  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
15 Error Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Error Message Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Format 1 (short) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Format 2 (long—version 6.0 and later) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Error Code Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
8 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Contents
16 Report Log File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Managing Report Log Output  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Enabling Report Log Output for a Vendor Daemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Redirecting Report Log Output for a Vendor Daemon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
17 Debug Log File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Managing Debug Log Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Capturing Debug Log Output for a License Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Capturing Debug Log Output for a Particular Vendor Daemon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Redirecting Debug Log Output for a Running Vendor Daemon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Limiting Debug Log Output for a Vendor Daemon  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Debug Log Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Informational Messages  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Configuration Problem Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Daemon Software Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
18 Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Version Compatibility between Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Determining the License File Version. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Version Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 9
What’s New in this Document
This section describes the areas of this document that have been updated for this release.
New License Server Manager, lmadmin
Information previously provided in the License Server Manager (lmadmin) Installation Guide is 
included in this document. See the following sections in this document: lmadmin - GUI-based License 
Server Manager and Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin. 
Additions have been made to Using License Administration Tools to indicate where lmadmin 
functionality can be used instead of these utilities.
lmadmin supported on more platforms
lmadmin is provided on additional platforms, see Supported Platforms for details.
lmadmin installation
For instructions on using the lmadmin installer, see:
• Using the License Server Installer if you are installing lmadmin for the first time.
• Upgrading lmadmin if you have installed the previous version of lmadmin.
A new section, License Server Manager Not Starting, provides troubleshooting information when 
lmadmin will not start.
A new section, Configuring the License File Upload Directory, describes how to configure the location 
where lmadmin stores the license files it uses.
Using lmadmin from the command-line
A new section, lmadmin Command-line Arguments, describes the lmadmin command-line arguments.
lmadmin default behavior
The default setting for -allowStopServer has been changed. In 11.6 the default behavior of lmadmin when 
this argument was not specified was -allowStopServer No, in which case the license server cannot be 
stopped from the GUI. For this release the default behavior is to allow the license server to be stopped 
from the GUI: A Stop Server button is provided. The default setting is -allowStopServer Yes.
10 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter : What’s New in this Document
RESERVE and SUITE_RESERVED
The RESERVE keyword should not be used on packages and package suites that also use the 
SUITE_RESERVED option. 
lmtools Path Length Limit
Limitation on File Path Lengths, describes the file path length limit in lmtools.
Three-Server Redundancy
A new section, Specifying Three-Server Redundancy in the License Finder, has been added to the section 
Using Three-Server Redundancy.
Change in Vendor Daemon Operation when MAX and Queuing Requested
The behavior of the vendor daemon has changed. In previous versions of the vendor daemon, when a 
license checkout was received and no licenses were available because the limit defined by MAX in the 
options file had been reached, the license request was always denied even if the application had 
requested queuing of the checkout request. In this release this behavior is changed: When the 
application allows license queuing and the limit defined by MAX has been reached, the license request is 
queued. 
Limitation on License File Location
A location that includes an @ symbol in its path cannot be used for license files.
Spaces not Allowed in User Names
User names as defined in the options file cannot contain spaces. 
Ethernet Hostids on Windows platforms
lmhostid and lmtools report only the hostids of physical ethernet adapters. Devices identified as virtual 
ethernet adapters are not reported, as these identities are not permanent. 
1
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 11
Selecting Systems to Run the 
License Server
This chapter helps you decide which systems to use as license server systems. 
Resources Used by the License Server
This section discusses the resources used by the license server. When you select a system, you may need 
to consider the system limits on these resources. For small numbers of licenses (under about 100), most 
of these system limits are not a problem on any workstation.
Sockets
When using TCP/IP ports, each FLEXenabled application connected to a license server uses one or more 
sockets. Depending on how the software publisher implemented FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit, 
the FLEXenabled application may need one or more sockets. Consult with the software publisher for this 
information. The per-process system limit for file descriptors determines the number of sockets 
available to the license server. The total number of sockets that the license server uses is slightly larger 
than the total number needed by the FLEXenabled applications that connect to it.
If the number of sockets required by the license server on a single system becomes excessive, then it’s 
probably good to split the license file into more than one file, onto different servers, to lighten the 
networking traffic (which requires the software publisher to agree to issue new licenses). FLEXenabled 
applications then check out licenses from multiple servers using a license search path via the 
LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable.
CPU Time
For small numbers of clients, the license servers use very little CPU time. The servers might have 
consumed only a few seconds of CPU time after many days.
12 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 1: Selecting Systems to Run the License Server
Resources Used by the License Server
For a large number of clients (where each are exchanging heartbeat messages with the license server), or 
for high checkout and checkin activity levels (hundreds per second), the amount of CPU time consumed 
by the server may start to become significant; although, even here, CPU usage is normally not high. In 
this case, you may need to ensure that the system you select has enough CPU cycles to spare.
Disk Space
The only output files created by the license servers are the debug and report log files. FLEXnet Manager, 
Acresso’s Web-based software license management system, uses the report log files to generate accurate 
usage reports. If there is a lot of license activity, these log files grow very large. You need to consider 
where to put these files and how often to rotate and archive them. You have the option to suppress log 
file output if disk space is at a premium. 
It is recommended that the log files are local files on the server systems to avoid networking 
dependencies.
See Also
Setting the License Search Path using an Environment Variable
Starting the License Server Manager on UNIX Platforms
Report Log File
Debug Log File
Memory
The license server uses little memory. The vendor daemons use approximately 2 MB each, although 
memory usage increases in the vendor daemon with the size of the license file, size of the options file, 
and the number of concurrent users.  The GUI-based license server manager, lmadmin, uses between 7 
and 10 MB of memory during typical usage. On Solaris, the command-line license server manager, 
lmgrd, uses approximately 2 MB.
Network Bandwidth
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit sends relatively small amounts of data across the network. Each 
transaction, such as a checkout or checkin, generally transfers less than 1 KB of data. This means that 
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit can be effectively run over slow networks (such as dial-up SLIP 
lines) for small numbers of clients.
For a large number of FLEXenabled applications (hundreds), each of which exchange heartbeat 
messages with the vendor daemon, the network bandwidth used may become significant. In this case, 
run the FLEXenabled application and server on the same local area network, which may require 
splitting licenses between two files for two servers. Users can use a license search path in the 
LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable to have effective access to both servers. Enterprises can 
experience a performance issue when there is slow network communication or if FLEXenabled clients 
are using a dial-up link to connect to the network.
When you are using the GUI-based license server manager, lmadmin, which uses HTTP, you need to 
consider the clients that connect to the lmadmin user interface. Depending on the number of clients and 
the frequency of the page refresh, they can impose a significant burden on network traffic.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 13
Chapter 1: Selecting Systems to Run the License Server
Resources Used by the License Server
See Also
Specifying the Location of the License File 
Remote Mounted Disks
It is recommended that you do not use remote mounted disks when you run the license server. In other 
words, it is recommended that lmadmin or lmgrd, the vendor daemons, the license file, and the debug 
and report log files are all on locally mounted disks. If any of these files are on a remote mounted disk, 
this doubles the points of failure, which could lead to a temporary loss of all of your licenses. When all 
files are mounted locally, the licenses are available as long as the server is running. When the files are on 
a different system, licenses may become unavailable if the license server or file server fails.
14 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 1: Selecting Systems to Run the License Server
Resources Used by the License Server
2
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 15
lmadmin - GUI-based License Server 
Manager 
The license server manager  is one of the components that makes up a license server (the other being 
the vendor daemon). It handles the initial contact with FLEXenabled applications, passing the 
connection on to the appropriate vendor daemon. The purpose of the license server manager is to:
• Start and maintain vendor daemons as required for serving license rights from different software 
publishers. 
• Refer application checkout (or other) requests to the correct vendor daemon.
There are two versions of the license server manager:
• lmadmin - a Web-based license server manager with a graphical user interface (GUI).
• lmgrd - the original license server manager with a command-line interface.
This section describes lmadmin; for information on lmgrd, see lmgrd - License Server Manager.
lmadmin provides improved methods of managing the license server and vendor daemons. A brief 
description of the improved capabilities follows: For a more detailed comparison of lmgrd and lmadmin, 
see Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin.
lmadmin Capabilities
• Direct configuration of the vendor daemons and license server manager - license server port 
number; vendor daemon path and port; and three-server redundant port can be configured without 
any edits to the license files.
• Configurable alerts - you can set up lmadmin to issue alerts to warn you of potential problems, for 
example: license expiry, no available licenses, or vendor daemon status.
• License rights status display - configurable display of all available and in-use license rights. This 
display can include all concurrent (floating) licenses both from license files and from trusted 
storage. It can also include activatable licenses (held in trusted storage) when these are available on 
the license server.
16 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server
• GUI buttons replace command-line utilities - for example ‘Stop Server’ and ‘Reread License Files’. 
For a list of license administration functions that are available directly from lmadmin, see lmadmin 
License Administration Functions.
• Minimal editing of license files - option file specification requires editing.
This release of lmadmin is available for use on a limited number of platforms. For full details, contact your 
software publisher or see the Acresso download site. lmadmin is compatible with licensing components 
from version 9.2 or later. See Version Compatibility between Components for detailed information on 
how to determine what versions of the licensing components are provided in your licensed applications.
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License 
Server
This section contains instructions for downloading and installing lmadmin.
System Requirements for lmadmin
Supported Platforms
The lmadmin license server manager can be run on the following platforms. See the information in 
Additional System Requirements for platform-specific requirements. 
Table 2-1: Supported platforms for lmadmin.
Platform Architecture Processor Type(s) Operating System(s)
Windows 32-bit x86 Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2000
Windows XP Professional with SP2
Windows Vista (Ultimate)
Windows 64-bit x64 Windows Server 2008
Windows Vista (Ultimate)
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Windows Server 2003
Mac OS 32-bit x86
PowerPC (32-bit only)
Mac OS X 10.4
Mac OS X 10.5
Mac OS 64-bit x64 Mac OS X 10.5
Red Hat Linux 32-bit x86
x64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 17
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server
Additional System Requirements
• Windows platforms — To run lmadmin, the following component must be installed on your 
machine:
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)
The FLEXnet Publisher License Server Installer will install it for you: Select the check box on the 
dialog box that installs this package.
Supported Web Browsers
The lmadmin license server manager has been tested on the following Web browsers and operating 
systems:
• Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14 on Red Hat Linux 4
• Internet Explorer 6 on Windows
• Internet Explorer 7 on Windows
• Apple Safari 2.0 on Mac OS X 10.4
Using the License Server Installer
Download the FLEXnet Publisher License Server Installer from Acresso’s Web site, if the software 
publisher has not included it with the licensed software. If you have an existing installation of the 
lmadmin license server, see Upgrading lmadmin for instructions. This section describes how to install the 
license server for the first time.
The FLEXnet Publisher License Server Installer requires Java run time 1.5 or later. 
Run the FLEXnet Publisher License Server Installer and accept the default settings. Additional 
information that will help you is given in the following list of installer dialogs.
• Choose Install Folder - Do not install the lmadmin license server in the same folder as an existing 
FLEXnet Publisher installation.
Red Hat Linux 64-bit x64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0
Sun Solaris 32-bit Sun 32-bit (Sparc) Solaris 9 and 10
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 32-bit x86
x64
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 64-bit x64 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
Table 2-1: Supported platforms for lmadmin.
Platform Architecture Processor Type(s) Operating System(s)
18 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server
• Service Configuration - While it is possible to manually start and stop the lmadmin license server 
manager, it is recommended that you install it as an operating system service so that it will 
automatically start whenever the operating system restarts. The installer will set up the service for 
you on Windows. For UNIX or Mac, see Installing lmadmin License Server Manager as an Operating 
System Service for more details.
• Start the Server - It is recommended that you select Start server now. If the server is started 
successfully, the License Server Manager Interface is displayed. Typical output is shown in the 
following figure. If the server is not started successfully, see License Server Manager Not Starting for 
instructions.
Figure 2-1: License Server Manager Interface - Dashboard
After installing lmadmin with the default configuration, you may want to configure the location where it 
stores the license files it uses. See Configuring the License File Upload Directory for details.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 19
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server
License Server Directory Structure
After installing the lmadmin  license server, you will see the following files and directories. Do not edit the 
contents of any file or directory except where explicitly instructed to by this  License Administration 
Guide, or by other supplied licensing documentation.  
Upgrading lmadmin
Before installing a new version of lmadmin:
• If you have configured lmadmin as a system service, shut down the service.
• Shut down any lmadmin processes running on the system.
The lmadmin installer provides the option Import files from Previous Installation. This option allows 
you to upgrade lmadmin while retaining a previous lmadmin configuration. The installer does not allow 
you to install lmadmin over an existing installation.
The following files and folders are imported from an existing lmadmin installation:
• lmadmin configuration data - permanent lmadmin settings that were configured either via the license 
server management interface or via the command-line. For example, license server port number; 
vendor daemon path and port; and three-server redundant port. These and other configuration data 
are held in the file server.xml which is imported to the conf directory.
• Vendor daemon files and license files - the vendor daemon executable, the license file used to start the 
vendor daemon, and additional license files imported via the license server management interface 
Table 2-2: Directories Used by the License Server Manager
Directory Description of Contents
 The installation folder that you specified when installing lmadmin, often referred to in this 
documentation as the installation root directory. Configuration paths are usually specified relative to 
this directory location. This directory contains lmadmin (lmadmin.exe on Windows), the license 
server executable.
/cache System directory that is created after you start any vendor daemon using the license server 
management interface.
/conf Contains the system files that define the license server configuration.
/demo Contains sample license files and the demo vendor daemon.
/eventlog Exists on Window systems only and includes the files needed to allow the license server to record 
messages to the Windows event log.
/examples Contains code samples that show how to build capabilities using the Web services.
/logs Contains the application log files. This directory is created after the license server is started for the 
first time.
/web Contains the license server management interface.
/wsdl Contains the WSDL file that you can use to generate a client proxy for the Web services.
20 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Using lmadmin
after the initial import of a vendor daemon. A copy of the directory structure is created and these 
files are imported.
• Log files - the vendor daemon log files, .log.
Note: Only files held in the lmadmin installation root directory or its sub-directories are imported. 
This section describes the upgrade procedure when you are installing lmadmin 11.6.1 and want to import 
files from an lmadmin 11.6.0 installation. To determine which version of lmadmin you are using, see 
Release Version value displayed on the System Information page.
Task To upgrade an existing lmadmin installation:
1. Run the lmadmin installer.
2. In Choose Install Folder set the installation root directory. Ensure that this is not a sub-directory 
of the existing installation.
3. In Import files from Previous Installation enter the path to the installation root directory of the 
lmadmin installation that you want to import and check  Yes Import.
4. If you have configured the license server manager port, in Launch Configuration enter the License 
Server Port Number. (See License Server Manager Not Starting.)
5. If you have configured the TCP/IP port that the Web server uses to listen for communication with 
clients connecting to the license server management interface, in Launch Configuration enter the 
HTTP  Port Number.  (See License Server Manager Not Starting.)
6. Complete the remaining installation dialogs.
Note:
• The lmadmin installer imports an existing vendor daemon and its associated files only when the license file used to 
import the vendor daemon contains the license file path as a relative path on its VENDOR line.
• If a vendor daemon uses trusted storage, you must manually copy the activation library, _libFNP.*, from 
the existing installation to the new installation.
• Any existing demo vendor daemon and associated license files and log files are not imported. The installer always 
installs an up-to-date version of the demo vendor daemon and the files required to run it.
Using lmadmin
Manually Starting the License Server Manager
You can start the license server using one of the following methods: 
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 21
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Using lmadmin
• On Windows platforms, open the installation directory in Windows Explorer and then double-click 
the lmadmin.exe file. This mechanism does not allow you to specify non-default command-line 
arguments.
• Execute the lmadmin command from the root installation directory. To see a list of available 
command-line arguments, execute the command:
lmadmin -help
The help display identifies the default arguments and which arguments are persistent, options that 
will remain in effect for later instances of lmadmin.
• Create a shell script file (Unix) or a batch file (Windows) that will run the lmadmin command with 
your desired command-line arguments and then execute that file.
Note: If either the default license server port or the HTTP port for the user interface is in use, the license server manager 
will not start. For instructions see License Server Manager Not Starting.
License Server Manager Not Starting
The license server manager will not start if either of the following ports are in use:
• Default license server port (no ports in range 27000 to 27009 available)
• Default HTTP port for the license server manager user interface (port 8080)
Task To check for this error and correct it:
1. Run lmadmin from the command line using the -foreground argument:
lmadmin -foreground
2. Examine the output at the command prompt. The following shows typical output when there is a 
clash on the HTTP port:
Only one usage of each socket address  is normally 
permitted. : make_sock: could not bind to address 0.0.0.0:8080 no listening sockets 
available, shutting down
Unable to open logs
3. Reconfigure any port where there is a clash:
• Use the -licPort argument for the license server port.
• Use the -webPort argument for the HTTP port. 
The following command reconfigures the HTTP port to 8081:
lmadmin -webPort 8081
When you have reconfigured the HTTP port, you access the license server management interface 
using the new port number. So for lmadmin -webPort 8081, connect to the URL, http://
:8081. 
22 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Using lmadmin
Manually Stopping the License Server Manager
The allowStopServer command-line argument toggles the presence of the Stop Server button in the 
lmadmin user interface. The default is the Stop Server button is present. Click the Stop Server button 
in the Administration section of the license server management interface to shut down the license server 
manager (lmadmin) and all vendor daemons.
If lmadmin  is started with the command-line argument -allowStopServer no, or if -allowStopServer no 
was the most recent use of the -allowStopServer argument, you cannot stop the license server using the 
license server management interface. In this situation, to stop the license server you must stop the 
lmadmin process.
On Unix systems, you can use the ps utility to identify the process and the kill command to terminate it. 
Caution: Do not use kill -9, use only kill with its default signal; otherwise the license server will not shut down 
cleanly.
 On Windows systems, you can use the Task Manager to identify the lmadmin.exe process and stop it.
You cannot restart the license server from the management interface. You must restart the license server 
as described in the previous section.
Accessing the License Server Management Interface
The license server management interface has two modes of operation—Standard mode and Section 508 
mode. Either mode is accessible from a supported Web browser. See the  section on Supported Web 
Browsers for a list of supported Web browsers.
1. Make sure that you have started the license server.
2. Open the Web browser and browse to one of the following URLs:
• Standard mode: This is the standard license server management interface:
http://:8080
where  is the system name where the license server is running.
• Section 508 mode: Section 508 mode provides access to people with disabilities and has the 
same capabilities that are available in Standard mode: 
http://:8080/login508
where  is the system name where the license server is running.  (The term “Section 508 
mode” comes from Section 508, 36 CFR 1194.21, “Requirements for Software Applications and 
Operating Systems” of the 1998 amendment to the Federal Rehabilitation Act.)
Signing in to lmadmin as an Administrator
To use the following pages of the license server management interface, you must sign in as an 
administrator:
• System Information
• User Configuration
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 23
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line
• Alert Configuration
• Server Configuration
• Vendor Daemon Configuration
When lmadmin is first installed, the administrator user name and password are both set to admin. Use this 
information when you first sign in to lmadmin as an administrator. 
Viewing the lmadmin Log Files
Application log files (except the report.log file) are written to the /logs directory. 
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line
This section describes some of the common tasks that can be performed using the lmadmin command line 
and the command-line arguments.
Adding a Vendor Daemon to lmadmin
The lmadmin license server must be configured with data about vendor daemons and license files. The 
license server ships with an example demo vendor daemon. To add a vendor daemon, you must import 
the information using a license file. You can do this from the command line or using the license server 
management interface. 
Table 2-3: Log files
Log File Name Description
access.log Contains information recorded about access to the license server management interface.
lmadmin.log Contains information recorded by the license server.
web.log Contains information recorded by the license server management interface. This file does 
not contain information about login events. See the access.log file for that information.
.log These files contain information recorded by the corresponding vendor daemons (where 
 is the vendor daemon name). Each vendor daemon has its own log file, called 
the debug log file. In the installation package, you should see the demo.log file as the 
debug log file for the default demo vendor daemon.
report.log A sample report log for the demo vendor daemon. Each vendor daemon can maintain a 
separate report log to record information about features that have been checked out by 
users. By default, a vendor daemon does not maintain report logs. This capability (in 
addition to the location of the report log file) must be enabled using the Options file.
24 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line
Task To add a vendor daemon from the command line:
1. Create or locate a valid license file (e.g., mylicense.lic) with the appropriate SERVER lines, VENDOR 
lines, and feature definition lines.
2. Make sure that the vendor daemon executable is in the correct location relative to lmadmin. This 
location is defined in the VENDOR line.
3. Import the license file by executing the following command: 
lmadmin -import 
where  is the name and location of the license file. This command imports the 
license file, but does not start the license server.
4. Start the license server.
When you import a license file, the license server configuration file (/conf/
server.xml) is populated with the vendor daemon information (vendor name, vendor daemon path, 
port number, etc.).
Note: For information about how to import a license file using the license server management interface, see the online 
help available from within the license server management interface.
Configuring the License File Upload Directory
The license file upload directory is the location where copies of license files used by lmadmin are stored 
when license files are imported using the Import License button on the Vendor Daemon Configuration 
tab or the -import command-line argument. 
When this location is not configured, the default settings create the following directory structure into 
which license files are uploaded:
...//licenses//
For example, on Windows when lmadmin is installed in the default location and two vendor daemons, 
demo and publisherA, are being managed by lmadmin, the following directories are created when 
license files for these vendor daemons are imported:
C:\Program Files\FLEXnet Publisher License Server Manager\licenses\demo\
C:\Program Files\FLEXnet Publisher License Server Manager\licenses\publisherA\
The license file that contains license rights for the vendor daemon demo is copied to the ..\demo 
directory. The license file that contains license rights for the vendor daemon publisherA is copied to 
the ..\publisherA directory. When additional license files are imported for either of these vendor 
daemons, they are uploaded to the appropriate vendor daemon-specific directory.
You can replace this default configuration as described in the following instructions. Typically the 
license file upload directory is configured when lmadmin is installed for the first time and then not 
altered. This ensures that license files, once imported, are available to lmadmin and the vendor daemons 
it manages.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 25
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line
Task To configure the license file upload directory:
1. If lmadmin is running, shut it down (Manually Stopping the License Server Manager).
2. From the command line, execute an lmadmin command using the -uploadDir argument.
The upload directory can be specified either as a relative or absolute path. When a relative path is 
used, it is relative to the current directory. Additionally a special string, %v, can be used to include 
the vendor daemon name in the directory path. Thus the following example specifies that the upload 
directory will be located at C:\Program Files\ FLEXnet Publisher License Server 
Manager\\licenses:
lmadmin -uploadDir C:\Program Files\FLEXnet Publisher License Server Manager\%v\licenses
Installing lmadmin License Server Manager as an Operating 
System Service
While it is possible to manually start and stop the lmadmin license server manager, it is recommended 
that you install it as an operating system service so that it will automatically start whenever the 
operating system restarts.
Windows Systems
On Windows systems, you can install the lmadmin license server manager as a service. Only users in the 
Windows Administrators group can perform this action. The Startup Type is set to Automatic so that the 
service starts automatically when the system is restarted. Use the following license server manager 
(lmadmin) command-line arguments to install and uninstall the service (see Table 2-4). 
Important: After executing the command to install the license server manager as a Windows service, it is not started 
automatically. You must start the service for the first time using the Windows Services Console. 
Table 2-4: Command-line arguments to lmadmin used to configure lmadmin as a Windows service.
lmadmin Command-line 
Argument Description
–installService Creates a Windows service, with the name you defined, to run the license server 
manager. 
–removeService Uninstalls the Windows service with the name you specified. Make sure you stop 
the service before removing it.
–delay nn This is used with the -installService argument. Enables you to set the number 
of seconds (nn) to delay between the time you start the service and when it actually 
begins running. A typical scenario where a delay is needed is when a FLEXnet ID 
dongle is used to lock the license server to a machine (the FLEXid is used on the 
SERVER line). In this scenario the license server will sometimes fail to start upon 
reboot of the system because the license server is loaded before the dongle device 
driver has loaded properly.
26 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line
Windows Vista
To run lmadmin with any of the command-line arguments used to configure lmadmin as a Windows service 
requires that the user has administrator privilege (Vista enforces administrator privileges for 
installation or removal of a service). Therefore, to use these arguments you must do the following:
• Sign in as an administrator before running lmadmin with these arguments.
• Start the command prompt using the option Run as Administrator.
Red Hat Linux and Sun Solaris Systems
On Red Hat Linux and Sun Solaris Systems, the installed /examples directory contains a sub-directory,
/service. In the /service directory is a shell-script file, lmadmin. Do not confuse this lmadmin file with the 
license server manager. In the script file are installation instructions including details on where this file 
should be installed for either Red Hat Linux or Sun Solaris Systems. This script has been tested and will 
work in the majority of installations. It may need to be modified for your specific requirements.
Mac OS Systems
On Mac OS Systems, administrators have to create their own startup script in a directory such as 
/Library/StartupItems/LMadmin. The installed /examples/service/lmadmin script is the same script as 
installed for Linux and Solaris systems and is provided for reference only; it will not work properly on 
Mac OS systems. For more information on installing an executable file as a system service on Mac OS 
systems, see any of the many publicly available references such as http://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/mac/
2003/10/21/startup.html. (Please note that Acresso Software cannot be responsible for the accuracy of 
information obtained from such reference sources or for the startup script that you write.)
lmadmin Command-line Arguments
This section describes in outline each of the lmadmin command-line arguments. Arguments defined as 
persistent will remain set until they are reset.
Usage
lmadmin [-version] [-config ] [-configDir ] 
[-root ] [-force] [-import ] [-licPort ]
[-webPort ] [-allowStopServer ] [-allowRemoteStopServer ]
[-allowLicenseReclaim ] [-installService ] [-delay ]
[-uploadDir ] [-foreground]
Table 2-5: lmadmin Command-line Arguments
Argument Description Function
-allowLicenseReclaim

Default - no
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - no
Controls the operation of lmremove. If set to yes, 
licenses can be reclaimed from a user. If set to no, 
licenses cannot be reclaimed from a user.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 27
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line
-allowStopServer

Default - yes
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - no
Configures how the license server can be stopped. If 
set to yes, local clients can stop the license server 
using either lmdown or the Stop Server button in the 
UI. If set to no, then the license server must be 
stopped by stopping the process. See Manually 
Stopping the License Server Manager. Note that 
setting it to no, also sets -allowRemoteStopServer to 
no.
-allowRemoteStopServer

Default - no
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - no
Configures whether the license server can be 
stopped from a remote location. If set to yes, then 
you can stop the license server from a remote 
location and local clients can stop the license server 
using either lmdown or the Stop Server button in the 
UI. If set to no, then it must be stopped from a local 
client. See online help for further details. Note that 
setting it to yes when -allowStopServer is not 
defined, forces -allowStopServer to be set to yes.
-config

Default - server.xml
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - no
Defines the name of the license server configuration 
file to use when starting the license server manager. 
Note if all defaults are set the path and name will be:
/conf/server.xml.
-configDir

Default - /conf
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - no
Defines the directory where the license server 
configuration files are located.
-delay

Default - 0
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - no
Used when configuring the license server as a 
service on Windows. See Installing lmadmin License 
Server Manager as an Operating System Service.
-force Default - not overwrite settings
Persistent - no
Set from UI - no
Use with the -import argument to overwrite existing 
vendor daemon settings in the license server 
configuration file. The following settings are 
overwritten or reset to the default:
• License file location (overwritten).
• Vendor daemon location (overwritten).
• Vendor daemon port (reset to default).
• Restart retries (reset to default).
• Date-based versions (reset to default).
• Overwrite vendor daemon log (reset to default).
• Vendor daemon log location and name (reset to 
default).
Table 2-5: lmadmin Command-line Arguments
Argument Description Function
28 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Managing lmadmin from the Command Line
-foreground Default - run in background
Persistent - no
Set from UI - n/a
Run lmadmin in the foreground: Output status and 
errors to the command line.
-import

Default - n/a
Persistent - n/a
Set from UI - Import License 
button
Updates the license server configuration file with 
information extracted from the specified license files. 
See license_file_list for details of the format of 
licenseFileList. This option does not start lmadmin. 
This argument can be combined with -config, 
-configDir and -force.
-importInstallation

[-config 
]
[-configDir 
]
Default - n/a
Persistent - n/a
Set from Installer - specify in 
Import files from Previous 
Installation in the lmadmin 
Installer.
Imports configuration information from the specified 
existing lmadmin installation directory or from a 
specified location for the license server configuration 
files (optional use of -config and/ or -confDir). This 
option does not start lmadmin. This argument can 
be combined with -config, -configDir and -root.
-installService

Default - do not install lmadmin 
as a Windows service
Persistent - n/a
Set from UI - no
Used when configuring the license server as a 
service on Windows. See Installing lmadmin License 
Server Manager as an Operating System Service.
-licPort

Default - first available in range 
27000-27009
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - License Server 
Manager Port
Configures the license server manager port. To set a 
specific port, enter a positive integer for 
licenseServerPort. To set the default, enter 0 (zero) 
for licenseServerPort. 
-removeService

Default - n/a
Persistent - n/a
Set from UI - no
Used when configuring the license server as a 
service on Windows. See Installing lmadmin License 
Server Manager as an Operating System Service.
-root

Default - current directory
Persistent - no
Set from UI - no
Specifies where lmadmin is installed. This enables 
you to issue an lmadmin command from somewhere 
other than the directory where lmadmin is installed.
Note that any command-line arguments that specify 
relative paths define paths relative to the current 
directory and not the directory specified with -root.
-uploadDir

Default - /licenses/

Persistent - yes
Set from UI - no
Configures the directory where license files that are 
uploaded to the license server manager are stored. 
A directory with the name of the vendor daemon can 
be set by using the string”%v” as in the following 
example:
-uploadDir flexlicenses\%v
Table 2-5: lmadmin Command-line Arguments
Argument Description Function
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 29
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Extending lmadmin License Server Capability
Task To see a full list of available command-line arguments for the license server manager (lmadmin):
1. Open a command-prompt window.
2. Change to the directory where the lmadmin file is located.
3. Enter the following command to view a list of available arguments with a description of each:
lmadmin -help 
The help descriptions identify the default arguments and which arguments are persistent, 
arguments that will remain in effect for later instances of lmadmin.
Extending lmadmin License Server Capability
lmadmin can be customized. These customizations require some programming. The lmadmin installation 
package includes some example applications and files that demonstrate simple customizations. 
Using the lmadmin Web Service Interface
lmadmin provides a Web service interface that exposes certain APIs that can be called from a custom-
built utility. These services enable you to extend the core license server capabilities. The WSDL file 
needed to generate the client proxy can be found in the /wsdl sub-directory.
The lmadmin installation package includes a set of examples in the /examples directory that 
demonstrate how to implement certain capabilities using the Web service interface. 
Creating an lmadmin Alerter Service
The lmadmin license server installation includes an example of how to implement an email alerter 
service. This service will poll for alerts and then send a user an email when an alert has been triggered. 
-webPort

Default - 8080
Persistent - yes
Set from UI - HTTP Port
Configures the TCP/IP port that the Web server uses 
to listen for communication with clients connecting to 
the license server management interface. See 
License Server Manager Not Starting for an example 
of how to use this argument.
-version n/a Outputs details of the lmadmin version to the 
command prompt.
Table 2-5: lmadmin Command-line Arguments
Argument Description Function
30 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 2: lmadmin - GUI-based License Server Manager
Extending lmadmin License Server Capability
Using the Alerter Service Email Alerts
The sample Alerter service utility runs on the license server and enables a user to receive alert 
notifications by email. To use the Alerter service, you must install Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.5 
on the license server.
To start the Alerter service, there are two files in the /examples/alerter directory:
• For Windows systems, the runalerter.bat file.
• For UNIX systems, the runalerter file.
When starting this service, you must configure certain command-line arguments to define the mail 
server, sender, receiver, and so on. To see the list of available command-line arguments for the 
runalerter script, type the following command:
runalerter -help 
The source code for this utility is in the /examples/alerter/src directory. 
3
License Administration Guide  FNP-1161-LA01 31
Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin
A Fundamental Mode Change
The lmadmin license server manager combines all the functionality of the previous lmgrd license server 
manager with a Web-based, administrative GUI. However, the lmadmin license server manager operates 
in some fundamentally different ways than the lmgrd license server manager.
The obvious change is that previous versions of the license server manager (lmgrd) used a command-line 
interface and the new license server manger (lmadmin) supports a GUI client connection over HTTP. A 
more fundamental change in operation is that configuration options are now persistent—if you change 
settings and relaunch the tool, the previously set options stay in effect.
With lmgrd, the primary mode of operation is to run one instance of lmgrd for each vendor daemon 
where lmgrd obtains its configuration information from the command-line options used when the 
program is started, including the required specifying of a license file.  To change settings you typically 
stop the license server, edit the license file and/or the script containing your command-line options, and 
relaunch the tool.
In contrast, the lmadmin license server manager is designed to: 
• Support multiple vendor daemons with one lmadmin process.
• Launch without requiring any configuration options.
• Perform all server configuration and administration functions from the GUI. (For special 
circumstances, the lmtools package provides additional functions.)
• Import existing license files (the new lmadmin license server manager is compatible with license files 
and vendor daemons produced using FLEXnet Publisher 9.2 and later).
• Keep configuration options persistent.
Persistent configuration options is a significant change. When options are set, either with command-line 
options or using the GUI, those settings remain in effect until changed. For example, if two vendor 
daemons are specified to use the same TCP port, only one will run. With lmgrd, this requires making 
changes to at least one of the license files as well as stopping and restarting the server.  With lmadmin, 
you can change the TCP port for a vendor daemon while the license server is running.  The manually 
32  FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin
Command Changes
specified port is then persistent and will remain as it was manually set the next time the license server is 
started, even if the license file is changed.  The changes set in the license server manager override the 
license files.
Command Changes
Because of the changes in the fundamental operation of the system, many features have been 
redesigned. The following lmgrd command-line options are not supported by lmadmin.  
Table 3-1: Command-line options to lmgrd that are not supported by lmadmin.
lmgrd option lmadmin notes
–2 –p There is no replacement for this option.
–z The replacement option is -foreground.
–c license_file_list License files are now managed using either the license 
server management interface or the new -import option.
–v Version information is now displayed in the license server 
management interface. The equivalent is -version option.
–l [+]debug_log_path There is no longer any way to change the path to the debug 
log file written by the lmadmin license server manager. It is 
written to the /logs/lmadmin.log file.
The default location for the vendor daemon debug log files is 
/logs/.log. The path to vendor 
daemon debug logs can be changed via either the lmadmin 
license management interface or the options file.
–local The replacement is to use the following argument settings:
-allowStopServer Yes -allowRemoteStopServer No
–x lmdown The replacement option is -allowStopServer. Note that 
the logical direction of this option has been reversed.
–x lmremove The replacement option is -allowLicenseReclaim. Note 
that the logical direction of this option has been reversed.
License Administration Guide  FNP-1161-LA01 33
Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin
lmadmin License Administration Functions
lmadmin License Administration Functions
lmadmin provides some of the license administration functions previously provided by the command-line 
based license administration utilities or LMTOOLS on the Windows platform. The following table lists 
functions provided within lmadmin that replace those provided by the license administration utilities.
The following table details which command-line utilities may no longer be required and which utilities 
are required when using lmadmin. 
Table 3-2: lmadmin License Administration Functions
lmadmin Function Description Replaces Utility
Dashboard -  Licenses Displays details of licenses rights available and in use. lmstat
Vendor Daemon Configuration - 
Administer - Stop
Stops the vendor daemon. lmdown - some usage 
cases
Vendor Daemon Configuration - 
Administer - Reread License 
Files
Rereads license rights from license files included in the 
lmadmin configuration. Required only when the content 
of a license file is updated.
lmreread  - see also 
Changes in lmreread 
Behavior when Using 
lmadmin
Vendor Daemon Configuration - 
Administer - Rotate Report Logs
Switches the report log to a new file name. lmswitchr
Server Configuration - Stop 
Server
Stops the license server. Note that lmadmin’s default 
setting enables this button, to disable it start lmadmin 
with the -allowStopServer No argument.
lmdown - some usage 
cases
Table 3-3: lmadmin Use of License Administration Utilities 
Utility Required when using lmadmin
lmborrow Yes, if using license rights in license files and borrow capability.
lmdiag Yes, to diagnose license checkout problems. 
lmdown Not normally required. Note that lmadmin’s default setting disables the operation of lmdown. To 
enable it, start lmadmin with the -allowStopServer argument.
lmhostid Not normally required for lmadmin as it displays information about the system it is running on 
that includes the various identities normally used as hostids. Required for determining the hostids 
of client systems.
lminstall Yes, converts license files between different formats. 
lmnewlog Yes, if you use this function instead of lmswitchr to change to a new report log because you do 
not want to edit the report log file name in the Options file. 
lmpath Yes, allows users direct control over license file path settings. 
34  FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin
lmadmin License Administration Functions
Changes in lmreread Behavior when Using lmadmin
Normally lmreread is not required when using lmadmin, however if you use lmreread with lmadmin the 
following use cases are not supported:
• Using lmreread to restart a vendor daemon - when using lmgrd you can shut down a vendor daemon 
using lmdown and then use the lmreread command to restart the vendor daemon. The following 
sequence of commands will result in an error when using lmadmin:
lmdown -vendor demo
lmreread -vendor demo
• Using lmreread to load and start a new vendor daemon - you can start lmgrd with a license file that 
specifies a vendor daemon and then replace this license file with one that includes information 
about a second vendor daemon. When lmreread is run, this second vendor daemon will be started. 
Using lmreread in this way with lmadmin will not load or start the vendor daemon. When using 
lmadmin, use the GUI to load and start a new vendor daemon as follows:
1. Import a license file for the vendor daemon - Administration> Vendor Daemon Configuration> 
Import License.
2. Start the vendor daemon - Administration> Vendor Daemon Configuration> Click Administer 
for vendor daemon > Start.
lmremove Yes, releases a hung license to the pool of free licenses. Note that lmadmin’s default setting 
disables the operation of lmremove, to enable it start lmadmin with the -allowLicenseReclaim 
argument.
lmreread Not normally required. See also Changes in lmreread Behavior when Using lmadmin.
lmstat Only required to show additional information (such as borrow or reservations).
lmswitch Yes, controls debug log location and size.
lmswitchr Not required.
lmver Yes, reports the version of a library or binary file. Note that you can determine the version of 
lmadmin by starting it with the -version argument.
Table 3-3: lmadmin Use of License Administration Utilities  (cont.)
Utility Required when using lmadmin
4
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 35
lmgrd - License Server Manager 
The license server manager is one of the components that make up a license server (the other being the 
vendor daemon). It handles the initial contact with FLEXenabled applications, passing the connection 
on to the appropriate vendor daemon. The purposes of the license server manager are to:
• Start and maintain all the vendor daemons listed in the VENDOR lines of the license file used to 
start lmgrd. 
• Refer application checkout (or other) requests to the correct vendor daemon.
lmgrd is an application-based version of the license server manager. On most platforms it is controlled 
from a command-line. On Windows there is a GUI tool, LMTOOLS, that can be used to manage lmgrd.
A newer lmgrd can be used with an older vendor daemon or FLEXenabled application, but a newer 
vendor daemon or FLEXenabled application might not work properly with an older lmgrd. Always use 
the latest version of lmgrd, which is available from the download site. See Version Compatibility between 
Components for detailed information.
lmgrd Command-Line Syntax
When you invoke lmgrd, it looks for a license file that contains information about vendors and features 
and starts those vendor daemons.
Usage
lmgrd [-c license_file_list] [-l [+]debug_log_path] 
[-2 -p] [-local] [-x lmdown] [-x lmremove] [-z] [-v] [-help]
where:
Table 4-1: lmgrd Command-Line Syntax Usage
Term Description
-c license_file_list Use the specified license files.
36 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 4: lmgrd - License Server Manager
Starting the License Server Manager on UNIX Platforms
Starting the License Server Manager on UNIX 
Platforms
If any licenses in the license file are counted (license count > 0), the license server manager, and hence 
the license server, must be started before the FLEXenabled application can be used. 
The license server manager, lmgrd, is started either manually on the command line or automatically at 
system startup. Both methods are discussed in the following sections.
Note: Start lmgrd only on the system specified on the SERVER line in the license file. 
If you are running license servers configured for three-server redundancy, maintain an identical copy of the license file (as 
well as the lmgrd and the vendor daemons binaries) locally on each system rather than on a file server. If you do not do 
this, you lose all the advantages of having redundant servers, as the file server holding these files becomes a single point 
of failure.
-l [+]debug_log_path Write debugging information to file debug_log_path. This option uses the letter l, not the 
numeral 1. Prepending debug_log_path with the + character appends logging entries. 
See Debug Log File for more information on this file.
-2 -p Restricts usage of lmdown, lmreread, and lmremove to a license administrator who is by 
default root. If there a UNIX group called lmadmin, then use is restricted to only members 
of that group. If root is not a member of this group, then root does not have permission to 
use any of the above utilities. If -2 -p is used when starting lmgrd, no user on Windows 
can shut down the license server with lmdown.
-local Restricts the lmdown and lmreread commands to be run only from the same system 
where lmgrd is running. 
-x lmdown Disable the lmdown command (no user can run lmdown). If lmdown is disabled, stop 
lmgrd via kill pid (UNIX), or stop the lmgrd and vendor daemon processes through the 
Windows Task Manager or Windows service. On UNIX, be sure the kill command does not 
have a -9 argument.
-x lmremove Disable the lmremove command (no user can run lmremove).
-z Run in foreground. The default behavior is to run in the background. If -l 
debug_log_path is present, then no windows are used, but if no -l argument specified, 
separate windows are used for lmgrd and each vendor daemon.
-v Displays lmgrd version number and copyright and exits.
-help Displays usage information and exits.
Table 4-1: lmgrd Command-Line Syntax Usage
Term Description
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 37
Chapter 4: lmgrd - License Server Manager
Starting the License Server Manager on UNIX Platforms
Manual Start
Start lmgrd from the UNIX command line using the following syntax:
lmgrd -c license_file_list -L [+]debug_log_path
where 
license_file_list is one or more of the following:
• the full path to a single license file
• a directory, where all files named *.lic in that directory are used
If the license_file_list value contains more than one license file or directory, they must be separated by 
colons on UNIX or semicolons on Windows. 
debug_log_path is the full path to the debug log file
Prepending debug_log_path with the + character appends logging entries. 
Start lmgrd by a user other than root since processes started by root can introduce security risks. If lmgrd 
must be started by the root user, use the su command to run lmgrd as a non-privileged user:
su username -c "lmgrd -c license_file_list -l debug_log_path"
where username is a non-privileged user. You must ensure that the vendor daemons listed in the 
license file have execute permissions for username. The paths to all the vendor daemons in the license 
file are listed on each VENDOR line.
Automatic Start
On UNIX, edit the appropriate boot script, which may be /etc/rc.boot, /etc/rc.local, /etc/rc2.d/Sxxx, 
/sbin/rc2.d/Sxxxx. Include commands similar to the following. See the following notes for a full 
explanation.
/bin/su daniel -c 'echo starting lmgrd > \
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/boot.log'
/bin/nohup /bin/su daniel -c 'umask 022; \
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/lmgrd -c \
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/license.dat >> \
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/boot.log'
/bin/su daniel -c 'echo sleep 5 >> \
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/boot.log'
/bin/sleep 5
/bin/su daniel -c 'echo lmdiag >>\
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/boot.log'
/bin/su daniel -c '/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/lmdiag -n -c\
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/license.dat >> \
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/boot.log'
/bin/su daniel -c 'echo exiting >>\
/home/flexlm/v11/hp700_u9/boot.log'
Please note the following about how this script was written:
38 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 4: lmgrd - License Server Manager
Starting the License Server Manager on Windows
• All paths are specified in full because no paths are assumed at boot time.
• Because no paths are assumed, the vendor daemon must be in the same directory as lmgrd, or the 
VENDOR lines in the license file must be edited to include the full path to the vendor daemon.
• The su command is used to run lmgrd as a non-root user, daniel. It is recommended that lmgrd not 
be run as root since it is a security risk to run any program as root that does not require root 
permissions. lmgrd does not require root permissions.
• daniel has a csh login, so all commands executed as daniel must be in csh syntax. All commands 
not executed as daniel must be in /bin/sh syntax since that is what is used by the boot scripts.
• The use of nohup and sleep are required on some operating systems, notably HP-UX. These are not 
needed on Solaris and some other operating systems, but are safe to use on all.
• lmdiag is used as a diagnostic tool to verify that the server is running and serving licenses.
Note: This does not start the vendor daemon until you reboot the system.
Starting the License Server Manager on Windows
This section provides procedural information on manual starts from the command line and how to 
configure the License Server Manager (lmgrd) as a service.
Manual Start from the Command Line
To start lmgrd from the command line:
1. Start lmgrd as an application from a Windows command shell using the following syntax:
C:\fnp> lmgrd -c license_file_list -L [+]debug_log_path
where 
• license_file_list is one or more of the following:
• the full path to a single license file 
• a directory, where all files named *.lic in that directory are used
• debug_log_path is the full path to the debug log file
Prepending debug_log_path with the + character appends logging entries. 
Spaces in pathnames require double quotes around the path.
On Windows, lmgrd can be installed as a service to allow it to be started and stopped through a user 
interface and run in the background. 
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 39
Chapter 4: lmgrd - License Server Manager
Starting the License Server Manager on Windows
Configuring the License Server Manager as a Windows 
Service
To configure a license server manager (lmgrd) as a service, you must have Administrator privileges. The 
service will run under the LocalSystem account. This account is required to run this utility as a service.
Task To configure a license server as a service:
1. Run the lmtools utility.
2. Click the Configuration using Services button, and then click the Config Services tab.
3. In the Service Name, type the name of the service that you want to define, for example, DEMO  
License Manager. If you leave this field blank, the service will be named FLEXnet Licensing 
Service.
4. In the Path to the lmgrd.exe file field, enter or browse to lmgrd.exe for this license server.
5. In the Path to the license file field, enter or browse to the license file for this license server.
6. In the Path to the debug log file, enter or browse to the debug log file that this license server 
writes. Prepending the debug log file name with the + character appends logging entries. The 
default location for the debug log file is the c:\winnt\System32 folder. To specify a different location, 
make sure you specify a fully qualified path.
7. To save the new  DEMO License Manager service, click Save Service.
Figure 4-1: Completed Config Services Tab 
40 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 4: lmgrd - License Server Manager
Starting the License Server Manager on Windows
Configuring the License Server Manager Service for a 
Delayed Start
In situations where the license server needs to wait for other drivers or services to start before it starts, 
you can configure a delay before the license server service starts. A typical scenario where a delay is 
needed is when a FLEXnet ID dongle is used to lock the license server to a machine (the FLEXid is used 
on the SERVER line). In this scenario the license server will sometimes fail to start upon reboot of the 
system because the license server is loaded before the dongle device driver has loaded properly.
Task To Configure a delayed start for the license server manager service:
1. Configure the license server manager as a service (Configuring the License Server Manager as a 
Windows Service).
2. Locate the registry entry for your license server manager service at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FLEXlm License Manager\service_name
where service_name is the name of the license server manager service. 
3. Optionally, to configure a delay longer than 20 seconds, add a string value to the registry entry and 
set the fields in this entry as follows:
Name - unlimitedServiceDelay
Type - REG_SZ (set automatically when a string value is created)
Data - no value set
4. Add a string value to the registry entry and set the fields in this entry as follows:
Name - serviceDelay
Type - REG_SZ (set automatically when a string value is created)
Data - the service delay in seconds. This value is limited to the range 1-20 seconds unless 
unlimitedServiceDelay has previously been defined (see Step 3).
Manually Start the License Server Using the lmtools Utility
A graphical user interface to the license server manager tools is provided called lmtools. Some of the 
functions lmtools performs include:
• starting, stopping, and configuring license servers.
• getting system information, including hostids.
• getting server status.
In order to control the operation of lmgrd from the lmtools user interface, you first must configure it as a 
license server manager service. Follow the procedure in Configuring the License Server Manager as a 
Windows Service before proceeding.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 41
Chapter 4: lmgrd - License Server Manager
Starting the License Server Manager on Windows
Once the license server manager service is configured, lmgrd is started by starting the service from the 
lmtools interface.
To start the service from the lmtools interface:
1. Start lmtools and display the Service/License File tab.
2. Click Configuration using Services button.
3. Select the service name from the list presented in the selection box. In this example, the service 
name is DEMO License Manager.
Figure 4-2: Service/License File Tab
4. Click the Start/Stop/Reread tab.
5. Start DEMO License Manager by clicking the Start Server button. DEMO License Manager license 
server starts and writes its debug log output to c:\prods\i86_n3\debuglog.
Figure 4-3: Start/Stop/Reread Tab 
42 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 4: lmgrd - License Server Manager
Starting the License Server Manager on Windows
Automatically Start the License Server when System Starts
In order for lmgrd to start up automatically at system start-up time, you first must configure it as a 
service. Follow the procedure in Configuring the License Server Manager as a Windows Service before 
proceeding, and then continue with the steps below.
To configure lmgrd as a service:
1. With lmtools started and the desired service name selected, click the Config Services tab.
Figure 4-4: Config Services Tab 
2. Make this license server manager a Windows service by selecting the Use Services check box.
3. Configure it to start at system startup time by selecting the Start Server at Power Up check box.
From now on, when the system is rebooted, this license server manager starts automatically as a 
Windows service.
5
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 43
Using License Administration Tools
License administration tools are available from the Acresso download site to help license administrators 
manage licenses and license servers. Always use the latest version of the utilities. If you are using 
lmadmin as your license server manager, then its GUI provides functions that replace some of these 
utilities. The table, License Administration Utilities, lists these utilities and indicates when lmadmin 
provides an alternative. 
Command-Line Utilities
All license server utilities are packaged as a single executable called lmutil. The lmutil is either installed 
as individual commands (either by creating links to the individual command names, or making copies of 
lmutil as the individual command names), or as a wrapper that runs the individual command as lmutil 
command. For example, lmutil lmstat or lmutil lmdown. 
On Windows systems, the lmutil command form of the commands are available. There is also a graphical 
user interface available for these commands—see lmtools (Windows only).  
Table 5-1: License Administration Utilities 
Utility Description lmadmin Function
lmborrow Supports license borrowing. None
lmdiag Diagnoses license checkout problems. None
lmdown Gracefully shuts down selected vendor daemons (both lmgrd 
or lmadmin and all vendor daemons) on the license server (or 
on all three systems in the case of three-server redundancy).
Vendor Daemon Configuration - 
Administer - Stop
lmhostid Reports the hostid of a system. System Information displays hostids 
for the license server.
lminstall Converts license files between different formats. None
44 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 5: Using License Administration Tools
Command-Line Utilities
• The lmpath utility introduced in the version 7.0 utilities.
• The lmborrow utility introduced in the version 8.0 utilities.
• The lmswitch utility introduced in version 8.0 vendor daemon.
• The lmswitchr utility introduced in version 5.0 vendor daemon.
Common Arguments for lmutil
The following are valid arguments for most lmutil utilities:
lmnewlog Moves existing report log information to a new file name and 
starts a new report log file with existing file name.
None
lmpath Allows users direct control over license file path settings. None
lmremove Releases a hung license to the pool of free licenses. None. Note lmadmin default setting 
disables lmremove.
lmreread Causes the license daemon to reread the license file and start 
any new vendor daemons.
Vendor Daemon Configuration - 
Administer - Reread License Files
lmstat Displays the status of a license server. Dashboard -  Licenses
lmswitch Controls debug log location and size. None
lmswitchr Switches the report log to a new file name. Vendor Daemon Configuration - 
Administer - Rotate Report Logs
lmver Reports the version of a library or binary file. None
Table 5-2: lmutil Valid Arguments
Argument Description
-c license_file_path Most lmutil utilities need to know the path to the license file. This is specified with a -c 
license_file_path argument, or by setting the LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable. 
Otherwise, the default location is used. The utilities also honor all VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE 
environment variables. Some utilities take more than one license file path in a license search 
path separated by colons on UNIX and semicolons on Windows.
Pathnames that include spaces must be enclosed in double quotes.
-help Displays usage information and exits.
-v Displays the version of the utility and exits. 
-verbose Displays longer description for all errors found.
Table 5-1: License Administration Utilities  (cont.)
Utility Description lmadmin Function
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 45
Chapter 5: Using License Administration Tools
Command-Line Utilities
• VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE environment variable honored in utilities starting with version 7.0 utilities.
• -verbose option introduced in version 6.0 of the utilities.
lmborrow
lmborrow supports borrowing of licenses that contain the BORROW attribute. It must be run on the 
system where licenses are borrowed. It is used to perform the following:
• Initiating borrowing by setting the borrow period
• Clearing the borrow period
• Determining borrow status
• Returning a borrowed license early
Initiating Borrowing
To initiate borrowing, the user sets the borrow period by running lmborrow from the command line or 
through lmtools:
lmborrow {vendor | all} enddate [time] 
where:
For example:
lmborrow sampled 20-aug-2007 13:00
This has the effect of setting LM_BORROW with the borrow period in either the registry (Windows) or in 
$HOME/.flexlmborrow (UNIX).
To borrow licenses for the desired vendor name, on the same day and the same system that the user 
runs lmborrow, run the applications to check out the licenses. If you run the applications more than once 
that day, no duplicate licenses are borrowed. No licenses are borrowed if the application is run on a day 
different than the date borrowing is initiated. 
In addition to the lmborrow utility, there are other ways to initiate borrowing:
• Using the borrowing interface in application, if provided in the application.
• Setting the LM_BORROW environment variable directly.
Table 5-3: lmborrow Arguments for Initiating Borrowing
Argument Description
vendor The vendor daemon name that serves the licenses to be borrowed, or all specifies all 
vendor daemons in that license server.
enddate [time] Date the license is to be returned in dd-mmm-yyyy format. time is optional and is specified in 
24-hour format (hh:mm) in the FLEXenabled application’s local time. If time is unspecified, the 
checkout lasts until the end of the given end date.
46 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
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Command-Line Utilities
See Initiating License Borrowing for more information on these other ways.
Clearing the Borrowed License Setting
Task To clear the LM_BORROW setting in the registry or $HOME/.flexlmborrow: 
• Issue the command lmborrow -clear.
Clearing the LM_BORROW setting stops licenses from being borrowed until borrowing is initiated again. A 
user might run lmborrow -clear after she has borrowed licenses for features that are used offline if—
before disconnecting from the network—she wants to run an application that checks out additional 
features, served by that vendor name, that are not meant to be borrowed. Clearing LM_BORROW does not 
change the status for already borrowed licenses.
Determining Borrowed License Status
Task To print information about borrowed features:
• Issue the following command on the system from which they are borrowed:
lmborrow -status
The borrowing system does not have to be connected to the network to determine the status.
Returning a Borrowed License Early
Task To return a borrowed license early:
1. Reconnect the borrowing system back to the network.
2. From the same system that initiated the borrowing, issue the command:
lmborrow -return [-fqdn][-c license_file_list] [-c display] feature
where:
Table 5-4: lmborrow Arguments for Returning a Borrowed License Early
Argument Description
-fqdn Directs lmborrow to access the borrowing system using its fully qualified host name. Use 
this option if the license was borrowed based on the fully qualified host name, rather than the 
relative distinguished name. Use lmstat to determine the format of the host name used 
when the license was borrowed.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 47
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Command-Line Utilities
Returning the license early has the effect of clearing the LM_BORROW setting for the vendor daemon that 
serves the returned license. 
If the borrowing system is not placed back on the network before attempting the early return, the license 
is not returned and LM_BORROW is kept intact. Additionally, an error message is issued to the user with 
notification that the system needs to be connected to the network.
• Early borrowed license return was introduced in version 8.3 utilities.
lmdiag
lmdiag allows you to diagnose problems when you cannot check out a license.
Usage
lmdiag [-c license_file_list] [-n] [feature[:keyword=value]]
where:
-c license_file_list Use the specified license files. In some configurations, the license file needs to be specified 
in order to return the license file early.
-d display Used to specify the display from which the borrow was initiated. Required if your current 
display is different than what was used to initiate the borrow.
On Windows, it is the system name or, in the case of a terminal server environment, the 
terminal server client name. On UNIX, it is in the form 
/dev/ttyxx or the X-Display name.
feature The name of the borrowed feature to be returned early. Use lmborrow -status to get a list 
of borrowed feature names.
Table 5-5: lmdiag Argument Usage
Argument Description
-c license_file_list Diagnose the specified files.
-n Run in non-interactive mode; lmdiag does not prompt for any input in this mode. In this 
mode, extended connection diagnostics are not available.
feature Diagnose this feature only.
keyword=value If a license file contains multiple lines for a particular feature, select a particular line for 
lmdiag to report on. For example:
lmdiag f1:HOSTID=12345678
attempts a checkout on the line with the hostid “12345678.” keyword is one of the 
following: VERSION, HOSTID, EXPDATE, KEY, VENDOR_STRING, ISSUER
Table 5-4: lmborrow Arguments for Returning a Borrowed License Early
Argument Description
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If no feature is specified, lmdiag operates on all features in the license files in your list. lmdiag first prints 
information about the license, then attempts to check out each license. If the checkout succeeds, lmdiag 
indicates this. If the checkout fails, lmdiag gives you the reason for the failure. If the checkout fails 
because lmdiag cannot connect to the license server, then you have the option of running extended 
connection diagnostics. 
These extended diagnostics attempt to connect to each TCP/IP port on the license server, and detects if 
the port number in the license file is incorrect. lmdiag indicates each TCP/IP port number that is 
listening, and if it is an lmgrd or lmadmin process, lmdiag indicates this as well. If lmdiag finds the 
vendor daemon for the feature being tested, then it indicates the correct port number for the license file 
to correct the problem. 
See Also 
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS
lmdown
The lmdown utility allows for the graceful shutdown of selected license daemons (both lmgrd and selected 
vendor daemons) on all systems. 
Usage
lmdown -c license_file_list [-vendor vendor_daemon] [-q] [-all] [-force]
where:
If lmdown encounters more than one server (for example if -c specifies a directory with many *.lic files) 
and -all is not specified, a choice of license servers to shut down is presented.
Note: On UNIX, do not use kill -9 to shut down license servers. On Windows, if you must use the Task Manager to kill 
the FLEXnet Licensing Service, be sure to end the lmgrd process first, then all the vendor daemon processes.
Table 5-6: lmdown Argument Usage
Argument Description
-c license_file_list Use the specified license files. Note that specifying -c license_file_list is 
always recommended with lmdown.
-vendor vendor_daemon Shut down only this vendor daemon. lmgrd continues running. Requires version 6.0 
lmdown and lmgrd.
-q Don’t prompt or print a header. Otherwise lmdown asks “Are you sure? [y/n]: .”
-all If multiple servers are specified, automatically shuts down all of them. -q is implied 
with -all.
-force If licenses are borrowed, lmdown runs only from the system where the license 
server is running, and then only if the user adds -force.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 49
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When using the lmdown utility to shut down license servers configured for three-server redundancy, 
there is a one-minute delay. The lmdown utility shuts down all three license servers. If you need to shut 
down only one of these license servers (this is not recommended because you are left with two points of 
failure), you must shut down both the lmgrd and vendor daemon processes on that license server.
You can protect the unauthorized execution of lmdown when you start up the license server manager, 
lmadmin or lmgrd. Shutting down the servers causes users to lose their licenses. 
See Also
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server
lmgrd Command-Line Syntax for details about securing access to lmdown
lmreread
lmhostid
The lmhostid utility returns the hostid of the current platform. Invoked without any arguments, 
lmhostid displays the default hostid type for the current platform. Otherwise, the hostid corresponding 
to the requested type is displayed, if supported on the current platform.
Usage
lmhostid [-n] [-type] [-utf8]
Where:
Table 5-7: lmhostid Argument Usage
Argument Description
-n Only the hostid, itself, is returned as a string, which is appropriate to use with HOSTID= in the 
license file. Header text is suppressed.
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Typical output from lmutil is:
lmhostid - Copyright (c) 1989-2008 Acresso Software Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The FLEXnet host ID of this machine is ""00ff5018c189 0019d244e9fc 0016cfdaf65d 001558809422 
005056c00001 005056c00008""
Only use ONE from the list of hostids.
Note: Ethernet hostids on Windows platforms - from lmutil version 11.6.1 onwards it reports only the hostids of 
physical ethernet adapters. Devices identified as virtual ethernet adapters are not reported as these identities are not 
permanent. 
See Also 
Hostids for Supported Platforms
-type One of the following hostid types. If not specified, the default hostid for the current platform is 
displayed. See Hostids for Supported Platforms for a list of the default types.
PLATFORM-DEPENDENT HOSTIDS
• -ether—Ethernet address
• -string—String id
• -vsn—Volume serial number. (Windows platforms only)
• -flexid—Parallel or USB FLEXnet ID dongle identification. This is applicable only for those 
platforms that support FLEXnet ID dongles. See Obtaining System Hostids for a complete 
list.
• -long—32-bit hostid
PLATFORM-INDEPENDENT HOSTIDS
• -user—Current user name. Note that user names that contain spaces, for example ‘test 
user’ cannot be used in the Options file. Use the first word of the user name, for example 
‘test’, in the Options file.
• -display—Current display name. On Windows, it is the system name or, in the case of a 
terminal server environment, the terminal server client name. On UNIX, it is in the form 
/dev/ttyxx or the X-Display name.
• -hostname—Current host name
• -internet—IP address of current platform in the form ###.###.###.###.
-utf8 The hostid is output as a UTF-8 encoded string rather than an ASCII string. If your hostid 
contains characters other than ASCII A through Z, a through z, or 0 through 9, use this option 
with lmhostid. To view a correct representation of the resulting hostid, use a utility, such as 
Notepad, that can display UTF-8 encoded strings.
Table 5-7: lmhostid Argument Usage
Argument Description
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Command-Line Utilities
lminstall
The lminstall utility is designed primarily for typing in decimal format licenses to generate a readable 
format license file.
Usage
lminstall [-i in_lic_file] [-maxlen n] [-e err_file] [-o out_lic_file] \
[-overfmt {2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5.1 | 6 | 7 | 7.1 | 8}] [-odecimal]
Normally, to convert from decimal to readable format, lminstall is used with no arguments; you are 
prompted for the name of the output license file. The default file name is today’s date in yyyymmdd.lic 
format. Move this file to the application’s default license file directory, if specified by the software 
publisher. Otherwise, use the LM_LICENSE_FILE or VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE environment variables to 
specify the directory where the *.lic files are located.
To finish entering, type q on a line by itself or enter two blank lines.
When an input file is specified with no output file specified, output goes to stdout; if neither input nor 
output file is specified, lminstall assumes that input comes from stdin and prompts the user for an 
output file name. 
lminstall is also used to convert licenses from readable to decimal format and between different license 
versions.
Task To convert from readable to decimal:
lminstall -i in_lic_file -o out_lic_file -odecimal
Task To convert to v5.1 format:
lminstall -i in_lic_file -o out_lic_file -overfmt 5.1
Task To enforce a maximum line length of, for example, 50 characters:
lminstall -maxlen 50
Conversion errors are reported as necessary and can be written to a file by specifying 
-e err_file. lminstall has a limit of 1,000 lines of input.
lmnewlog
The lmnewlog utility switches the report log file by moving the existing report log information to a new 
file, then starting a new report log with the original report log file name. If you rotate report logs with 
lmnewlog instead of lmswitchr, you do not have to change the file name in the REPORTLOG line of the 
vendor daemon’s option file. Requires a version 7.1 or later vendor daemon.
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Usage
lmnewlog [-c license_file_list] feature renamed_report_log
or:
lmnewlog [-c license_file_list] vendor renamed_report_log
where:
lmpath
The lmpath utility allows direct control over license path settings. It is used to add to, override, or get 
the current license path settings.
Usage
lmpath {-add | -override} {vendor | all} license_file_list
where:
Table 5-8: lmnewlog Argument Usage
Argument Description
-c license_file_list Use the specified license files.
feature Any feature in this license file.
vendor name of the vendor daemon in this license file.
renamed_report_log New file path where existing report log information is to be moved.
Table 5-9: lmpath Argument Usage
Argument Description
-add Prepends license_file_list to the current license search path or creates the 
license search path, if it doesn’t exist, initializing it to license_file_list. 
Duplicates are discarded.
-override Overrides the existing license search path with license_file_list. If 
license_file_list is the null string, "", the specified list is deleted. 
• lmpath -override all ""—Deletes the value of LM_LICENSE_FILE.
• lmpath -override vendor ""—Deletes the value of VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE.
vendor A vendor daemon name. Affects the value of VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE.
all Refers to all vendor daemons. Affects the value of LM_LICENSE_FILE.
license_file_list On UNIX, separate values with a colon. On Windows, separate values with a semicolon. 
If license_file_list is the null string, "", then the specified entry is deleted.
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Note: lmpath works by setting the registry entry on Windows or $HOME/.flexlmrc on UNIX.
Task To display the current license path settings:
lmpath -status
The following is displayed:
lmpath - Copyright (C) 1989-2008 Acresso Software Inc.
Known Vendors:
_____________
demo:   ./counted.lic:./uncounted.lic
_____________
Other Vendors:
______________
/usr/local/flexlm/licenses/license.lic
Note that where the path is set to a directory, all the *.lic files are listed separately. 
lmremove
The lmremove utility allows you to remove a single user’s license for a specified feature. If the application 
is active, it rechecks out the license shortly after it is freed by lmremove. Note that lmadmin’s default 
setting disables lmremove. To enable lmremove, start lmadmin with the -allowLicenseReclaim argument.
Usage
lmremove [-c license_file_list] feature user user_host display
or
lmremove [-c license_file_list] -h feature server_host port handle
where:
Table 5-10: lmremove Argument Usage
Argument Description
-c license_file_list Specify license files.
feature Name of the feature checked out by the user.
user Name of the user whose license you are removing, as reported by lmstat -a.
user_host Name of the host the user is logged into, as reported by lmstat -a.
display Name of the display where the user is working, as reported by lmstat -a.
server_host Name of the host on which the license server is running.
port TCP/IP port number where the license server is running, as reported by lmstat -a.
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The user, user_host, display, server_host, port, and handle information must be obtained from the 
output of lmstat -a.
lmremove removes all instances of user on user_host and display from usage of feature. If the optional -c 
license_file_list is specified, the indicated files are used as the license file.
The -h variation uses the server_host, port, and license handle, as reported by lmstat -a. Consider 
this example lmstat -a output:
joe nirvana /dev/ttyp5 (v1.000) (cloud9/7654 102), start Fri 10/29 18:40
In this example, the user is joe, the user host is nirvana, the display is /dev/typp5, the server host is 
cloud9, the TCP/IP port is 7654, and the license handle is 102. 
Task To remove this license, issue one of the following commands:
lmremove f1 joe nirvana /dev/ttyp5
or
lmremove -h f1 cloud9 7654 102
When removing by handle, if licenses are grouped as duplicates, all duplicate licenses are also removed. 
If license lingering is set and lmremove is used to reclaim the license, lmremove starts, but does not 
override, the license’s linger time. 
You can protect the unauthorized execution of lmremove when you start up lmgrd. The default for 
lmadmin is to disable lmremove because removing a user’s license is disruptive.
See Also
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server
lmgrd Command-Line Syntax for details about securing access to lmremove
lmreread
When using lmadmin, use the GUI functions to read license files and start vendor daemons instead of 
using lmreread. The following description refers to the operation of lmreread with lmgrd.
The lmreread utility causes the license server manager to reread the license file and start any new vendor 
daemons that have been added. In addition, all currently running vendor daemons are signaled to 
reread the license file and their options files for changes. If report logging is enabled, any report log data 
still in the vendor daemon’s internal data buffer is flushed. lmreread recognizes changes to system host 
names, but cannot be used to change server TCP/IP port numbers. 
If the optional vendor daemon name is specified, only the named daemon rereads the license file and its 
options file (in this case, lmgrd does not reread the license file).
handle License handle, as reported by lmstat -a.
Table 5-10: lmremove Argument Usage
Argument Description
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Command-Line Utilities
Usage
lmreread [-c license_file_list] [-vendor vendor] [-all]
where:
Note: If you use the -c license_file_list option, the license files specified are read by lmreread, not by lmgrd; 
lmgrd rereads the file it read originally.
You can protect the unauthorized execution of lmreread when you start up the license server manager, 
lmgrd.
Ability for vendor daemon to participate in rereading of its option file introduced in version 8.0 vendor 
daemon
See Also
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server for GUI-based functions available in lmadmin
Changes in lmreread Behavior when Using lmadmin
lmgrd Command-Line Syntax for details about securing access to lmreread
lmstat
The lmstat utility helps you monitor the status of all network licensing activities, including:
• Daemons that are running
• License files
• Users of individual features
• Users of features served by a specific vendor daemon
• BORROW licenses borrowed 
The lmstat utility prints information that it receives from the license server; therefore, it does not report 
on unserved licenses such as uncounted licenses. To report on an uncounted license, the license must be 
added to a served license file and the application must be directed to use the license server for that 
license file (via @host, port@host, or USE_SERVER). Queued users and licenses shared due to 
duplicate grouping are also not returned by lmstat. 
Table 5-11: lmreread Argument Usage
Argument Description
-c license_file_list Use the specified license files.
-vendor vendor Only the vendor daemon, specified by the vendor option, rereads the license file and 
the options file. Additionally, lmgrd restarts vendor if necessary.
-all If more than one lmgrd is specified, instructs all lmgrds to reread. 
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Usage
lmstat [-a] [-c license_file_list] [-f [feature]] [-i [feature]] [-s[server]]
[-S [vendor]] [-t timeout_value]
where:
The output of lmstat -a looks similar to:
lmstat - Copyright (c) 1989-2008 Acresso Software Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Flexible License Manager status on Wed 11/28/2007 14:49
[Detecting lmgrd processes...]
License server status: 27000@prod
    License file(s) on prod: C:\prod\i86_n3\counted.lic:
prod: license server UP v11.5
Feature usage info:
Users of f1:  (Total of 4 licenses issued;  Total of 1 license in use)
"f1" v1.0, vendor: demo 
floating license 
daniel myhost2 19.36.18.26 (v1.0) (myhost1/27000 102), start Fri
5/3 7:29
where:
Table 5-12: lmstat Argument Usage
Argument Description
-a Displays all information. This option is a potentially expensive command. With many 
active users, this command option generates a lot of network activity.
-c license_file_list Uses the specified license files.
-f [feature] Displays users of feature. If feature is not specified, usage information for all 
features is displayed.
-i [feature] Displays information from the feature definition line for the specified feature, or all 
features if feature is not specified.
-s [server] Displays status of all license files listed in $VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE or 
$LM_LICENSE_FILE on server, or on all servers if server is not specified.
-S [vendor] Lists all users of vendor’s features.
-t timeout_value Sets connection timeout to timeout_value. This limits the amount of time 
lmstat spends attempting to connect to server.
Table 5-13: lmstat Output
Output Argument Description
daniel user User name.
myhost2 user_host Host where user is running.
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The user, user_host, display, server_host, port, and handle information is used when 
removing licenses with lmremove.
lmswitch 
The lmswitch utility switches the debug log file written by a particular vendor daemon by closing the 
existing debug log for that vendor daemon and starting a new debug log for that vendor daemon with a 
new file name. It also starts a new debug log file written by that vendor daemon if one does not already 
exist.
Usage
lmswitch [-c license_file_list] vendor new_debug_log
where:
By default, debug log output from lmgrd and all vendor daemons started by that lmgrd get written into 
the same debug file. lmswitch allows companies to keep separate log files for different vendor daemons 
and control the size of their debug log file. 
If debug log output is not already directed to a separate file for this vendor daemon, lmswitch tells the 
vendor daemon to start writing its debug log output to a file, new_debug_log. If this vendor daemon is 
already writing to its own debug log, lmswitch tells the vendor daemon to close its current debug log 
file and start writing its debug log output to new_debug_log. 
19.36.18.26 display Display where user is running.
v1.0 version Version of feature.
myhost1 server_host Host where license server is running.
27000 port TCP/IP port on server_host where license server is running.
102 handle License handle.
start Fri 5/3 7:29 checkout_time Time that this license was checked out.
Table 5-14: lmswitch Argument Usage
Argument Description
-c license_file_list Use the specified license files.
vendor Vendor daemon in this license file.
new_debug_log Path to new debug log file.
Table 5-13: lmstat Output
Output Argument Description
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Note: The effect of lmswitch continues only until the vendor daemon is shut down or its options file is reread via 
lmreread. When the vendor daemon is restarted or its options file is reread, it looks for a DEBUGLOG line in the options 
file to determine whether or not to write its debug log output into its own file and, if so, what file to write. 
See Also:
Downloading and Installing lmadmin License Server for information on lmadmin display
DEBUGLOG
lmreread
Debug Log File
lmswitchr
The lmswitchr utility switches the report log file by closing the existing report log and starting a new 
report log with a new file name. It also starts a new report log file if one does not already exist. 
Usage
lmswitchr [-c license_file_list] feature new_report_log
or with version 5.0 or later vendor daemon:
lmswitchr [-c license_file_list] vendor new_report_log
where:
If report logging is not enabled for the vendor daemon, lmswitchr tells it to start writing its report log 
output to new_report_log. If report logging is already enabled for the vendor daemon, lmswitchr tells 
the vendor daemon to close its report log file and start writing its new report log output to 
new_report_log. 
Note: The effect of lmswitchr continues only until the vendor daemon is shut down or its options file is reread via 
lmreread. When the vendor daemon is restarted or its options file is reread, it looks for a REPORTLOG line in the options 
file to determine whether or not to write report log output to a file and, if so, what file to write.
Table 5-15: lmswitchr Argument Usage
Argument Description
-c license_file_list Use the specified license files.
feature Any feature in this license file.
vendor Vendor daemon in this license file.
new_report_log Path to new report log file.
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Chapter 5: Using License Administration Tools
lmtools (Windows only)
See Also:
REPORTLOG
lmnewlog
lmreread
Report Log File
lmver
The lmver utility reports the version of a FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit library or binary file.
Usage
lmver filename
where filename is one of the following:
• the name of an executable file built with FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit
• lmgrd
• a license administration tool
• a vendor daemon
For example, if you have an application called spell, type lmver spell.
lmtools (Windows only)
The lmtools utility is a graphical user interface that allows you to administer the license server. This 
executable is available in the 32-bit and 64-bit Windows packages. Always use the newest version 
possible. You can get it from the software download site.
Some of the functions this utility performs include:
• starting, stopping, and configuring license servers
• getting system information, including hostids
• getting server status
The lmtools utility has two modes in which to configure a license server:
• Configuration using a license file
• Configuration using services
On Windows Vista, you must run the lmtools utility as an administrator. If you do not run this 
executable as an administrator, the User Account Control (UAC) dialog will display as soon as it is 
started (as long as the UAC prompt is not disabled on the system).
Configuration Using License File
Operations are performed on a particular license file. The file can be either local or remote. In this mode, 
you cannot start the lmgrd process, but you can do everything else. 
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lmtools (Windows only)
To configure this mode:
1. Run the lmtools utility.
2. Click the Configuration using License File button.
3. Enter one or more the license file names or port@host specifications.
Configuration Using Services
Operations are performed on a service, which allows starting lmgrd processes local to the system on 
which lmtools is running. For details on configuring services, see Configuring the License Server 
Manager as a Windows Service.
Limitation on File Path Lengths
The following file paths, used when configuring lmtools, are limited to 255 characters:
• Path to the lmgrd.exe file
• Path to the license file
• Path to the debug log file
Ethernet hostids on Windows platforms
From version 11.6.1 onwards lmtools reports only the hostids of physical ethernet adapters. Devices 
identified as virtual ethernet adapters are not reported as these identities are not permanent. 
6
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 61
IPv6 Support
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next generation IP protocol. This section contains information 
for license administrators who support have networks that support IPv6 addresses. The information in 
this section assumes the reader has a familiarity with the IPv6 networking protocols. The following 
sections of this chapter describe the FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit support for IPv6.
• Capabilities that Support IPv6
• Deploying License Servers in Mixed Protocol Environments
Capabilities that Support IPv6
This section describes the capabilities in the FLEXnet Publisher Licensing toolkit configurable by license 
administrators that support IPv6. This section describes components used with both license file-based 
licensing and trusted storage-based licensing.
When working with a software publisher to obtain a software package that supports IPv6, you should 
collect and provide the IP addresses of systems (FLEXenabled clients and license servers) that will be 
used in the license file.
License File
In a license file, the SERVER line can define an IPv6 address as the host value.
Options File
An options file can contain an IPv6 address to specify host restrictions when using the:
• INTERNET type in these keywords - EXCLUDE, EXCLUDEALL, EXCLUDE_BORROW, INCLUDE, 
INCLUDEALL, INCLUDE_BORROW, MAX, and RESERVE.
• HOST type in these keywords - EXCLUDE, EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, EXCLUDEALL, 
EXCLUDE_BORROW, INCLUDE, INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, INCLUDEALL, 
INCLUDE_BORROW, MAX, and RESERVE 
• HOST_GROUP keyword (it takes IP addresses). 
62 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 6: IPv6 Support
Deploying License Servers in Mixed Protocol Environments
License Search Path
Entries in the license search path that use the ‘port@host’ convention to identify the license server, can 
specify an IPv6 address as the ‘host’ value.
Deploying License Servers in Mixed Protocol 
Environments
For FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit components to work properly using IPv6 addresses, all 
systems in an enterprise (including the network hardware and software) must be configure properly to 
support communication using IPv6 addresses. Before testing or deploying a FLEXenabled application 
that supports IPv6 or IPv4/IPv6 dual communication, make sure that all systems on the network can 
communicate successfully.
If the license server will run under any of the following operating systems, it can communicate with 
FLEXenabled clients using either IPv4 or IPv6 (as long as the network is configured properly).
• Any supported edition of Windows Vista
• Any supported Linux platform
• Any supported Unix platform
Because these operating systems support dual-layer communication, both IPv4 and IPv6 FLEXenabled 
clients can communicate with an IPv6 license server. In addition, IPv6 clients can communicate with an 
IPv4 license server using the IPv4 address. Figure 6-1 illustrates this behavior.
If you are using lmadmin as your license server, it supports both IPv4 and IPv6 clients. You must rename 
one of your vendor daemon executable files, because separate IPv4 and IPv6 vendor daemons are 
required.
 
Figure 6-1: License Server Running on Windows Vista, Unix, or Linux 
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 63
Chapter 6: IPv6 Support
Deploying License Servers in Mixed Protocol Environments
If the license server runs on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, there are certain limitations because 
of the limited dual-layer support on these operating systems. IPv4 FLEXenabled clients cannot 
communicate with a IPv6 license server running on these operating systems. However, IPv6 
FLEXenabled clients can communicate with an IPv4 license server running on these operating systems. 
Figure 6-2 illustrates this behavior.
Figure 6-2: License Server running on Windows 2003 or XP
If an enterprise runs license servers on Windows 2003 or Windows XP the license administrators should 
create and maintain two separate networks - one for IPv6 FLEXenabled clients (that will use the IPv6 
license server) and the other for IPv4 FLEXenabled clients (that uses the IPv4 license server). The 
following figure illustrates this configuration. 
Figure 6-3: Separate IPv4 and IPv6 Environments
64 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 6: IPv6 Support
Using Wildcards in an IPv6 Address
Using Wildcards in an IPv6 Address
The wildcard character, “*,” may be used in place of an entire field or on a byte-by-byte basis to specify a 
range of addresses without having to list them all. For example, this example feature definition line is 
locked to four specific addresses:
FEATURE f1 myvendor 1.0 1-jan-2008 uncounted \
HOSTID="INTERNET=127.17.0.1,\
INTERNET=2001:0db8:0000:0000:ff8f:effa:13da:0001,\
INTERNET=127.17.0.4,\
INTERNET=2001:0db8:0000:0000:ff8f:effa:13da:0004" \
SIGN=”<...>”
The following example feature definition line specifies an entire range of addresses, including the four 
specific ones from the line above:
FEATURE f1 myvendor 1.0 1-jan-2008 uncounted \
HOSTID="INTERNET=127.17.0.*,\
INTERNET=2001:0db8:0000:0000:*:*:*:000*"\
SIGN=”<...>”
7
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 65
Using Three-Server Redundancy
This section describes how to configure license servers in a three-server redundancy configuration. 
License administrators can implement failover protection for license servers using either of the 
following methods:
• Three-server redundancy: configure and maintain a set of three license server systems configured 
specifically for three-server redundancy. This provides failover protection only. License 
administrators manage only one version of the license file and vendor daemon on all three license 
servers.
• Redundancy using the license search path: configure and maintain multiple independent license 
servers, each with a subset of the total licenses available to the enterprise. Configure the 
FLEXenabled client with the license servers in the license search path. This provides load balancing 
capabilities and limited failover protection. License administrators must manage different versions 
of the license rights on each license server.
License administrators should work with their software publishers to enable and configure three-server 
redundancy for failover protection. Three-server redundancy is a specific capability available in 
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit that provides failover protection while preventing license rights 
from being improperly replicated. In this configuration, only one license server supplies licenses to 
FLEXenabled applications. 
When at least two of the three license servers are running and communicating, the system serves 
licenses to FLEXenabled applications. Three-server redundancy is supported with license file-based 
licensing only. It is not supported with trusted storage-based licensing. 
Overview of Three-Server Redundancy
Using the three-server redundancy capability in FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit, all three license 
servers operate to form a triad. The license servers send periodic messages to each other to make sure 
that at least two servers are running and communicating. A quorum is formed when at least two of the 
three license servers are running and communicating with each other. 
66 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 7: Using Three-Server Redundancy
Overview of Three-Server Redundancy
The license servers are identified as either primary, secondary, or tertiary. One license server is also 
designated as the master [m] and is responsible for:
• serving licenses to FLEXenabled applications
• recording information into the debug log.
• recording information into the report log.
If the master fails, then another license server becomes the master. 
In the following figure, the primary license server is the master [m]. When a FLEXenabled application 
sends a checkout request for a license, the master responds and then serves the license to the 
FLEXenabled application. 
Figure 7-1: Three-Server Redundancy Overview 
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 67
Chapter 7: Using Three-Server Redundancy
Managing License Servers in this Configuration
If the master fails, then the secondary license server becomes the master (see the following figure) and 
will server licenses to FLEXenabled applications. The tertiary license server can never be the master. If 
both the primary and secondary license servers go down, licenses are no longer served to FLEXenabled 
applications. The master will not serve licenses unless there are at least two license servers in the triad 
running and communicating. 
Figure 7-2: Three-Serer Redundancy Backup Failover 
Understanding How License Servers Communicate
When started, each license server reads the license file and checks that it can communicate with the 
other license servers. Until each license server establishes this first connection with the others, it will 
continue to send messages periodically.
Once the initial communication has been established, each license server periodically sends a heartbeat 
to the others. Heartbeats are messages sent over TCP/IP. Each license server sends a heartbeat and 
waits for a response from the other license servers. If a license server does not receive a response, it 
shuts down the vendor daemon so that it cannot serve licenses. A publisher or license administrator can 
configure the amount of time a license server waits to receive a heartbeat using the 
HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL property. 
Poor network communication causes system performance to slow.  Slow network communication can 
also cause a delay in the transmission of heartbeats between license servers.
Managing License Servers in this Configuration
Using the lmstat Utility
The output message generated by the lmstat utility identifies which license server is the master. In the 
following example lmstat output, the secondary license server is the master.
[Detecting lmgrd processes...]
License server status: 30000@RMD-PRIMARY,30000@RMD-SECONDARY,
30000@RMD-TERTIARY
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Chapter 7: Using Three-Server Redundancy
Configuring License Servers for Three-Server Redundancy
License file(s) on RMD-PRIMARY: C:\server\3.lic:
RMD-PRIMARY: license server UP v11.4
RMD-SECONDARY: license server UP (MASTER) v11.4
RMD-TERTIARY: license server UP v11.4
Starting and Stopping License Servers
To start the entire system, you must start each license server manager (lmadmin or lmgrd). Generally, it is 
good practice to start the primary license server before the secondary or tertiary license server. This 
allows the primary license server to become the master before the others start. If you start the secondary 
and tertiary before the primary, then the secondary will establish itself as master.
If you do not set the PRIMARY_IS_MASTER keyword for the primary license server, then the order in 
which you start the license servers is important. If you do not set this property, when you start the 
primary license server after the secondary license server control will not transfer to the primary license 
server. By setting the PRIMARY_IS_MASTER keyword, you ensure that when the primary license 
server is running, it is always the master.
The lmdown utility will shut down all three license servers using a single command. You do not have to 
shut down each license server separately.
Running the License Server Manager (lmgrd) as a Service on Windows
There are no dependencies or known issues related to running the license server manager (lmgrd 
executable) as a service in this configuration.
Logging and the Debug Log
When using three-server redundancy, the master records information to its local debug log and report 
log (and the Windows event log if this is configured). If this system fails, another license server becomes 
the master and records information to its local debug log and report log. Subsequently, there may be 
different versions of the debug log and report log on the primary and secondary license server which 
each contains different information.
Configuring License Servers for Three-Server 
Redundancy
Both the software publisher and the license administrator must perform certain configuration steps. 
This section describes the steps that each must perform.
Configuration for License Administrators
The license administrators should perform the following steps:
1. Before the license administrator gets the license server software package, they should identify and 
set up the three systems. When selecting systems, make sure they are stable. Do not use systems that 
are frequently rebooted or shut down. 
2. Send the publisher the hostname and hostid values for these systems. Ask the publisher what system 
identifier they need for the hostid. This could be an Ethernet address, disk serial number, etc. The 
publisher will create license server components specifically for these systems.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 69
Chapter 7: Using Three-Server Redundancy
Configuring License Servers for Three-Server Redundancy
3. After receiving the license server package from the publisher, change the following SERVER line 
properties in the license file if necessary:
• port number the license servers uses to listen for communication 
• PRIMARY_IS_MASTER keyword 
• HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL property
Do not change the hostid values. If the hostid changes at any time, the license administrator must work 
with the software publisher to obtain a new license file.
4. Perform any additional configuration as required by the software publisher. 
5. Copy or install the license server software package to each of the three systems. 
6. Start the license servers in the following order: primary, secondary, and then tertiary.
An Example License File
The following is an example of a license file that is configured for three-server redundancy.
SERVER pat 17003456 2837 PRIMARY_IS_MASTER
SERVER lee 17004355 2837
SERVER terry 17007ea8 2837
VENDOR demo
FEATURE f1 demo 1.0 1-jan-2018 10 SIGN=”<...>”
FEATURE f2 demo 1.0 1-jan-2018 10 SIGN=”<...>”
The following portions of the license file directly affect the three-server redundant configuration: 
• SERVER lines: These three lines define each of the systems involved.
• The host values: they are: pat, lee, and terry.
• The hostid values: they are: 17003456, 17004355, and 17007ea8. This example uses the value 
returned by the lmhostid utility default hostid type. The default hostid type is different for every 
platform.
• The TCP/IP ports: All servers use the same port (2837, in the example) to listen for 
communication.
The following properties of the license file do not affect the three-server redundant configuration 
directly, but are used to define license rights or configure the license server.
• VENDOR line: this is required and references the publisher’s vendor daemon.
• FEATURE lines: The two features, f1 and f2, define the license rights. The SIGN value for each 
FEATURE line encodes the license server hostid values.
Using Other Capabilities with Three-Server Redundancy
The following section describe other capabilities available in FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit and 
how they interact with three-server redundancy.
70 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 7: Using Three-Server Redundancy
Configuring License Servers for Three-Server Redundancy
Configuring the License Search Path
This configuration can be performed by either the software publisher or the license administrator. 
Before a FLEXenabled application can check out a license, it must know where to locate the license 
rights. The license search path identifies the location of license rights. 
When connecting to a license server configured for three-server redundancy, the FLEXenabled 
application must use the port@host convention (and not a license file location) in the license search 
path. 
The license search path should list the license servers in the same order that they appear in the license 
file. This helps shorten the amount of time it takes to identify the master server and respond to the 
checkout request. Although the configuration will work if you include only one of the license servers in 
the license search path, this may lengthen the amount of time it takes for the license server to respond to 
the checkout request. This is because the license server must identify all other license servers and 
designate a master.
You must also separate each port@host entry with a comma and not a semicolon (Windows), colon 
(Unix/Mac), or ampersand (Java). The comma indicates that the license servers are configured for 
three-server redundancy.
Using the previous license file as an example, the license search path should be:
2837@pat,2837@lee,2837@terry
The FLEXenabled application will try to connect to each of the license servers in the list, in the order 
listed, until it either successfully connects to a license server or reaches the end of the list. This helps 
ensure that the FLEXenabled application can connect to the quorum.
Specifying Three-Server Redundancy in the License Finder
When the license search path has not been configured, the FLEXlm License Finder dialog is displayed on 
Windows platforms when a FLEXenabled application is run. 
Task To specify a triad of license servers in the License Finder dialog:
1. Select Specify the License File.
2. Click Next.
3. Type the path name or use the browse button to specify your three-server redundant license file. An 
Example License File shows a typical three-server redundant license file.
4. Click Next.
Note that the License Finder dialog option, Specify the License Server System, allows you to only 
specify a single license server and not a triad of license servers.
Using License File Keywords
The following keywords and properties for the SERVER line allow you to modify the configuration. 
• Host: this is the hostname of the system. The publisher should know this information when 
generating the license file. This value can be changed after the license file has been signed.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 71
Chapter 7: Using Three-Server Redundancy
Configuring License Servers for Three-Server Redundancy
• Port: the port number that the license server uses to listen for communication. Unlike single license 
servers, each SERVER line must include a port number. This can be any number between 1024 and 
64000 that is not used by another process running on the system. This value can be changed after 
the license file has been signed. If you are using lmadmin, you do not need to edit the license file: you 
can configure the port number using the GUI interface. See on-line help for more details.
To make it easier to administer the license server, we strongly recommended that you define the 
same port number for each SERVER line. This value can be changed after the license file has been 
signed.
• PRIMARY_IS_MASTER: this keyword ensures that the primary server is the master whenever it 
is running and communicating with one of the other license servers. 
• If this is set and the primary server goes down, when the primary server comes back up again, it 
will always become the master.
• If this is not set and the primary server goes down, the secondary server becomes the master and 
remains the master even when the primary server comes back up. The primary can only become 
the master again when the secondary license server fails. 
This parameter is optional and should be placed on the first SERVER line. This value can be changed 
after the license file has been signed. The license server must be running a version 10.8 or later 
vendor daemon to use this keyword.
•  HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL=seconds: this indicates how long the license servers wait to receive 
a heartbeat from another license server before shutting down the vendor daemon. This value is used 
in the following equation to calculate the actual timeout value:
timeout = (3 * seconds) + (seconds – 1)
The default value is 20, which equates to an actual timeout of 79 seconds. Valid values are 0 through 
120. This parameter is optional and should be placed on the first SERVER line in the license file. 
This value can be changed after the license file has been signed. The license server must be running 
a version 10.8 or later vendor daemon to use this keyword. 
Using Options File Keywords
None of the keywords in the options file affect three-server redundancy.
Troubleshooting Tips and Limitations
Separating the Contents of a License File
Because the hostid values in the SERVER lines are computed into the signature of each feature 
definition line, make sure you keep SERVER lines together with any feature definition lines as they were 
generated. This means that if you move a feature definition line to another file, you must also move the 
respective SERVER lines and VENDOR line.
Putting the License File on a Network File Server
Do not put the license file on a network file server. If you do this, you lose the advantages of having 
failover protection because the file server becomes a possible single point of failure. 
72 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 7: Using Three-Server Redundancy
Configuring License Servers for Three-Server Redundancy
Using License Servers in Heavy Network Traffic
On a network with excessive traffic, the license servers may miss heartbeats which causes them shut 
down the vendor daemon. The master may then stop serving licenses. If you find that heavy network 
traffic causes this to occur, you should set the HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL to a larger value.  Enterprises 
can experience a performance issue when there is slow network communication or if FLEXenabled 
clients are using a dialup link to connect to the network.
Using Multiple Vendor Daemons
The license server manager (lmadmin or lmgrd) can not start vendor daemons from other software 
publishers when configured for three-server redundancy. The license server manager can only manage 
one vendor daemon. If one of the systems runs more that one vendor daemon, then the license 
administrator must run separate instances of the license server on that system to support the other 
vendor daemons. Make sure the port numbers do not clash.
8
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 73
Reading a License File
The license file contains information required to manage licenses for a FLEXenabled application. This 
information includes:
• License server names and hostids
• VENDOR names and paths to vendor daemon executables
• Feature information
The license file must be accessible to systems that run the FLEXenabled application or a license server. 
Specifying the Location of the License File
Software publishers often recommend a specific location for your license file. You have the following 
options for making your licenses available to all systems:
• Place the license file in a partition which is available to all systems in the network that need it.
• Copy the license file to each of the individual systems.
• Set the LM_LICENSE_FILE or VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE (where VENDOR is the vendor daemon name) 
environment variable to port@host, where host and port come from the SERVER line in the 
license file. Alternatively, if the license file SERVER line specifies a TCP/IP port in the default port 
range (27000–27009) or does not specify a port (thereby allowing the license server manager to 
choose one from the default range), use the shortcut specification, @host. 
For license servers configured for three-server redundancy, use a comma separated list of three 
port@host specifiers identify the three license servers. For example,
port1@host1,port2@host2,port3@host3
Do not choose a location for a license file where the path to the license file contains the @ symbol. The @ 
symbol is used to identify a license server as illustrated in the previous example.
74 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
Specifying the Location of the License File
Table 8-1 shows some examples of LM_LICENSE_FILE and VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE environment variable 
settings.
• On Windows, if the application cannot find the license file, the user is presented with a dialog that 
asks the user to specify the license file location, the license server, or license fulfillment from the 
internet.
Since the vendor daemon keeps track of license usage, and since the license file contains encrypted data 
to protect it against modification, you may move and copy the license file as much as necessary.
For counted licenses, no matter which option you choose, you must first copy lmadmin or lmgrd and the 
vendor daemon to a location that the FLEXenabled application can access on the network.
Setting the License Search Path using an Environment 
Variable
Most applications specify a location where they expect to find the license file and install it automatically. 
However, you can change the license file location by setting the LM_LICENSE_FILE environment 
variable to a license_file_list. Wherever license_file_list is specified, it can consist of the following 
components:
• the full path to the license file
• a directory containing one or more license files with a .lic extension
• a port@host setting, where port and host are the TCP/IP port number and host name from the 
SERVER line in the license file. Alternatively, use the shortcut specification, @host, if the license file 
SERVER line uses a default TCP/IP port or specifies a port in the default port range (27000–
27009).
• A comma separated list of three port@host specifiers identifying the license servers configured for 
three-server redundancy. For example, 
Table 8-1: Environment Variable Specification Examples
SERVER Line
LM_LICENSE_FILE or VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE 
Setting
SERVER myserver 17007ea8 40000 where:
• host = myserver
• port = 40000
40000@myserver
SERVER myserver 17007ea8 27001 where:
• host = myserver
• port = 27001, within the default range
@myserver
SERVER myserver 17007ea8 where:
• host = myserver
• port = none specified, uses a default TCP/IP port number 
in the range of 27000-27009
@myserver
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 75
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
License File Format Overview
port1@host1,port2@host2,port3@host3
Applications accept an environment variable (or Windows Registry) named VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE, where 
VENDOR is the vendor daemon name, for example, DEMO_LICENSE_FILE. This environment variable’s scope 
is limited to just those applications from software publisher using the VENDOR name. On UNIX, the 
license search path entries are separated by colons; on Windows, the entries are separated by 
semicolons.
With lmgrd and lmutil (lmstat, lmdown, and so on), the -c option overrides the setting of the 
LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable.
Note: Some applications do not recognize the LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable. FLEXenabled Java applications, in 
particular, do not recognize it.
See Also
Managing Multiple License Files for more information about LM_LICENSE_FILE.
Environment Variables
License File Format Overview
License files begins with either a single SERVER line or three SERVER lines (when configured for three-
server redundancy) followed by one or more VENDOR lines, followed by one or more FEATURE or 
INCREMENT lines. In some cases, the license file requires no SERVER line and no VENDOR line. 
Please note that eight-bit Latin-based characters are fully supported in license files, options files, log 
files, and FLEXenabled application environments. 
See Counted vs. Uncounted Licenses for more information on SERVER and VENDOR line 
requirements. 
You can modify these elements in the license file:
• On the SERVER line 
Host names on the SERVER lines
TCP/IP port numbers 
HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL and PRIMARY_IS_MASTER properties
• On the VENDOR line
• Paths to the vendor daemon.
• Options file paths
• TCP/IP port numbers (for firewall support only)
• The USE_SERVER line. 
• On the feature definition lines, 
• The values in keyword=value pairs on FEATURE lines, if keyword is specified in lowercase
• You can use the \ line-continuation character to break up long lines. 
76 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
License File Syntax
See Also
Using Three-Server Redundancy
Counted vs. Uncounted Licenses
License File Syntax
This section describes the contents of the license file, including SERVER lines and VENDOR lines. This 
is an example of a license file for a single VENDOR name with two features.
SERVER my_server 17007ea8 1700
VENDOR sampled 
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.000 01-jan-2008 10 SIGN=”<...>” 
FEATURE f2 sampled 1.000 01-jan-2008 10 SIGN=”<...>” 
This example allows the license server, called my_server with the hostid 17007ea8, to serve ten 
floating licenses for each feature, f1 and f2 to any user on the network.
SERVER Lines
The SERVER line specifies the host name and hostid of the license server and the TCP/IP port number 
of the license server manager (lmadmin or lmgrd). Normally a license file has one SERVER line. Three 
SERVER lines mean that you are using license servers configured for three-server redundancy. The 
absence of a SERVER line means that every feature definition line in the license file is uncounted. 
The hostids from the SERVER lines are computed into the license key or signature on every feature 
definition line. For this reason, make sure you keep SERVER lines together with any feature definition 
lines as they were sent from the software publisher.
The format of the SERVER line is:
SERVER host hostid [port] [PRIMARY_IS_MASTER] [HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL=seconds]
For example: 
SERVER my_server 17007ea8 21987
The following table describes the attributes on this line. 
Table 8-2: SERVER Line Format
Field Description
host The system host name or IP address. String returned by the UNIX hostname or uname -n 
command. On NT/2000/XP, ipconfig /all; on Windows 95/98/ME, winipcfg /all 
return the host name.
hostid Usually the string returned by the lmhostid command. This is changed only by your 
software supplier.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 77
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
License File Syntax
See Also
Using Three-Server Redundancy
VENDOR Lines
The VENDOR line specifies the daemon name and path. lmgrd uses this line to start the vendor daemon, 
and the vendor daemon reads it to find its options file. The format of the VENDOR line is shown below.
port TCP/IP port number to use. A valid number is any unused port number between 0 and 
64000. On UNIX, choose a port >1024, since those <1024 are privileged port numbers. If 
no TCP/IP port number is specified, one of the default ports in the range of 27000–27009 
is used.
You must specify a port number when the SERVER line define license servers configured 
for three-server redundancy.
PRIMARY_IS_MASTER Used with license servers configured for three-server redundancy to indicate how master 
control is transferred between the primary and secondary servers.
• If this is set and the primary server goes down, when the primary server comes back 
up again, it will always become the master.
• If this is not set and the primary server goes down, the secondary server becomes the 
master and remains the master even when the primary server comes back up. The 
primary can only become the master again when the secondary license server fails. 
If both primary and secondary go down, licenses are no longer served. The tertiary server 
never becomes the master. 
This parameter is optional and is placed on the first SERVER line in the license file. You 
must be running a version 10.8 or later vendor daemon to use this parameter.
HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL
=
seconds
Used with license servers configured for three-server redundancy to indicate how long a 
license server waits to receive a heartbeat from another license server in the triad before 
shutting itself down. The seconds value is used in the following equation to calculate the 
timeout:
• timeout = (3 x seconds) + (seconds - 1)
If not specified, the default value for seconds is 20, equating to an actual timeout value of 
79 seconds. Valid values for the seconds value are 0–120.
This parameter is optional and is placed on the first SERVER line in the license file. You 
must be running a version 10.8 or later vendor daemon to use this parameter. 
Table 8-2: SERVER Line Format
Field Description
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Chapter 8: Reading a License File
License File Syntax
VENDOR vendor [vendor_daemon_path]\
[[OPTIONS=]options_file_path] [[PORT=]port]
where:
See Also
Managing the Options File for further information regarding options file contents.
Version 6.0 or Later
VENDOR sampled
USE_SERVER Line
The USE_SERVER line takes no arguments and has no impact on the license server. When the application 
sees the USE_SERVER line, it ignores everything in the license file except the preceding SERVER lines and 
transfers checkout validation to the vendor daemon.
USE_SERVER is recommended since it improves performance when a license server is used. For uncounted 
features, USE_SERVER is used to force logging of usage by the daemons.
Table 8-3: VENDOR Line Format
Field Description
vendor Name of the vendor daemon used to serve some features in the file. This name cannot be 
changed. 
vendor_daemon_path Optional path to the executable for this daemon. Generally, the license administrator is free 
to install the vendor daemon in any directory. It is recommended, however, that it be 
installed in a local directory on the license server. 
If omitted, lmgrd looks for the vendor daemon binary in: 
• the current directory
• the path specified in lmgrd’s $PATH environment variable
• in the directory where lmgrd is located
If vendor_daemon_path is blank, then any options or TCP/IP port number 
specifications require the OPTIONS= and PORT= strings.
options_file_path Full path to the options file for this daemon. An options file is not required. 
If omitted, the vendor daemon, by default, looks for a file called vendor.opt (where 
vendor is the vendor daemon name) located in the same directory as the license file.
port Vendor daemon TCP/IP port number.
The default, if port is not specified, is chosen by the operating system at run-time. Sites 
with Internet firewalls need to specify the TCP/IP port number the daemon uses. If a TCP/
IP port number is specified on the VENDOR line, there may be a delay restarting the vendor 
daemon.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 79
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
License File Syntax
FEATURE and INCREMENT Lines
A FEATURE and INCREMENT lines describe the license model for a product. Only the first FEATURE 
line for a given feature name is processed by the vendor daemon. If you want to have additional copies of 
the same feature (for example, to have multiple node-locked, counted features), then you must use 
multiple INCREMENT lines. INCREMENT lines form license groups, or pools, based on the following 
fields:
• feature name
• version
• DUP_GROUP
• FLOAT_OK
• HOST_BASED
• HOSTID
• PLATFORM
• USER_BASED
• VENDOR_STRING (if configured by the publisher as a pooling component)
If two lines differ by any of these fields, a new group of licenses, called a license pool, is created in the 
vendor daemon, and this group is counted independently from other license pools with the same feature 
name. A FEATURE line does not give an additional number of licenses, whereas an INCREMENT line 
always gives an additional number of licenses.
The basic feature definition line format is:
{FEATURE|INCREMENT} feature vendor feat_version exp_date \
num_lic [optional_attributes] SIGN=”<...>”
The six fields after the feature definition line keyword are required and have a fixed order. They are 
defined by the software publisher and cannot be changed. Table 8-4 presents these fields in the order 
they must appear.
Table 8-4: Feature Definition Line Required Fields 
Field Description
feature Name given to the feature by the software publisher.
vendor Name of the vendor daemon; also found in the VENDOR line. The specified daemon serves 
this feature.
feat_version Version of this feature that is supported by this license. When this field contains a date with 
the format yyyy.mmdd, this defines a date-based version that you can set as an Alert in the 
license server manager, lmadmin.
exp_date Expiration date of license in the format dd-mmm-yyyy, for example, 07-may-2008. 
Note: If exp_date is the string “permanent” or the year is 0 (or 00, 000, 0000) then the 
license never expires.
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License File Syntax
Table 8-5 lists attributes that may appear in a FEATURE or INCREMENT line. They are supplied at the 
discretion of the software publisher to define the license model. If present in the FEATURE or 
INCREMENT line, they must remain there and cannot be altered by the end user. These attributes have 
a keyword=value syntax where keyword is in uppercase. 
In places where value is a string surrounded with double quotes (“...”), the string can contain any 
characters except a quote.
num_lic Number of concurrent licenses for this feature. If the num_lic is set to the string 
“uncounted” or 0, the licenses for this feature are uncounted and no license server is 
required but a hostid on the FEATURE line is required. See Counted vs. Uncounted 
Licenses.
SIGN=sign or
AUTH=...
SIGN= signature to authenticate this FEATURE line.
If your publisher has deployed his vendor daemon using the common vendor daemon 
technology, signatures are embedded within the AUTH= keyword. Contact your publisher 
for further details.
Table 8-5: Attributes Set by the Software Publisher 
Attribute Description
BORROW[=n] Enables license borrowing for a particular feature definition line. n is the number of hours 
that the license is borrowed. The default borrow period is 168 hours, or one week.
DUP_GROUP=... The syntax is:
DUP_GROUP=NONE|SITE|[UHDV]
U = DUP_USER
H = DUP_HOST
D = DUP_DISPLAY
V = DUP_VENDOR_DEF
Any combination of UHDV is allowed, and the DUP_MASK is the OR of the combination. 
For example, DUP_GROUP=UHD means the duplicate grouping is 
(DUP_USER|DUP_HOST|DUP_DISPLAY), so for a user on the same host and display, 
additional uses of a feature do not consume additional licenses.
FLOAT_OK
[=server_hostid]
Enables mobile licensing via FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK for a particular feature 
definition line. This feature definition line must also be node-locked to a FLEXnet ID 
dongle.
When FLOAT_OK=server_hostid is specified on a FEATURE line:
The server_hostid must refer to the same host that appears on the SERVER line of 
the license file.
The license server runs only on the system with the hostid that lmhostid returns equal 
to the server_hostid specified with FLOAT_OK.
Table 8-4: Feature Definition Line Required Fields  (cont.)
Field Description
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 81
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
License File Syntax
HOSTID=
"hostid1
[hostid2 ...
hostidn]"
Id of the host to which the feature line is bound. hostid is determined with the 
lmhostid utility. This field is required for uncounted licenses; but can be used for 
counted licenses as well. See Hostids for Supported Platforms for more information.
HOST_BASED[=n] Host names must be specified in INCLUDE statements in the options file, and the number 
of hosts is limited to num_lic, or the number specified in =n.
ISSUED=dd-mmm-yyyy Date issued.
ISSUER="..." Issuer of the license.
NOTICE="..." A field for intellectual property notices.
ONE_TS_OK Detects when a node-locked uncounted license is used by an application running under 
remote desktop.
OVERDRAFT=n The overdraft policy allows a software publisher to specify a number of additional licenses 
which users are allowed to use, in addition to the licenses they have purchased. This 
allows your users to not be denied service when in a “temporary overdraft” state. Usage 
above the license limit is reported by the FLEXnet Manager reporting tool.
PLATFORMS="..." Usage is limited to the listed platforms. 
SN=serial_num Serial number, used to identify FEATURE or INCREMENT lines.
START=dd-mmm-yyyy Start date.
SUITE_DUP_GROUP=... Similar to DUP_GROUP, but affects only the enabling FEATURE line for a package suite. It 
limits the total number of users of the package to the number of licenses, and allows the 
package to be shared among the users that have the SUITE checked out.
SUPERSEDE=
"f1 f2 ..."
If this appears, all licenses issued before the date specified in ISSUED= are superseded 
by this line and become ineffective.
SUPERSEDE_SIGN=
{f1:xxxx, f2:xxxx) 
SUPERSEDE_SIGN=
{p1:xxxx, p2:xxxx) 
Overrides the license models of all feature definition lines or package lines defined as the 
value.
TS_OK FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit detects when a node-locked uncounted license is 
running under Windows Terminal Server. To run the application via a Terminal Server 
client window, TS_OK must be added to the FEATURE line. Without TS_OK, a user running 
on a Terminal Server client is denied a license.
USER_BASED[=n] Users must be specified in INCLUDE statements in the options file, and the number of 
users are limited to num_lic, or the number specified in =n.
VENDOR_STRING="..." This is a custom value defined by the software publisher and enclosed in double quotes.
Table 8-5: Attributes Set by the Software Publisher  (cont.)
Attribute Description
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License File Syntax
The following attributes listed in Table 8-6 are optional and are under control of the license 
administrator. These attributes have a keyword=value syntax where keyword is in lowercase.
Examples
FEATURE sample_app sampled 2.300 31-dec-2008 20 \
SIGN=”<...>”
INCREMENT f1 sampled 1.000 permanent 5 \
HOSTID=INTERNET=195.186.*.* NOTICE="Licensed to \
Sample corp" SIGN=”<...>”
Sort Rules
Feature definition lines are automatically sorted when they are read from the license file. The default 
sorting rules are is as follows: 
1. License file. Automatic sorting does not occur across files in a license search path.
2. Feature name.
3. FEATURE before INCREMENT.
4. Uncounted before counted.
5. Version, higher versions before lower versions.
6. Issued date, in reverse order, newest first. The date is taken from ISSUED= or START=.
7. Original order is otherwise maintained.
To turn off automatic ordering add sort=nnn to the feature definition line, where nnn is the same on all 
lines; nnn specifies the relative sort order. The default sort order value is 100. Lines with a sort order 
value of less than 100 are sorted before all lines without this attribute, and lines with a sort order value 
greater than 100 appear after all unmarked lines. All lines with the same number are sorted as they 
appear in the file.
Changes in FEATURE and INCREMENT Line Format
The following lists the significant changes in the format of feature definition lines and when additional 
keywords were introduced.
Table 8-6: Optional Feature Line Attributes 
Attribute Description
asset_info="..." Additional information provided by the license administrator for asset management.
dist_info="..." Additional information provided by the software distributor.
sort=nnn Specifies sort order of license file lines. See Sort Rules.
user_info="..." Additional information provided by the license administrator.
vendor_info="..." Additional information provided by the software publisher.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 83
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
License File Syntax
• Version 7.1 and earlier feature definition line format uses license_key:
{FEATURE|INCREMENT} feature vendor feat_version exp_date \
num_lic [optional_attributes] SIGN=”<...>”
The version 7.1 and earlier format is understood by the current release. 
• The SIGN= keyword introduced in the version 7.1.
• For version 7.1 through version 8.0 client libraries and vendor daemons, the feature definition line 
must have a SIGN= signature and, for backward compatibility with version 8.1 and earlier, can 
contain a license_key:
{FEATURE|INCREMENT} feature vendor feat_version exp_date \
num_lic [license_key] [optional_attributes] SIGN=”<...>” 
• license_key obsoleted in version 8.1 client library and vendor daemon
• The keyword “permanent” for exp_date introduced in version 6 client library.
• The keyword “uncounted’ for num_lic introduced in version 6 client library.
• BORROW keyword introduced in version 8.0 client library and vendor daemon.
• FLOAT_OK keyword introduced in version 8.0 client library and vendor daemon.
• TS_OK keyword introduced in version 8.0 client library and vendor daemon.
• AUTH keyword introduced in version 10.8 client library and vendor daemon.
PACKAGE Lines
The purpose of the PACKAGE line is to support two different needs:
• To license a product SUITE, or
• To provide a more efficient way of distributing a license file that has a large number of features, 
which largely share the same FEATURE line arguments.
A PACKAGE line, by itself, does not license anything—it requires a matching feature definition line to 
license the whole package. A PACKAGE line is shipped by your software publisher with a product, 
independent of any licenses. Later, when you purchase a license for that package, one or more 
corresponding feature definition lines enable the PACKAGE line.
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License File Syntax
Example
PACKAGE package vendor [pkg_version] COMPONENTS=pkg_list \
[OPTIONS=SUITE] [SUPERSEDE[="p1 p2 ..."] ISSUED=date]
SIGN=”<...>”
Table 8-7 lists the PACKAGE line fields. They must appear in the order listed.
Table 8-7: PACKAGE Line Fields 
Field Description
package Name of the package. The corresponding feature definition line must have the same 
name.
vendor Name of the vendor daemon that supports this package.
pkg_version Optional field specifying the package version. If specified, the enabling feature 
definition line must have the same version.
COMPONENTS=pkg_list List of package components. The format is:
feature[:version[:num_lic]]
Packages must consist of at least one component. Version and count are optional, 
and if left out, their values come from the corresponding feature definition line. 
num_lic is only legal if OPTIONS=SUITE is not set—in this case the resulting 
number of licenses is num_lic on the COMPONENTS line multiplied by the number 
of licenses in the feature definition line. Examples:
COMPONENTS="comp1 comp2 comp3 comp4"
COMPONENTS="comp1:1.5 comp2 comp3:2.0:4"
OPTIONS=SUITE Optional field. Used to denote a package suite.
If set, the corresponding feature of the same name as the package is checked out in 
addition to the component feature being checked out.
If not set, then the corresponding feature of the same name as the package is 
removed once the package is enabled; it is not checked out when a component 
feature is checked out.
OPTIONS=
SUITE_RESERVED
Optional field. If set, reserves a set of package components. Once one package 
component is checked out, all the other components are reserved for that same 
user. 
SUPERSEDE
[="p1 p2 ..."]
Optional field. Used in conjunction with ISSUED date. Replaces all PACKAGE lines for 
the same package name with ISSUED dates previous to dd-mmm-yyyy.
ISSUED=
dd-mmm-yyyy
Optional field. Used in conjunction with SUPERSEDE. Replaces all PACKAGE lines for 
the same package name with ISSUED dates previous to dd-mmm-yyyy.
SIGN=sign or
AUTH=...
SIGN= signature to authenticate this FEATURE line.
If your publisher has deployed his vendor daemon using the common vendor daemon 
technology, signatures are embedded within the AUTH= keyword. Contact your 
publisher for further details.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 85
Chapter 8: Reading a License File
Feature Lines in Decimal Format
Examples
PACKAGE suite sampled 1.0 SIGN=”<...>” \
COMPONENTS="comp1 comp2" OPTIONS=SUITE
FEATURE suite sampled 1.0 1-jan-2008 5 SIGN=”<...>”
This is a typical OPTIONS=SUITE example. There are two features, “comp1” and “comp2,” which are 
each version 1.0, each with five non-expiring licenses available. When “comp1” or “comp2” is checked 
out, “suite” is also checked out. 
PACKAGE suite sampled 1.0 SIGN=”<...>”\
COMPONENTS="apple:1.5:2 orange:3.0:4"
FEATURE suite sampled 1.0 1-jan-2008 3 SN=123 SIGN=”<...>”
In this example, the component version overrides the feature version, and the number of licenses 
available for any component is the product of the three licenses for “suite” and the number of licenses for 
that component. The result is equivalent to:
FEATURE apple sampled 1.5 1-jan-2008 6  SN=123 SIGN=”<...>”
FEATURE orange sampled 3.0 1-jan-2008 12 SN=123 SIGN=”<...>”
• Ability to store PACKAGE lines in separate files introduced in version 6 client library.
• pkg_version field required in version 7.1 and earlier client library.
• AUTH keyword introduced in version 10.8 client library and vendor daemon.
UPGRADE Lines
UPGRADE feature vendor from_feat_version to_feat_version \
exp_date num_lic [options ... ] SIGN=”<...>”
All the data is the same as for a FEATURE or INCREMENT line, with the addition of the 
from_feat_version field. An UPGRADE line removes up to the number of licenses specified from 
any old version (>= from_feat_version) and creates a new version with that same number of 
licenses.
For example, the two lines provide three version 1.0 licenses of f1 and two version 2.0 licenses of f1.
INCREMENT f1 sampled 1.000 1-jan-2008 5 SIGN=”<...>” 
UPGRADE f1 sampled 1.000 2.000 1-jan-2008 2 SIGN=”<...>” 
An UPGRADE line operates on the closest preceding FEATURE or INCREMENT line with a version 
number that is >= from_feat_version, and < to_feat_version.
Note: UPGRADE lines do not work for node-locked, uncounted licenses.
Feature Lines in Decimal Format
Licenses can be represented in decimal format. Decimal has the advantage that it is simpler to type in, 
and often the licenses are much shorter. A simple demo license in readable format:
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2008 0 HOSTID=DEMO SIGN=”<...>” 
and its decimal equivalent:
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Chapter 8: Reading a License File
Order of Lines in the License File
sampled-f1-00737-55296-1825
If needed, decimal lines can be mixed with readable format lines in a license file. Use the lminstall 
command to convert decimal licenses to readable format. 
See Also
lminstall for additional information on the lminstall command.
Order of Lines in the License File
The order of the lines in a license file is not critical. They are sorted when they are processed so that in 
most cases the optimal result is achieved. However, version 7.0 and earlier versions of FLEXenabled 
applications and license servers implicitly impose an ordering to license file lines. Note the following 
suggestions for ordering lines in the license file:
• Place FEATURE lines before INCREMENT lines for the same feature. 
The rule regarding FEATURE lines is that only the first counted FEATURE line is observed by the 
license server, and that if there is a FEATURE line and INCREMENT lines, the FEATURE line must 
appear first.
• Where multiple counted FEATURE lines exist for the same feature, make sure the desired 
FEATURE line appears first.
All but the first is ignored.
• Place node-locked, uncounted lines before floating lines for the same FEATURE. Otherwise, it is 
possible the floating license is consumed instead of the node-locked license, resulting in denial 
for other users.
• The placement of a USE_SERVER line affects behavior. A USE_SERVER line is recommended. 
Normally, the USE_SERVER line is placed immediately after the SERVER line. However, place 
any uncounted licenses not served by SERVER before the USE_SERVER line. Make sure each 
user that needs the uncounted license has direct access to a current copy of the file. The 
advantage to placing USE_SERVER right after the SERVER line is users don’t need up-to-date 
copies of the license file.
See Also
Sort Rules 
9
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 87
License Models
License files are created by the software publisher. License files specify floating (concurrent) usage, 
node-locked (both counted and uncounted), or any combination of floating, counted, and uncounted.
Floating (Concurrent) Licenses
A floating license means anyone on the network can use the FLEXenabled application, up to the limit 
specified in the license file (also referred to as concurrent usage or network licensing). Floating licenses 
have no hostids on the individual FEATURE lines. Floating licenses requires a license server manager 
and a vendor daemon to be running to count the concurrent usage of the licenses.
An example of a license file that provides floating licenses is:
SERVER lulu 17007ea8 
VENDOR sampled 
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2008 SIGN=”<...>”
FEATURE f2 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2008 6 SIGN=”<...>”
FEATURE f3 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2008 1 SIGN=”<...>”
This license file specifies that two licenses for feature f1, six licenses for feature f2, and one license for 
feature f3 are available anywhere on the network that can access the license server, called lulu. The 
license server manager, lmadmin or lmgrd, uses one of the default TCP/IP ports.
Node-Locked Licenses
Node-locking means the FLEXenabled application can be used on one system or a set of systems only. A 
node-locked license has a hostid on the FEATURE line that identifies a specific host. There are two types 
of node-locked licenses: uncounted and counted.
If the number of licenses value is set to either zero (0) or uncounted, then the license will not be counted 
which allows the license to be used an unlimited number of times. This configuration does not require a 
license server because it is not necessary to count the concurrent usage of the features.
The following license file allows unlimited usage of feature f1 on the systems with hostids of 17007ea8 
and 1700ab12:
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Chapter 9: License Models
Mixed Node-Locked and Floating Licenses
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.000 1-jan-2008 uncounted HOSTID=17007ea8 SIGN=”<...>” 
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.000 1-jan-2008 uncounted HOSTID=1700ab12 SIGN=”<...>” 
Alternately, these two FEATURE lines could have been issued by your software publisher with a hostid 
list:
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.000 1-jan-2008 uncounted HOSTID="17007ea8 1700ab12” SIGN=”<...>” 
If these were the only FEATURE lines in this license file, neither the license server manager or vendor 
daemon are necessary and you do not need to start one. 
The following license file provides three licenses for feature f1, locked to the system with hostid 
1300ab43. Since the license server and licenses are locked to the same system, the daemons run on the 
same system that runs the FLEXenabled application.
SERVER lulu 1300ab43 1700
VENDOR sampled /etc/sampled
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2008 3 HOSTID=1300ab43 SIGN=”<...>”
Mixed Node-Locked and Floating Licenses
Uncounted node-locked and concurrent usage licenses can be mixed in the same license file. 
The following license file allows unlimited use of feature f1 on systems 17007ea8 and 1700ab12, while 
allowing two other licenses for feature f1 to be used anywhere else on the network:
SERVER lulu 17001234 1700
VENDOR sampled C:\flexlm\sampled.exe
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 uncounted HOSTID=17007ea8 SIGN=”<...>” 
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 uncounted HOSTID=1700ab12 SIGN=”<...>” 
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.00 1-jan-2005 2 SIGN=”<...>” 
This configuration requires a license server manager and vendor daemon because the licenses on the 
third FEATURE line are counted.
Counted vs. Uncounted Licenses
 The license model (as defined in the license file) determines whether a license server is needed. If all 
feature definition lines have a license count set to either zero (0) or uncounted, then the customer does 
not need a license server. This type of license is called uncounted. Alternatively, if any features have a 
non-zero license count, then the customer needs a license server to count those licenses. If a software 
publisher wants to use FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit without a license server, they must issue 
uncounted licenses.
The license server can serve uncounted licenses also. This is often done so that:
• transactions can be logged into the report log for all license requests, which can then be reported on 
by FLEXnet Manager
• options file constraints can be applied to the licenses
To have uncounted licenses served, include a SERVER line in the license file, and put the USE_SERVER 
line immediately after the SERVER line. The vendor daemon serves the uncounted licenses, and the 
USE_SERVER line indicates to applications that requests must go to the license server for 
authorization.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 89
Chapter 9: License Models
Mobile Licensing
Mobile Licensing
End users often want to use applications on computers that do not have a continuous connection to a 
license server. These situations include:
• Working on a laptop
• Using a computer both at work and at home
• Working from several different computers not connected to a license server
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit supports licenses that allow one of several kinds of mobile 
licensing:
• Node-locked to a laptop 
• Node-locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle 
• Node-locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK keyword 
• License borrowing with BORROW keyword 
• Node-locked to a user name
• Fulfilled from a prepaid license pool
You should use license rehosting if an enterprise wants to move a license without using one of these 
methods. The software publisher must generate a new node-locked license file for each new client 
computer. Rehosting requires administrative overhead because the software publisher must be involved 
involved with each move. 
Node-Locked to a Laptop Computer
 To use a license exclusively on one laptop computer, the license should be node-locked to an address 
associated with that computer. The license file resides on the laptop computer. 
Node-locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle
To move a license between different Windows systems, you can lock it to a FLEXnet ID dongle (a dongle 
that connects to a parallel or USB port). You can move this license between systems by installing a copy 
of the license file on each system and moving the FLEXnet ID dongle from one system to another. Since 
the license is tied to the FLEXnet ID dongle, only the system with the FLEXnet ID dongle can use the 
license.
Node-Locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK
Because the FLEXnet ID dongle defines the license server and the license floats on the network, this 
method has an advantage over simply using a license locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle. Licenses with a 
FLOAT_OK keyword, and that are node-locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle, are supported only where both 
the FLEXenabled application and the license server are running on Windows. 
90 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 9: License Models
Mobile Licensing
A software publisher issues a license file with a FEATURE line node-locked to a FLEXnet ID dongle and 
containing the FLOAT_OK keyword and a FLEXnet ID dongle for that FEATURE line. One FEATURE 
line containing the FLOAT_OK keyword and one FLEXnet ID dongle is needed for each instance of a 
license that is mobile. When the FLEXnet ID dongle is attached to a license server, the license floats on 
the network. When the FLEXnet ID dongle is removed from the license server, the license is available 
only on the standalone computer. 
This method supports parallel or USB FLEXnet ID dongles. Because it is simpler to attach multiple USB 
dongles to a computer, USB FLEXnet ID dongles may be preferable.
Initiating FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK
A software publisher issues the customer a FLEXnet ID dongle, a dongle driver installer, and a license 
file that contains a FEATURE line node-locked to that FLEXnet ID dongle containing the FLOAT_OK 
keyword. A license administrator then:
1. Installs the license file on the license server
2. Attaches all of the FLEXnet ID dongles to the license server 
3. Installs the FLEXnet ID dongle driver on the license server 
4. Starts the license server or rereads the license file 
While the FLEXnet ID dongles are attached to the license server, the node-locked licenses associated 
with them float on the network. Each of the FLOAT_OK uncounted node-locked FEATURE lines has a 
count of one while it is available on the network. 
To transfer a license from the pool of floating licenses to a disconnected computer:
1. Copies the license file containing the FLOAT_OK node-locked FEATURE line from the license file 
on the license server to a license file on the client in the location where the FLEXenabled application 
expects to find its license file. 
2. Moves the FLEXnet ID dongle matching the node-locked FEATURE line from the license server to 
the client. When the FLEXnet ID dongle is removed from the license server, this license is 
unavailable on the network. 
3. Installs the FLEXnet ID dongle drivers on the client computer, if they are not already installed.
4. Disconnects the client computer from the network. Now the license is available on the computer 
with the FLEXnet ID dongle, even though that computer is disconnected from the network. 
Returning a FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK License
Task To return the license to the license server so it floats on the network again, the end user:
1. Removes the FLEXnet ID dongle from the client and replaces it on the license server.
2. Rereads the license file for the license server that serves the floating version of the license by 
running lmreread. When the FLEXnet ID dongle is returned to the license server, the FLOAT_OK 
license does not float on the network again until lmreread is run. 
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Chapter 9: License Models
Mobile Licensing
FLEXnet ID dongle with FLOAT_OK Example
The following is a sample license file. It is shipped with two FLEXnet ID dongles: FLEXID=7-b28520b9 and 
FLEXID=7-b2857678.
SERVER myhost ANY
VENDOR sampled
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.0 permanent uncounted FLOAT_OK \
HOSTID=FLEXID=7-b28520b9 SIGN=”<...>”
FEATURE f1 sampled 1.0 permanent uncounted FLOAT_OK \
HOSTID=FLEXID=7-b2857678 SIGN=”<...>”
The user installs the license file and the two FLEXnet ID dongles on the license server. When attached to 
the license server, each uncounted FLOAT_OK license floats on the network and allows a single use. 
Therefore, up to two users can use f1 on the end user’s network, except on the license server itself, where 
the license use is disallowed. 
If an user wants to work at home, the user installs a license file that contains the FEATURE line node-
locked to FLEXID=7-b28520b9 (this only needs to be done once), transfers the FLEXnet ID dongle 
FLEXID=7-b28520b9 from the license server to the client, and installs the FLEXnet ID dongle driver on the 
client computer (this also only needs to be done once). The user disconnects the client computer from 
the network and uses the transferred FLOAT_OK license on the client computer. The license server 
allows only the single remaining FLOAT_OK license to float on the network.
After returning the dongle to the license server, the license administrator runs lmreread so the returned 
license can float again.
• FLOAT_OK keyword introduced in version 8.0 client library, license server manager, and vendor 
daemon. All components must be version 8.0 or later in order to use FLOAT_OK.
License Borrowing with BORROW
If a license is to be used on a computer that is intermittently connected to a license server, that license 
can be issued as a floating license with the BORROW keyword. A BORROW license can be borrowed 
from a license server via a special checkout and used later to run an application on a computer that is no 
longer connected to the license server. License borrowing must be enabled by a software publisher 
before an user can borrow licenses.
With license borrowing, a software publisher issues a floating license with a FEATURE line that contains 
the BORROW keyword. A user specifies the expiration date a borrowed license is to be returned and 
runs the application while connected to the network which writes borrowing information on the client 
computer. The license server keeps the borrowed license checked out. The FLEXenabled application 
automatically uses the local borrowing data to do checkouts during the borrow period. If enabled by the 
software publisher, borrowed licenses can be returned early, that is, before the borrow period expires. 
Upon the earlier of either the expiration of the borrow period or the early return of a borrowed license, 
the local borrowing data no longer authorizes checkouts and the license server returns the borrowed 
license to the pool of available licenses. No clock synchronization is required between the license server 
and the system running the FLEXenabled application. 
92 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 9: License Models
Mobile Licensing
Initiating License Borrowing 
If a software publisher has enabled license borrowing by issuing a license file that contains a FEATURE 
line with the BORROW keyword, an user initiates license borrowing in one of three ways:
• Using the borrowing interface in application, if provided in the application
• Running the lmborrow utility to set LM_BORROW 
• Setting the LM_BORROW environment variable directly 
Application Interface
The user initiates license borrowing this way only if the application provides a borrowing interface. 
Information about this is supplied by the software publisher. 
Running the lmborrow Utility
lmborrow is one of the lmutil/lmtools utilities. To initiate borrowing, the user runs lmborrow from the 
command line or through lmtools:
lmborrow {vendor|all} enddate [time]
where vendor is the vendor daemon that serves the licenses to be borrowed, or all specifies all vendor 
daemons in the license server. enddate is the date the license is to be returned in dd-mmm-yyyy 
format. time is optional and is specified in 24-hour format (hh:mm) in the FLEXenabled application’s 
local time. If time is unspecified, the checkout lasts until the end of the given end date. 
For example:
lmborrow sampled 20-aug-2007 13:00
Setting the LM_BORROW Environment Variable Directly
The lmborrow utility is a user interface to set LM_BORROW in either the registry (Windows) or in $HOME/
.flexlmborrow (UNIX). LM_BORROW can also be set directly as an environment variable: 
today:{vendor|all}:enddate[:time]
where:
Table 9-1: LM_BORROW Environment Variable Arguments
Argument Description
today Today’s date in dd-mmm-yyyy format. Any checkouts done on this 
date create local borrow information. If a checkout is done on a 
different date than this date, no local borrowing information is 
created. 
vendor Vendor daemon that serves the licenses to be borrowed, or all 
specifies all vendor daemons in the license server.
enddate Date the license is to be returned in dd-mmm-yyyy format.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 93
Chapter 9: License Models
Mobile Licensing
For example:
LM_BORROW=15-aug-2006:sampled:20-aug-2006:13:00
In this example, one or more licenses served by the sampled vendor daemon are borrowed on August 
15, 2006, and are scheduled to be returned at 1 P.M. on August 20, 2006. 
Borrowing a License
To borrow a license for a desired feature, on the same day and the same system that the user runs 
lmborrow or sets LM_BORROW (and while still connected to the network), the user runs the application to 
check out and borrow the license. If the user runs the application more than once that day, no duplicate 
license is borrowed. No license is borrowed if the application is run on a day different than the date 
borrowing was set to be initiated.
For example, say that today you want to borrow a license for the PageWizard feature for a week. The 
PageWizard feature is served by the sampled vendor daemon. Today, while you are connected to the 
network, run lmborrow or set LM_BORROW directly. For example:
lmborrow sampled enddate 
Today, after you run lmborrow, while you are connected to the network, run the application that checks 
out a license for the PageWizard feature. After the license is checked out, close the application and 
disconnect your system from the network. The license that you just checked out stays checked out from 
the license server until the borrow period expires—that license now is used on your disconnected system 
until the borrow period expires. Once checked out, it remains checked out for the full borrow period. The 
borrow period cannot be renewed until the period has expired.
Clearing the Borrow Period
Once you have borrowed all the licenses that you need for the current borrow period (defined by the 
LM_BORROW environment variable), prevent licenses for any additional features from being borrowed by 
running lmborrow -clear. This clears the LM_BORROW setting in the registry (Windows) or $HOME/
.flexlmborrow (UNIX). lmborrow -clear does not clear the local information about licenses you have 
already borrowed. 
time Optional. time is specified in 24-hour format (hh:mm) in the 
FLEXenabled application’s local time. If time is unspecified, the 
checkout lasts until the end of the given end date.
Table 9-1: LM_BORROW Environment Variable Arguments
Argument Description
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Chapter 9: License Models
Mobile Licensing
Checking Borrow Status
Task To print information about borrowed features:
1. Issue the following command on the system from which they are borrowed:
lmborrow -status
The system that borrowed the features does not have to be connected to the network to determine the 
status.
Returning a Borrowed License Early
Task To return a borrowed license before the borrow period expires:
1. Reconnect the borrowing system back to the network.
2. From the same system that initiated the borrowing, issue the command:
lmborrow -return [-c license_file_list] feature
This option may or may not be allowed by your software publisher. Check directly with your software 
publisher to determine if they support borrowed licenses being returned early.
Returning the license early has the effect of clearing the LM_BORROW setting for the vendor daemon that 
serves the returned license. 
Support for License Borrowing
See the following sections for more information about the utilities and keywords in the options file that 
support license borrowing:
• lmborrow utility
• lmdown utility
• lmstat utility
• BORROW_LOWWATER keyword
• EXCLUDE_BORROW keyword
• INCLUDE_BORROW keyword
Note: BORROW keyword introduced in version 8.0 client library, license server manager, and vendor daemon. All 
components must be version 8.0 or later in order to use BORROW.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 95
Chapter 9: License Models
Node-locked to a User Name
Node-locked to a User Name
If a license is to be used exclusively by one user on different systems, that license can be node-locked to 
the user’s user name. The license file is copied to the different systems on which the user might work; the 
user’s user name must be identical on each system. For this method to be useful, individual user names 
in an organization must be unique. Note that a user name, when used in a license file in this way, cannot 
contain spaces. 
Fulfilled from a Prepaid License Pool
In this method, the user buys a prepaid number of license-days from the software publisher. The user 
can then fulfill a license using a partial amount of the total license-days for the given borrow period, 
node-locked to a particular system. For example, in preparation for a business trip (or even during a 
business trip), the user fulfills a license that expires in five days that is node-locked to their laptop. Each 
fulfillment can be node-locked to a different system (or even multiple times to the same system), thus 
allowing mobility of license usage within the pre-paid number of license-days.
This model is like pay-per-use because each fulfillment is made from a decreasing number license-days. 
It is different than other pay-per-use models because, once node-locked to a system, that system is 
allowed unlimited use of the application until the license expires. This short-term license cannot be 
returned early; once fulfilled, those license-days cannot be refunded. Other pay-per-use models charge 
based on the number of times the application is used.
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Chapter 9: License Models
Fulfilled from a Prepaid License Pool
10
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 97
Managing Licenses from Multiple 
Software Publishers
You may need to administer licenses from more than one software publisher.
Overview of Multiple License Management 
Strategies
When you are running FLEXenabled applications from multiple software publishers, you may need to 
take steps to prevent conflicts during installation. There are several strategies to accomplish this, three 
of which are presented here:
• Multiple systems, each running one license server manager, one vendor daemon, and using one 
license file.
• One system running multiple license server managers, each managing one vendor daemon and one 
license file.
• One system running one license server manager, that manages multiple vendor daemons each using 
its own license file. License files share a common directory.
Each of these three strategies is described in detail in the following sections. Variations are mentioned in 
Additional Considerations.
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Chapter 10: Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers
Multiple Systems
Multiple Systems
In this scenario, each license server instance (lmadmin or lmgrd, vendor daemon, license file, and other 
files) is located on a separate system. Each system serves licenses just for its vendor daemon and runs its 
own local copy of the license server manager. Figure 10-1 shows this arrangement.
Figure 10-1: Multiple License Server Systems  
Advantages
• The license files for each software publisher are independent from one another.
• Systems are maintained separately. If one system goes down, the other systems continue to serve 
licenses for their software publishers.
• Each server has its own debug log. 
• The license requests are distributed.
Disadvantages
• Administrative overhead is the highest.
Starting the License Server
The following example uses lmgrd as the license server manager.
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Chapter 10: Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers
One System with Multiple License Server Instances
Task To start the license server:
• Invoke the license server manager on each system:
lmgrd -c server_system_n_license_list
where server_system_n_license_list is a list of license files as described in Managing Multiple 
License Files. Each lmgrd starts the vendor daemon referred to in its license files.
One System with Multiple License Server 
Instances
In this model, each vendor daemon and its associated license file or files is served by its own license 
server manager, and everything is contained in one system. Figure 10-2 depicts this scheme.
Figure 10-2: Multiple license server managers, Multiple License Files 
When maintaining separate license servers on the same system, keep in mind:
• If the TCP/IP port number is specified on the SERVER line, it must be different for each license 
server instance. Use a standard text editor to change the TCP/IP port number in each license file so 
that they are all different. If you are running 10 instances or less, you can omit all port numbers and 
lmadmin or lmgrd will choose unique ones for you within the default range of 27000–27009.
• You must make sure that you are using a compatible version of lmadmin or lmgrd for each particular 
license file. This is done by using an explicit path. See Version Component Compatibility.
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Chapter 10: Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers
One System with Multiple License Server Instances
• The number of license server instances is limited only by the CPU, available memory, and 
networking of the system.
Advantages
• The license files for each software publisher are independent from one another.
• License servers are maintained separately. If one server goes down, the other servers continue to 
serve licenses.
• Each server has its own debug log. 
Disadvantages
• Administrative overhead is high.
• If the system goes down, all licenses are disabled.
• License request load is concentrated to one system.
Starting the License Server
The following example uses lmgrd as the license server manager.
Task To start the license server:
• Invoke each license server:
a. For Server 1: lmgrd -c vendor_ABC_license_dir_list
b. For Server 2: lmgrd -c vendor_DEF_license_dir_list
c. For Server 3: lmgrd -c vendor_XYZ_license_dir_list
where vendor_nnn_license_list is a list of license files as described in Managing Multiple License 
Files. Each lmgrd starts the vendor daemon referred to in its license files.
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Chapter 10: Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers
One System with One License Server and Multiple License Files
One System with One License Server and Multiple 
License Files
In this scenario, one license server manager runs on the system and serves one or more vendor 
daemons, each with one or more license files. If you are using lmadmin, you can maintain license files 
from different vendors in separate directories. If you are using lmgrd, all the license files are usually held 
in the same directory. The standard filename extension for license files is .lic. The number of vendor 
daemons is not limited by FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit. Figure 10-3 illustrates this scenario.
Figure 10-3: One license server manager, Multiple License Files
Advantages
• The license files can be maintained separately.
• Reduced administrative overhead.
Disadvantages
• One license server manager serves all vendor daemons. If the license server manager goes down, all 
licenses are unavailable.
• If the system goes down, all licenses are unavailable.
• Output from all vendor daemons goes into one common debug log unless separate debug logs are 
specified with DEBUGLOG in each vendor daemon’s options file. Having one common debug log 
makes it harder to debug a single vendor daemon’s problem.
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Managing Multiple License Files
• Maximizes licensing load to one system and one license server manager.
Starting the License Server
The following example uses lmgrd as the license server manager.
Task To start the license server:
• Invoke the license server manager once on the system.
lmgrd -c common_license_directory
lmgrd processes all files with the .lic extension in common_license_directory and starts all vendor 
daemons referred to in those files, so there is no need to enumerate each license file name on the 
lmgrd command line.
See Also
Managing Multiple License Files
Capturing Debug Log Output for a Particular Vendor Daemon
Managing Multiple License Files
When using lmgrd as the license server manager, you can manage multiple license files that are on the 
same system via a license search path. A license search path is specified two ways:
• By using the -c option to lmgrd
lmgrd -c license_file_list [other lmgrd options]
• By defining the LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable within the scope of the lmgrd process’s 
environment.
Install the license files in convenient locations on the system and then define the license_file_list. 
Wherever license_file_list is specified it consists of a list of one or more of the following components:
• the full path to the license file
• a directory containing one or more license files with a .lic extension
• a port@host setting, where port and host are the TCP/IP port number and host name from the 
SERVER line in the license file. Alternatively, use the shortcut specification, @host, if the license file 
SERVER line uses a default TCP/IP port or specifies a port in the default port range (27000–
27009).
• A comma separated list of three port@host specifiers denoting a license servers configured for 
three-server redundancy. For example, 
port1@host1,port2@host2,port3@host3
Note: Use a colon (:) to separate the license file names on UNIX; on Windows, use a semicolon (;).
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 103
Chapter 10: Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers
Additional Considerations
lmgrd builds up an internal license search path when it starts up by parsing each entry in the order listed.
Some scenarios where a license search path is used include those described in Multiple Systems, One 
System with Multiple License Server Instances, or One System with One License Server and Multiple 
License Files.
When using lmadmin as your license server manager, you specify the list of license files for each vendor 
daemon in the GUI. Use the Import License File screen (accessed from within the Vendor Daemon 
Configuration screen) to specify a license file. Refer to lmadmin 0n-line help for more information.
See Also
Setting the License Search Path using an Environment Variable
Using Three-Server Redundancy
Environment Variables
Additional Considerations
Combining license files
If you have two or more products whose licenses are intended for the same system, as specified by their 
SERVER lines, you may be able to combine the license files into a single license file. This has advantages 
if you are using lmgrd as your license server manager. If you are using lmadmin as your license server 
manager, you do not need to combine license files. When using multiple license files with lmadmin import 
each license file and launch lmadmin, which launches each of the vendor daemons defined in the 
imported license files. 
The license files for the models described in One System with Multiple License Server Instances and One 
System with One License Server and Multiple License Files could be combined if they met certain 
criteria. See Criteria for Combining License Files. Figure 10-4 shows one possible scenario using a 
combined license file.
Figure 10-4: One lmgrd, One License File 
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Chapter 10: Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers
Additional Considerations
Advantages
• A single license file to administer.
• Once the files are combined, there is low administrative overhead.
Disadvantage
• Careful planning must be given in combining license lines from multiple software publishers into 
one file, initially and over time.
Starting the License Server
Task To start the license server:
• Invoke the license server manager once on the system.
lmgrd -c combined_license_file
Criteria for Combining License Files
Your product’s license files define the license server systems by host name and hostid in the SERVER 
lines in the license file. License files are candidates for combining under the following conditions:
• The number of SERVER lines in each file is the same. 
• The hostid field of each SERVER line in one file exactly matches the hostid field of each SERVER 
line in the other file. 
 Some possible reasons license files may not be compatible are: 
• License files are set up to run on different server systems, so hostids are different. 
• One file is set up for a single license server (has only one SERVER line), the other is set up for a 
three-server redundancy (has three SERVER lines).
• Hostids for the same system use different hostid types. For example, the SERVER line in one license 
file uses INTERNET= for its hostid type and the other file uses the ethernet MAC address for its 
hostid type.
If your license files are compatible as described above, then you have the option of combining license 
files as summarized in Figure 10-4 and below in How to Combine License Files. Note that you are not 
required to combine compatible license files. There is no performance or system-load penalty for not 
combining the files.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 105
Chapter 10: Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers
Additional Considerations
How to Combine License Files
If your license files are compatible, use any text editor to combine them. To combine license files, read 
all of the compatible license files into one file, then edit out the extra SERVER lines so that only one set 
of SERVER lines remains. Save the resulting data, and you have your combined license file. Figure 10-5 
shows an example of combining license files.
Figure 10-5: Combining License Files  
Version Component Compatibility
When one license server manager manages multiple vendor daemons, it may be the case that those 
vendor daemons do not use the same version of FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit. By observing the 
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit version compatibility rules described in Version Compatibility 
between Components you are assured that all of your FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit components 
are compatible.
You can maintain multiple versions of  FLEXenabled applications in the enterprise. The vendor daemon 
for an application must be at least the same version as the FLEXnet Licensing version used in  the 
FLEXenabled application.
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Additional Considerations
11
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 107
Hostids for Supported Platforms
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit uses different system identifiers, called hostids,  for different 
system architectures. For example, all Sun Microsystems systems have a unique hostid. For this reason, 
the Ethernet address is used on some system architectures as the hostid. An ethernet address is a 6-byte 
quantity, with each byte specified as two hexadecimal digits. Specify all twelve hex digits when using an 
Ethernet address as a hostid. For example, if the ethernet address is “8:0:20:0:5:ac,” specify 
“0800200005ac” as the hostid.
Hostid Formats
Numeric, 32-bit hostids are normally used in hexadecimal format. On some systems, the system 
command returns the ID in decimal format. Use a # character before the hostid to indicate a decimal 
number. For example, if the system command returns 2005771344, FLEXnet Publisher Licensing 
Toolkit accepts #2005771344. Alternatively, convert the decimal value to hexadecimal.
Obtaining System Hostids
The lmhostid utility prints the exact hostid that FLEXnet Licensing requires on any given system. If your 
hostid contains characters other than the ASCII A–Z, a–z, or 0–9, use the -utf8 option with lmhostid. 
To view a correct representation of the resulting hostid, use a utility, such as Notepad, that can display 
UTF-8 encoded strings. 
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Chapter 11: Hostids for Supported Platforms
Obtaining System Hostids
The following table lists alternate methods to obtain the required hostid for each system architecture. 
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit also supports a group of special hostids and vendor-defined 
hostids. 
Table 11-1: Alternate Hostid Procurement Methods
Hardware Platform Hostid Type this command:  Example
AIX (RS/6000, PPC) 32-bit hostid uname -m (returns 000276513100), 
then remove last two digits and use 
remaining last eight digits
02765131
HP
(32-bit and 64-bit non-
Itanium platforms)
32-bit hostid uname -i and convert to hex, or 
prepend with #
778DA450 or #2005771344
HP
(64-bit Itanium)
machine
identification
getconf \
CS_PARTITION_
IDENT then prefix with “ID_STRING=”
ID_STRING=9c766319-db72-
d411-af62-0060b05e4c05
Mac OS X ethernet address /sbin/ifconfig eth0 and 
remove colons from ether value
 000A277EA17E
FLEXnet ID dongle USB 
port dongle 
lmhostid -flexid FLEXID=9-b28520b9
Linux ethernet address /sbin/ifconfig eth0 and 
remove colons from HWaddr
00400516E525
FLEXnet ID dongle USB 
port dongle
lmhostid -flexid FLEXID=9-b28520b9
SGI 32-bit hostid /etc/sysinfo -s, convert to hex, 
or prefix # 
69064C3C or #1762020412
Sun 32-bit hostid hostid 170a3472
ethernet address lmhostid -ether 00400516E525
Windows ethernet address lmhostid 00B0A9DF9A32
Disk serial number DIR C: (look for Volume Serial 
Number is and remove -)
DISK_SERIAL_NUM=
3e2e17fd
FLEXnet ID dongle 
parallel or USB port 
dongle
lmhostid -flexid FLEXID=8-b28520b9
FLEXnet ID dongles are made available by your software publisher. Your 
software publisher can also provide you with an installer that installs 
drivers for all FLEXnet ID dongles.
For parallel FLEXnet ID dongles, the parallel port must be configured in bi-
directional mode.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 109
Chapter 11: Hostids for Supported Platforms
Special Hostids
Special Hostids
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit contains a number of special hostid types that apply to all 
platforms. These hostid types are valid to use in both SERVER lines and FEATURE lines, wherever a 
hostid is required. These are: 
Examples
FEATURE f1 demo 1.0 1-jan-2008 uncounted \
HOSTID=FLEXID=6-a6300015f SIGN=”<...>”
or
Table 11-2: Special Hostid Types
Hostid Description
ANY Locks the software to any system (meaning that it does not lock anything).
DEMO Similar to ANY, but only for use with uncounted FEATURE lines.
COMPOSITE=
composite_hostid
Locks the software to a composite hostid. A composite hostid is a hashed 12-character 
hexadecimal value formed by combining the values of one or more simple hostids types, as 
defined by the software publisher. Note that composite hostids are not returned by lmhostid, 
LMTOOLS, or lmadmin: when composite hostids are used, the software publisher will provide a 
utility that determines the publisher’s composite hostid. On some systems multiple composite 
hostids may be provided, any of which may be used to identify the system that the software is 
locked to.
DISPLAY=
display
Locks the software to display. On UNIX, display is /dev/ttyxx (which is always /dev/tty 
when an application is run in the background) or the X-Display name. On Windows, it is the system 
name or, in the case of a terminal server environment, the terminal server client name. (version 8 
or later FLEXenabled applications only)
HOSTNAME=
host
Locks the software to computer host name host.
ID=n Functionally equivalent to the “ANY” hostid—it runs on any system. The difference is that the 
license is unique and is used to identify the end user. This hostid is used to lock the license 
server (on the SERVER line) or the FLEXenabled application (on the feature definition line). The 
number can have dashes included for readability—the dashes are ignored.
Examples:
• ID=12345678 is the same as
• ID=1234-5678 is the same as
• ID=1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
INTERNET=
###.###.###.###
Locks the software to an Internet IP address, or group of IP addresses. Wildcards are allowed. 
For example, 198.156.*.* means any host with a matching internet IP address. The main use is 
to limit usage access by subnet, implying geographic area. For this purpose, it is used on the 
feature definition line as a hostid lock.
USER=user Locks the software to user name user. User names specified in license files cannot contain 
spaces.
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Chapter 11: Hostids for Supported Platforms
Special Hostids
FEATURE f1 demo 1.0 1-jan-2008 uncounted \
HOSTID=INTERNET=10.10.10.* SIGN=”<...>” 
12
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 111
Troubleshooting
This section documents areas of the license server that have given customers difficulty in the past.
General Troubleshooting Hints
This list provides some general debugging information:
• When you start the license server be sure that you direct the output into a local log file where you can 
examine it. The log file often contains useful information. Examine it when you have a problem, and 
be prepared to answer questions about it when you talk to a support person.
• If the license server appears to have started correctly (which you can determine from the log file), try 
running lmstat -a and lmdiag to see if that program has the same problem as your application.
• If your application is version 4.1 or later (version 5 or later on Windows), you can use the 
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS environment variable. Set FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS to 1, 2, or 3. A setting of 3 gives 
more information than 2, 2 gives more information than 1 (in particular, the feature name that was 
denied). See FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS for more information.
• When you talk to a support person, be prepared with answers to the following questions:
• What kind of system is your license server running on? 
• What version of the operating system? 
• What system and operating system is the application running on?
• What version of FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit does the FLEXenabled application use? 
Use the lmver script, or, on UNIX, execute the following command on your license server 
manager, vendor daemon, and application:
strings binary_name | grep Copy
Alternatives are: for lmadmin, use the command lmadmin -version; for lmgrd and the vendor 
daemon use the -v argument, for example lmgrd -v.
112 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 12: Troubleshooting
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS
• What error or warning messages appear in the log file? 
• Did the server start correctly? Look for a message such as: 
server xyz started for: feature1 feature2.
• What is the output from running lmstat -a?
• Are you running other FLEXenabled products? 
• Are you using a combined license file or separate license files?
• Are you using a three-server redundancy (i.e. there are multiple SERVER lines in your license 
file)?
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS
Note: The ability for FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit to produce diagnostic output is controlled by your software 
publisher.
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS is an environment variable that causes the application to produce diagnostic 
information when a checkout is denied. The format of the diagnostic information may change over time.
On UNIX, the diagnostic output goes to stderr.
On Windows, the output is a file in the current directory called flexpid.log, where pid is the 
application’s process ID.
Level 1 Content
If FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS is set to 1, then the standard FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit error message 
is be presented, plus a complete list of license files that the application tried to use. For example:
setenv FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS 1
FLEXnet checkout error: Cannot find license file (-1,73:2) No such file or directory
license file(s):  /usr/myproduct/licenses/testing.lic license.lic
Level 2 Content
If FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS is set to 2, then, in addition to level 1 output, the checkout arguments are 
presented. For example:
setenv FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS 2
FLEXnet checkout error: No such feature exists (-5,116:2) No such file or directory
license file(s):  /usr/myproduct/licenses/testing.lic license.lic
lm_checkout("f1", 1.0, 1, 0x0, ..., 0x4000)
Note that the error message actually contains two separate problems, which both occurred during the 
checkout: 
• There is no such feature in the license it did find.
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Chapter 12: Troubleshooting
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS
• It was unable to find the other license file, which is what produces the message No such file or 
directory.
This is a description of the arguments to lm_checkout:
lm_checkout(feature, version, num_lic, queue_flag, ..., dupgroup_mask)
where:
Level 3 Content (Version 6.0 or Later Only)
If FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS is set to 3, then, in addition to level 1 and 2 output, if a checkout is successful, 
information is printed explaining how the license was granted:
setenv FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS 3
app
Checkout succeeded: f0/14263EAEA8E0
License file: ./servtest.lic
No server used
app2
Checkout succeeded: f1/BC64A7B120AE
License file: @localhost
License Server Machine: @localhost
app3
Checkout succeeded: f1/BC64A7B120AE
License file: servtest.lic
License Server Machine: @speedy
Note that the feature name and license key are printed, along with the license file location (or host name 
if @host were used) and host name of the server, where applicable.
Table 12-1: lm_checkout Arguments
Argument Description
feature The requested feature.
version The requested version. The license file must contain a version >= the requested version.
num_lic Number of licenses requested. Usually 1.
queue_flag If 0, no queueing
If 1, queue for license (“blocking” queue)
If 2, queue for licenses, but return to application (“non-blocking” queue)
dupgroup_mask Indicates duplicate grouping, also called license sharing. User, host, and display are as shown by 
lmstat -a.
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FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS
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License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 115
Managing the Options File
The options file allows the license administrator to control various operating parameters within the 
constraints of the license model. Users are identified by their user name, host name, display, IP address, 
or PROJECT (which is set with the LM_PROJECT environment variable).
For concurrent (floating) licenses, the license administrator can:
• Allow the use of features 
• Deny the use of features
• Reserve licenses
The concurrent licenses can be held either in license files or in fulfillment records within trusted storage. 
For activatable licenses, the license administrator can:
• Allow activation of licenses in a specific fulfillment record
• Deny activation of licenses in a specific fulfillment record
For all licenses, the license administrator can:
• Restrict the number of licenses available
• Control the amount of information logged about license usage
• Enable a report log file
Options files allow you, as the license administrator, to be as secure or open with licenses as you like.
Lines in the options file are limited to 2048 characters. The \ character is a continuation character in 
options file lines.
• PROJECT identification (set by LM_PROJECT) in options file was introduced in version 7.0 vendor 
daemon.
• Option file control for licenses held in fulfillment records in trusted storage has been introduced in 
11.3 vendor daemon.
116 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 13: Managing the Options File
Creating an Options File
Creating an Options File
Task To create an options file:
1. Use the appropriate options listed in Options File Syntax to create the options file for a vendor 
daemon using any text editor. 
2. Locate the options file anywhere; however, it is recommended that the options file be placed in the 
same directory as the license file. 
3. Add the path to the options file in the license file as the fourth field on the VENDOR line for the 
application’s vendor daemon. For example:
VENDOR sampled /etc/sampled \
[options=]/sample_app/sampled/licenses/sampled.opt
enables the sampled vendor daemon to look at the specified options file.
If the path is omitted, the vendor daemon automatically looks for a file according to the following 
criteria:
• The name of the file is vendor.opt, where vendor is the vendor daemon name.
• The directory that contains the license file used by the license server manager.
Note: The default options file name, vendor.opt, introduced in version 6 vendor daemon.
Options File Syntax
Below is an overview of the options file syntax. See Options File Examples for examples and additional 
information. 
Each line of the file controls one option. Table 13-1 lists the option keywords.
Table 13-1: Option Keywords 
Option Keyword Description
BORROW_LOWWATER Set the number of BORROW licenses that cannot be borrowed.
DEBUGLOG Writes debug log information for this vendor daemon to the specified file (version 
8.0 or later vendor daemon).
EXCLUDE Deny a user access to a feature.
EXCLUDE_BORROW Deny a user the ability to borrow BORROW licenses. 
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Deny a user the ability to activate licenses held in a fulfillment record in trusted 
storage.
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Options File Syntax
Comments
Include comments in your options file by starting each comment line with a pound sign, #. 
Specifying Features
When used within an options file entry, the feature name can be modified with an optional keyword-
value pair to fully qualify it. This notation is used for distinguishing a particular group of licenses when 
there are multiple FEATURE lines for a single feature. The following syntax is used:
feature:keyword=value
For example:
EXCLUDEALL Deny a user access to all features served by this vendor daemon.
FQDN_MATCHING Sets the level of host name matching.
GROUP Define a group of users for use with any options.
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE Sets case sensitivity for user and host lists specified in GROUP and 
HOST_GROUP keywords.
HOST_GROUP Define a group of hosts for use with any options (version 4.0 or later).
INCLUDE Allow a user to use a feature.
INCLUDE_BORROW Allow a user to borrow BORROW licenses. 
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Allow a user to activate licenses held in a fulfillment record in trusted storage.
INCLUDEALL Allow a user to use all features served by this vendor daemon.
LINGER Allow a user to extend the linger time for a feature beyond its checkin.
MAX Limit usage for a particular feature/group—prioritizes usage among users.
MAX_BORROW_HOURS Changes the maximum borrow period for the specified feature.
MAX_OVERDRAFT Limit overdraft usage to less than the amount specified in the license.
NOLOG Turn off logging of certain items in the debug log file.
REPORTLOG Specify that a report log file suitable for use by the FLEXnet Manager license 
usage reporting tool be written.
RESERVE Reserve licenses for a user or group of users/hosts.
TIMEOUT Specify idle timeout for a feature, returning it to the free pool for use by another 
user.
TIMEOUTALL Set timeout on all features.
Table 13-1: Option Keywords  (cont.)
Option Keyword Description
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Options File Syntax
f1:VERSION=2.0
specifies the version 2.0 pool of licenses for feature f1.
Note: A colon (:) is a valid feature name character. If colons are in your feature names, specify a group of licenses with 
the following alternative syntax using quotation marks and spaces:
"feature keyword=value"
The following option keywords are used as feature name modifiers to denote a specific group of licenses: 
• VERSION= 
• HOSTID=
• EXPDATE=
• KEY=
• SIGN=
• ISSUER=
• NOTICE=
• VENDOR_STRING= (if configured by the publisher as a pooling component)
• dist_info=
• user_info=
• asset_info=
If the USER_BASED or HOST_BASED keywords appear in a feature line, this feature specification 
syntax must be used to qualify the feature.
Using a package name in place of a feature name applies the option to all of the components in the 
package.
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type
Some option keywords restrict who may use licenses or where licenses may be used. These options take 
a type argument that specifies what the restriction is based on. 
When using the option keywords EXCLUDE, EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, EXCLUDEALL, 
EXCLUDE_BORROW, INCLUDE, INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, INCLUDEALL, INCLUDE_BORROW, 
MAX, and RESERVE, the following values can be used for type:
• USER—user name of the user executing the FLEXenabled application. User names are case sensitive 
and cannot contain spaces. 
• HOST—system host name or IP address where the application is executing. Host names are case 
sensitive. The IP address can contain wildcard characters.
The IP-address can contain wildcard characters.
When using the option keywords EXCLUDE, EXCLUDEALL, EXCLUDE_BORROW, INCLUDE, 
INCLUDEALL, INCLUDE_BORROW, MAX, and RESERVE, the following values can be used for type:
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Options File Syntax
• DISPLAY—display where the application is displayed. On UNIX, DISPLAY is /dev/ttyxx (which is 
always /dev/tty when an application is run in the background) or the X-Display name. On 
Windows, it is the system name or, in the case of a terminal server environment, the terminal server 
client name. Display names are case sensitive.
• INTERNET—IP address of the system where the application is executing (wildcard characters can be 
used in the IP address)
• PROJECT—LM_PROJECT environment variable set by the user who is executing the FLEXenabled 
application. Project names are case sensitive.
On Windows (without terminal server), the HOST and DISPLAY names are both set to the system name. 
For licenses that allow checkouts from a terminal server (TS_OK keyword in the feature line), the USER, 
HOST, and DISPLAY names can be different from one another. 
The types listed above take a single member. For example:
EXCLUDE coolsoft USER joe
To specify a list of users or hosts, first define the list using the GROUP or HOST_GROUP option lines, 
then use the GROUP or HOST_GROUP type to specify the group name. For example:
GROUP stars joe barbara susan
EXCLUDE coolsoft GROUP stars
• IP address as a HOST specification introduced in version 8 vendor daemon.
• Colons in feature names introduced in version 8 vendor daemon.
BORROW_LOWWATER
This option is used for licenses held in license files. When licenses are available in trusted storage, 
activation is normally provided instead of BORROW.
BORROW_LOWWATER feature[:keyword=value] n
Sets the number of licenses for a BORROW feature that cannot be borrowed. 
For example, if a feature “f1” has a count of 10 and borrowing is enabled in the application and on the 
FEATURE line:
FEATURE f1 ... 10 ... BORROW SIGN=...
the following line in the options file allows only 7 licenses to be borrowed.
Table 13-2: BORROW_LOWWATER Terms
Term Description
feature Name of feature being affected.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for details.
n Number of licenses that cannot be borrowed via license borrowing.
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Options File Syntax
BORROW_LOWWATER f1 3
DEBUGLOG
DEBUGLOG [+]debug_log_path
Specifies a location for the debug log output from the vendor daemon associated with this options file. 
Preceding the debug_log_path with a + character appends logging entries; otherwise, the file is 
overwritten each time the daemon is started. Note that this affects output from only the vendor daemon 
associated with this options file. The debug log output of lmadmin or lmgrd and any other vendor 
daemons in the same license file is not captured in this file.
On Windows, path names which include spaces have to be enclosed in double quotes. If lmgrd is started 
as a service, the default location for the report log file is the c:\winnt\System32 folder unless a fully 
qualified path is specified.
See Also:
Configuring the License Server Manager as a Windows Service
lmswitch
Debug Log File—Debug log output restricted to that of just the vendor daemon introduced in version 8 vendor daemon.
EXCLUDE
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
EXCLUDE feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
Excludes a user or predefined group of users from the list of who is allowed to use the feature. 
EXCLUDE supersedes INCLUDE; conflicts between the EXCLUDE list and the INCLUDE list are 
resolved by the EXCLUDE taking precedence.
Table 13-3: EXCLUDE Terms
Term Description
feature Name of the feature or package being affected.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See “Specifying Features” for 
details.
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
“Specifying License Restrictions Using Type” for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license usage is excluded.
group_name Name of the group to exclude.
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Options File Syntax
Task To exclude the user hank from the list of users able to use feature f1:
EXCLUDE f1 USER hank
EXCLUDE_BORROW
This option is used for licenses held in license files. When licenses are available in trusted storage, 
activation is normally provided instead of BORROW.
EXCLUDE_BORROW feature[:keyword=value] type \
{name | group_name}
Excludes a user or predefined group of users from the list of who is allowed to borrow licenses for this 
BORROW feature. EXCLUDE_BORROW supersedes INCLUDE_BORROW; conflicts between the 
EXCLUDE_BORROW list and the INCLUDE_BORROW list are resolved by the EXCLUDE_BORROW 
taking precedence.
Task To exclude the user fred from the list of users able to borrow feature f1 assuming the feature has the 
BORROW attribute:
EXCLUDE_BORROW f1 USER fred
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT
This option only applies to licenses held in trusted storage and supplied using activation.
Table 13-4: EXCLUDE_BORROW Terms
Term Description
feature Name of the feature being affected.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license borrowing is excluded.
group_name Name of the group to exclude from borrowing.
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EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT entitlementId type {name | group_name}
Excludes a user or pre-defined group of users, etc., from the list of who is allowed to activate the licenses 
contained in a fulfillment record held in trusted storage. EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT supersedes 
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT; conflicts between the EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT list and the 
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT list are resolved by the EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT taking precedence. 
Important: To exclude the user “pete” from the list of users able to activate licenses provided in the fulfillment record 
specified by the entitlement ID “AB456”:
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT AB456 USER pete
EXCLUDEALL
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
EXCLUDEALL type {name | group_name}
Excludes a user or predefined group of users from the list of who is allowed to use all features served by 
this vendor daemon.
To exclude any user on the system called chaos using all features served by this vendor daemon:
Table 13-5: EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Terms
Term Description
entitlementId The entitlement Id used when requesting a license activation.
type One of USER, HOST, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See Specifying License Restrictions Using 
Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license usage is excluded.
group_name Name of the group to exclude.
Table 13-6: EXCLUDEALL Terms
Term Description
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license usage is excluded.
group_name Name of the group to exclude.
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Options File Syntax
EXCLUDEALL HOST chaos
FQDN_MATCHING
This option applies to all licenses held in license files or trusted storage.
FQDN_MATCHING exact | lenient
Sets the level to which host names used in HOST type-specifiers must match the host name sent by the 
FLEXenabled application. The application is configured to send either its host name or its fully qualified 
domain name (FQDN) to the vendor daemon for validation with HOST type-specifiers. Check with your 
software publisher to determine fully qualified domain name support.
Only the last FQDN_MATCHING keyword in the options file has effect; all others are ignored.
Table 13-8 shows the outcome of matching attempts between HOST type-specifiers in the options file 
and host names sent by the application. 
Examples
Consider the following example that demonstrates restrictive host name matching:
INCLUDE f1 HOST myhost.abc.com
FQDN_MATCHING exact
This includes myhost.abc.com on the list of hosts able to use feature f1. Furthermore, the host name sent 
by the application must be a fully qualified domain name that matches myhost.abc.com exactly.
Table 13-7: FQDN_MATCHING Terms
Term Description
exact The host name in the HOST type specifier must match in content and format to that sent 
by the application. This is the default setting.
lenient The host name sent by the application needs match to the extent supplied in the HOST 
type specifier or by the application, which ever is less restrictive.
Table 13-8: Host Name Matching Matrix
Options File Settings
Application configured 
for FQDN—sends 
myhost.abc.com
Application not 
configured for FQDN—
sends myhost
FQDN_MATCHING
exact
INCLUDE feature HOST
myhost
no yes
INCLUDE feature HOST
myhost.abc.com
yes no
FQDN_MATCHING
lenient
INCLUDE feature HOST
myhost
yes yes
INCLUDE feature HOST
myhost.abc.com
yes yes
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In contrast, consider this example, which is less restrictive:
INCLUDE f2 HOST myhost.abc.com
FQDN_MATCHING lenient
This includes myhost.abc.com on the list of hosts able to use feature f2. The license rights are 
authenticated and a checkout allowed if any of the following match:
• The FQDN - myhost.abc.com 
• The host name - myhost 
• The domain name - .abc.com 
The example below is even more lenient:
INCLUDE f2 HOST myhost
FQDN_MATCHING lenient
This includes the host name, myhost, on the list of hosts for feature f3. Since lenient matching is 
specified, host names such as myhost, myhost.abc.com, and myhost.xyz.com match, whereas yourhost or 
yourhost.abc.com do not match.
See Also
“Specifying License Restrictions Using Type”
FQDN_MATCHING introduced in version 9.3 client library and vendor daemon.
GROUP
GROUP group_name user_list
Defines a group of users for use in INCLUDE, INCLUDEALL, INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, EXCLUDE, 
EXCLUDEALL, EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, and RESERVE option lines.
Multiple GROUP lines for the same group name add all the specified users into the group.
To define the group Hackers consisting of bob, howard, and james:
GROUP Hackers bob howard james
Note: USER_GROUP is an alias for GROUP.
Table 13-9: GROUP Terms
Term Description
group_name Name of the group being defined. Group names are case sensitive.
user_list List of user names in that group. Names are case sensitive and cannot contain spaces. 
Set the GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE options file keyword to turn on case 
insensitivity. See GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE.
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Options File Syntax
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE OFF|ON
If set to ON, user names and host names specified with the options file GROUP and HOST_GROUP 
keywords, respectively, are treated as case insensitive. 
By default, GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE is OFF, and user names and host names are treated as case 
sensitive.
HOST_GROUP
HOST_GROUP group_name host_list
Defines a group of hosts for use in INCLUDE, INCLUDEALL, INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, EXCLUDE, 
EXCLUDEALL, EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, and RESERVE option lines. Multiple HOST_GROUP 
lines add all the specified hosts into the group.
To define the host group Pacific consisting of tokyo, seattle, and auckland:
HOST_GROUP Pacific tokyo seattle auckland
Anywhere a host name can be used in an options file, an IP address can be used instead. 
INCLUDE
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
INCLUDE feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
Includes a user or predefined group of users in the list of who is allowed to use licenses for this feature. 
Any user who is not in an INCLUDE or INCLUDEALL statement is not allowed to use that feature. 
EXCLUDE supersedes INCLUDE; conflicts between the EXCLUDE list and the INCLUDE list are 
resolved by the EXCLUDE taking precedence. 
Table 13-10: HOST_GROUP Terms
Term Definition
group_name Name of the group being defined. Host group names are case sensitive.
host_list List of host names in that group. Names are case sensitive. Set the 
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE options file keyword to turn on case insensitivity. See 
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE.
Table 13-11: INCLUDE Terms
Term Definition
feature Name of the feature or package being affected.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
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To include user bob in the list of users able to use feature f1:
INCLUDE f1 USER bob
The include list is created from all the INCLUDEALL and INCLUDE lines in the options file.
Note: INCLUDE is required for USER_BASED or HOST_BASED features. The license administrator specifies which users 
are allowed to use the product, via INCLUDE, and the license limits the number of users that are INCLUDEd.
INCLUDE_BORROW 
This option is used for licenses held in license files. When licenses are available in trusted storage, 
normally activation is provided instead of BORROW.
INCLUDE_BORROW feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
Includes a user or predefined group of users in the list of who is allowed to borrow the BORROW 
feature. Anyone not in an INCLUDE_BORROW statement is not allowed to borrow licenses. 
EXCLUDE_BORROW supersedes INCLUDE_BORROW; conflicts between the EXCLUDE_BORROW 
list and the INCLUDE_BORROW list are resolved by the EXCLUDE_BORROW taking precedence. 
To include user tom in the list of users able to borrow feature f1:
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license usage is included.
group_name Name of the group for which license usage is included.
Table 13-12: INCLUDE_BORROW Terms
Term Definition
feature Name of the feature being affected.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for details.
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license borrowing is included.
group_name Name of the group for which license borrowing is included.
Table 13-11: INCLUDE Terms
Term Definition
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Options File Syntax
INCLUDE_BORROW f1 USER tom
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT
This option only applies to licenses held in trusted storage.
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT entitlementId type {name | group_name}
Includes a user or predefined group of users in the list of who is allowed to activate the licenses 
contained in a fulfillment record held in trusted storage. EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT supersedes 
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT; conflicts between the EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT list and the 
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT list are resolved by the EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT taking precedence. 
To include the user claire in the list of users able to activate licenses provided in the fulfillment record 
specified by the entitlement Id AB456:
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT AB456 USER claire
INCLUDEALL 
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
INCLUDEALL type {name | group_name}
Includes a user or predefined group of users in the list of who is allowed to use all features served by this 
vendor daemon. 
To allow the user jane to use all features served by this vendor daemon:
Table 13-13: INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Terms
Term Definition
entitlementId The entitlement Id originally used when requesting a license activation.
type One of USER, HOST, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See Specifying License Restrictions Using 
Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license usage is included.
group_name Name of the group to include.
Table 13-14: INCLUDEALL Terms
Term Definition
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license usage is included.
group_name Name of the group to include.
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INCLUDEALL USER jane
The include list is created from all the INCLUDEALL and INCLUDE lines in the options file.
LINGER
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
LINGER feature[:keyword=value] seconds
A lingering license stays checked out for a specified period of time beyond its checkin or FLEXenabled 
application exit, whichever comes first. This option extends the default linger time configured by the 
software publisher in the FLEXenabled application.
Note: The software publisher must have enabled this feature in the FLEXenabled application for it to work. Contact your 
software publisher to find out if this feature is implemented. 
To set the linger value for feature f1 to one hour (3600 seconds):
LINGER f1 3600
The actual linger time varies somewhat since the vendor daemon checks all lingering licenses just once 
per minute. If, however, a new license request is made that would otherwise be denied, a check of the 
lingering licenses is made immediately to attempt to satisfy the new request. 
MAX
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
MAX num_lic feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
Limits usage for a group or user.
Table 13-15: LINGER Terms
Term Definition
feature Name of the feature.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
seconds Number of seconds the license lingers. The software publisher sets a minimum value. 
If you specify a value for seconds that is smaller than the minimum, the minimum is 
used.
Table 13-16: MAX Terms
Term Description
num_lic Usage limit for this user or group.
feature Feature or package this limit applies to.
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For example, to limit the user jan to five licenses for feature f1, include the following line in the option 
file:
MAX 5 f1 USER jan
Queuing when Limit Defined by MAX is Reached
For vendor daemons version 10.8.x where x is greater than 7 and vendor daemons version 11.6.1 or 
greater, requests for licenses when the maximum has been reached will be queued if queuing is allowed 
by the application.
MAX_BORROW_HOURS
This option is used for licenses held in license files. When licenses are available in trusted storage, 
normally activation is provided instead of BORROW.
MAX_BORROW_HOURS feature[:keyword=value] num_hours
Changes the maximum period a license can be borrowed from that specified in the license file for 
feature. The new period must be less than that in the license file. If multiple 
MAX_BORROW_HOURS keywords appear in the options file, only the last one is applied to feature.
MAX_OVERDRAFT
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
MAX_OVERDRAFT feature[:keyword=value] num_lic
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which usage is limited.
group_name Name of the group to limit.
Table 13-17: MAX_BORROW_HOURS Terms
Term Description
feature Feature this borrow period applies to. The feature must have BORROW enabled.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
num_hours Number of hours in the new borrow period. This value must be less than that specified 
in the license file for feature (the default, if not specified, is 168 hours).
Table 13-16: MAX Terms
Term Description
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Limits OVERDRAFT license usage below the OVERDRAFT allowed by the license file.
NOLOG
NOLOG { IN | OUT | DENIED | QUEUED | UNSUPPORTED}
Suppresses logging the selected type of event in the debug log file. 
See Also
lmswitch
REPORTLOG
REPORTLOG [+]report_log_path
REPORTLOG specifies the report log file for this vendor daemon. It is recommended preceding the 
report_log_path with a + character to append logging entries; otherwise, the file is overwritten each time 
the daemon is started. 
On Windows, path names that include spaces have to be enclosed in double quotes. If lmgrd is started as 
a service, the default location for the report log file is the c:\winnt\System32 folder unless a fully 
qualified path is specified.
Note: FLEXnet Manager is a separate product available from Acresso Software, is used to process report log files. 
FLEXnet Manager processes only report log files, not debug log files.
Table 13-18: MAX_OVERDRAFT Terms
Term Description
feature Feature this limit applies to.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
num_lic Usage limit for this user or group.
Table 13-19: NOLOG Terms
Entry Description
NOLOG IN Turns off logging of checkins. Two separate NOLOG lines are required to turn 
off logging of checkouts and queued requests.
NOLOG DENIED
NOLOG QUEUED
Turns off logging of checkouts and queued requests. License administrators 
use this option to reduce the size of the debug log file. However, it can reduce 
the usefulness of the debug log when debugging license server problems.
NOLOG UNSUPPORTED Suppresses “UNSUPPORTED” messages in the debug log. This suppresses 
error messages in the debug log that report a failure due to the feature being 
unsupported.
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Chapter 13: Managing the Options File
Options File Syntax
Reporting on Projects with LM_PROJECT
The FLEXnet Manager report writer reports on projects. A project is set up by having all users working 
on the same project set their LM_PROJECT environment variable (or registry on Windows) to a string that 
describes the project. FLEXnet Manager groups usage by project, as defined by what LM_PROJECT was set 
to when the application was run.
See Also 
Configuring the License Server Manager as a Windows Service
Environment Variables
Report Log File
RESERVE
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
RESERVE num_lic feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
Reserves licenses for a specific user.
To reserve one license of feature f1 for user mel:
RESERVE 1 f1 USER mel
If you want to reserve a license for each of several users or groups, you must use a separate RESERVE 
line for each user or group. If a package name is specified, all components that comprise the package are 
reserved.
The RESERVE keyword should not be used on packages and package suites that also use the 
SUITE_RESERVED option. The RESERVE keyword in the options file includes static information about 
the reservation policy. The SUITE_RESERVED option reserves a set of package components. Once one 
package component is checked out, all the other  components are reserved for that same user.  When the 
license keys are checked out by  a user, the SUITE_RESERVED option within the Package will dictate 
additional reservation  policy which can dynamically change depending on the product usage pattern.  
Because  these options present conflicting reserve parameters, they can not be used together.
Table 13-20: RESERVE Terms
Term Description
num_lic Number of licenses to reserve for this user or group.
feature Feature or package this reservation applies to.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
type One of USER, HOST, DISPLAY, INTERNET, PROJECT, GROUP, or HOST_GROUP. See 
Specifying License Restrictions Using Type for details.
name Name of an item of type type for which license usage is reserved.
group_name Name of group for which license usage is reserved.
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Chapter 13: Managing the Options File
Options File Syntax
Note: Any licenses reserved for a user are dedicated to that user. Even when that user is not actively using the license, it 
is unavailable to other users. However, a RESERVEd license does not cause usage to be reported by FLEXnet Manager if 
the license is not actually in use.
TIMEOUT
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
TIMEOUT feature[:keyword=value] seconds
Sets the time after which an inactive license is freed and reclaimed by the vendor daemon.
Note: The software publisher must have enabled this feature in the FLEXenabled application for it to work. Contact your 
software publisher to find out if this feature is implemented. 
To set the timeout for feature f1 to one hour (3600 seconds):
TIMEOUT f1 3600
TIMEOUT checks in the licenses if the FLEXenabled application has been inactive for a period longer 
than the specified time period. The daemon declares a process inactive when it has not received 
heartbeats from it whereas an active FLEXenabled application sends heartbeats.
A TIMEOUT line must be present in the options file in order to take advantage of the this feature. 
TIMEOUTALL
This option applies to concurrent licenses held in license files and trusted storage.
TIMEOUTALL seconds
Same as TIMEOUT, but applies to all features.
Table 13-21: TIMEOUT Terms
Term Description
feature Name of the feature.
keyword=value Feature name modifier to denote a group of licenses. See Specifying Features for 
details.
seconds Number of seconds after which inactive license is reclaimed. The software publisher 
sets a minimum value.If you specify a value for seconds that is smaller than the 
minimum, the minimum is used.
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Chapter 13: Managing the Options File
How the Vendor Daemon Uses the Options File
How the Vendor Daemon Uses the Options File
When the vendor daemon is started by lmadmin or lmgrd, the vendor daemon reads its options file. 
There is only one options file per vendor daemon and each vendor daemon needs its own options file. 
For any changes in an options file to take effect, the vendor daemon must read its options file. The 
lmreread utility causes the vendor daemon to reread its options file.
The lmreread utility enhanced in version 8.0 vendor daemon so that it causes the vendor daemon to 
reread the options file. If you are using earlier versions, the vendor daemon must be stopped and 
restarted in order for the options file to be reread.
Rules of Precedence in Options Files
Rules of precedence take effect when INCLUDE and EXCLUDE statements are combined in the same 
options file and control access to the same feature (in license files) or fulfillment record (in trusted 
storage). The following define the precedence when both types of statements appear together:
• If there is only an EXCLUDE list, everyone who is not on the list is allowed to use the feature. 
• If there is only an INCLUDE list, only those users on the list are allowed to use the feature. 
• If neither list exists, everyone is allowed to use the feature. 
• The EXCLUDE list is checked before the INCLUDE list; someone who is on both lists is not allowed 
to use the feature.
Once you create an INCLUDE or EXCLUDE list, everyone else is implicitly outside the group. This 
feature allows you, as a license administrator, the ability to control licenses without having to explicitly 
list each user that you wish to allow or deny access to. In other words, there are two approaches; you 
either:
• Give most users access and list only the exceptions, or
• Severely limit access and list only the those users that have access privileges
Options File Examples
The following information gives some examples of options files intended to illustrate ways to effectively 
control access to your licenses.
Simple Options File Example
RESERVE 1 compile USER robert
RESERVE 3 compile HOST mainline
EXCLUDE compile USER lori
NOLOG QUEUED
This options file restricts the use of concurrent licenses as follows:
• Reserves one license for the feature compile for the user robert.
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Options File Examples
• Reserves three licenses for the feature compile for anyone on the system with the host name 
mainline.
• Prevents the user lori from using the compile feature on any system on the network.
• Causes QUEUED messages to be omitted from the debug log file.
The sum total of the licenses reserved must be less than or equal to the number of licenses specified in 
the FEATURE line. In the example above, there must be a minimum of four licenses on the compile 
FEATURE line. If fewer licenses are available, only the first set of reservations (up to the license limit) is 
used. 
If this data were in file /a/b/sampled/licenses/sampled.opt, then modify the license file VENDOR line as 
follows:
VENDOR sampled /etc/sampled /sample_app/sampled/licenses/sampled.opt
Limiting Access for Multiple Users
Each INCLUDE, INCLUDEALL, INCLUDE_BORROW, INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, EXCLUDE, 
EXCLUDEALL, EXCLUDE_BORROW, EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, MAX, and RESERVE line must 
have a single user name (or group) listed. To affect more than one user name create a GROUP. For 
example to exclude bob, howard, and james from using the feature called toothbrush, create the 
following options file:
EXCLUDE toothbrush USER bob
EXCLUDE toothbrush USER howard
EXCLUDE toothbrush USER james
However, there is an easier way. Create a GROUP and exclude the list of users from using the feature. 
Like the previous example, the following options file excludes bob, howard, and james from using the 
feature called toothbrush:
# First define the group "Hackers"
GROUP Hackers bob howard james
# Then exclude the group
EXCLUDE toothbrush GROUP Hackers
Now when you want to allow or deny access to any feature to that group, you have an alias list to make it 
simple.
Use HOST_GROUP to allow, deny, or reserve licenses for multiple hosts. For example, to exclude all 
users logged in on the hosts fred and barney from using a feature called f1, add these lines to your 
options file:
HOST_GROUP writers fred barney
EXCLUDE f1 HOST_GROUP writers
See Also
HOST_GROUP for more information about defining groups
EXCLUDE Example
#First Define the group "painters"
GROUP painters picasso mondrian klee
EXCLUDE spell GROUP painters
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Chapter 13: Managing the Options File
Options File Examples
EXCLUDE spell USER bob
EXCLUDE spell INTERNET 123.123.123.*
This options file:
• Prevents the users picasso, mondrian, and klee from using the feature spell on any system on 
the network.
• Prevents the user bob from using the feature spell on any system on the network.
• Prevents any user logged into a host with an IP address in the range 123.123.123.0 through 
123.123.123.255 from using the feature spell.
• Allows any other user, as long as they are not on the excluded IP addresses, and they are not a 
member of the painters GROUP, and they are not bob, to use feature spell (by implication).
Note that bob could have been added to the group painters. However, painters might be used for 
some other purpose in the future so the license administrator chose to handle bob as a special case here. 
In this case, the two EXCLUDE statements concatenate to create a list of four users. 
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Example
#First Define the group "admin"
GROUP admin johns adrianp maryt
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT qf573k GROUP admin
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT qf573k USER bob
EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT qf573k HOST cordelia
This options file:
• Prevents the users johns, adrianp, and maryt from activating any licenses contained in the 
fulfillment record obtained using the entitlement Id qf573k on any system on the network.
• Prevents the user bob from activating any licenses contained in the fulfillment record obtained using 
the entitlement Id qf573k on any system on the network.
• Prevents any user on the system called cordelia from activating any licenses contained in the 
fulfillment record obtained using the entitlement Id qf573k.
• By implication allows any other users on any system other than cordelia to activate the licenses 
contained in the fulfillment record obtained using the entitlement Id qf573k.
INCLUDE Example
INCLUDE paint USER picasso
INCLUDE paint USER mondrian
INCLUDE paint HOST bigbrush
This options file:
• Allows the user picasso to use the feature paint on any system on the network.
• Allows the user mondrian to use the feature paint on any system on the network.
• Allows any user, as long as they are on the host bigbrush, to use feature paint.
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Options File Examples
• Denies access to the feature paint to anyone except picasso, mondrian, or anyone from the host 
bigbrush (by implication).
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT Example
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT gy7210 USER tom
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT gy7210 USER anthony
INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT gy7210 HOST jupiter
This options file:
• Allows the user tom to activate any licenses contained in the fulfillment record obtained using the 
entitlement Id gy7210 on any system on the network.
• Allows the user anthony to activate any licenses contained in the fulfillment record obtained using 
the entitlement Id gy7210 on any system on the network.
• Allows any user, as long as they are on the host jupiter to activate any licenses contained in the 
fulfillment record obtained using the entitlement Id gy7210.
• By implication denies the activation of any licenses contained in the fulfillment record obtained 
using the entitlement Id gy7210 to anyone except tom, anthony, or someone on the host jupiter.
14
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 137
Environment Variables
Environment variables are not required in order to use FLEXenabled applications. Environment 
variables are normally used for debugging or for changing license default location.
How to Set Environment Variables
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit environment variables are set in two different ways: 
• In the process’s environment
• In the registry (Windows version 6.0 or earlier) or in $HOME/.flexlmrc (UNIX version 7.0 or earlier), 
which functions like the registry on UNIX. 
Windows Registry
On Windows systems other than Windows Vista, the registry location is 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\FLEXlm License Manager
On UNIX, the equivalent information is stored in $HOME/.flexlmrc. In this file, the syntax is 
variable=value.
On Windows Vista, the location is
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FLEXlm License Manager. 
Precedence
If the variable is LM_LICENSE_FILE or VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE, then both the environment and the registry 
are used, with the environment used first, and the registry appended to the path.
If it’s a different variable, then if the environment set, only that is used, otherwise the registry is used. 
That is, the registry is only used if the environment is not set.
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Chapter 14: Environment Variables
Environment Variables
Environment Variables
The table below provides various environment variables and their definitions:
Table 14-1: Environment Variables
Variable Definition
FLEXLM_BATCH Windows only: prevents interactive pop-ups from appearing. Set to 1 if a batch 
application. (Version 7.0 and later clients)
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS Used for debugging where applications do not print error message text. Set to 1, 2, or 
3, depending on the amount of diagnostic information desired. See 
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS (Version 5.0 and later clients)
FLEXLM_TIMEOUT Windows only: Sets the timeout value a FLEXenabled application uses when attempting 
to connect to a license server port in the range 27000–27009. 
Values are in microseconds, within the range 0–2,147,483,647. The default setting is 
100,000 microseconds.
LM_BORROW Used for initiating license borrowing and setting the borrow period. See Initiating 
License Borrowing for more details. On UNIX platforms, $HOME/.flexlmborrow is 
used for the registry instead of $HOME/.flexlmrc.
LM_PROJECT LM_PROJECT’s value is logged in the report log file and later reported on by FLEXnet 
Manager. Limited to 30 characters. (Version 5.0 or later client required.) 
This can also be used to RESERVE, INCLUDE, and so on licenses with PROJECT. For 
example:
RESERVE 1 f1 PROJECT airplane
Version 5.0 and later clients and version 7.0 and later vendor daemons are required 
for this feature.
LM_SERVER_HIGHEST_FD Used to set the highest file descriptor value, above which the license server will not 
access.
LM_UTIL_CASE_SENSITIVE Used by the FLEXlm utilities. If set to 1, the utilities process license file lines as case 
sensitive. By default, this variable is set to 0; license files are treated as case 
insensitive. This environment variable is applicable only when the license server, itself, 
has been configured by your software publisher to treat license files in a case sensitive 
manner.
TCP_NODELAY Improves license server performance when processing license requests. Set to 1 to 
enable performance enhancements. Use with caution: when enabled it may cause an 
increase in network traffic.
LM_LICENSE_FILE or
VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE
Reset path to license file. Can be a license search path, separated by “ : ” on UNIX and 
“ ; ” on Windows. If VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE used, VENDOR is the vendor daemon 
name used by this application. For example, Macrovision products use 
MVSN_LICENSE_FILE. Can be a file name, or port@host. See also Setting the 
License Search Path using an Environment Variable (VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE requires 
version 6.0 and later clients).
15
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 139
Error Codes
This section documents FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit error messages, including general format 
and error message descriptions.
Error Message Format
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit error messages presented by applications have the following 
components:
• Error Number—a positive or negative number.
• Error Text—short sentence (< 80 characters) summarizing problem.
• Error Explanation (optional)—short paragraph (3–5 lines) explaining problem and possible solutions 
or work arounds.
• Minor Error Number—a positive number starting at 1. These numbers are unique error identifiers and 
are used by software publishers for more advanced support assistance. Their meaning is not 
documented.
• System Error Number (optional)—a UNIX or Windows OS error code last set by the operating system.
• System Error Explanation (optional)—a short sentence (< 80 characters) explaining the system error.
• Other supporting information (optional)
Error messages were improved in version 6. Error Explanations, and supporting information, are only 
available in applications using version 6.0 and later.
These error messages may occur in two formats available with FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit or 
may appear in a format customized by the application.
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Chapter 15: Error Codes
Error Code Descriptions
Format 1 (short)
FLEXnet error text (-lm_errno, minor_num[:sys_errno]) [sys_error_text]
The error information may be missing.
Example
Can’t connect to license server machine (-15,12:61) Connection refused
Format 2 (long—version 6.0 and later)
FLEXnet error text
FLEXnet error explanation
[Optional Supporting information]
FLEXnet error: -lm_errno, minor_num. [System Error: sys_errno] [“system_error_text”]
Example
Cannot connect to license server system
The server (lmgrd) has not been started yet, or
the wrong port@host or license file is being used, or the
port or hostname in the license file has been changed.
Feature:       f1
Server name:   localhost
License path: @localhost:license.dat:./*.lic
FLEXlm error:  -15,12.  System Error: 61 “Connection refused”
Error Code Descriptions
The following table lists the most common errors produced by FLEXenabled applications.
Table 15-1: Error Codes 
Error Code Description
21 lc_flexinit failed because there was insufficient rights to start the FLEXnet Licensing Service. Resolve 
this by setting the service to start automatically.
20 FLEXnet Licensing Service is not installed. 
13 Computed path to required file is too long for Mac OS X operating system.
12 Invalid bundle ID on Mac OS X operating system.
11 Framework specified by bundle ID was not loaded.
10 Error creating path from URL.
9 Error creating URL.
8 Path string not specified in UTF-8 format.
7 A call to lc_flexinit is not allowed after a call to lc_flexinit_cleanup.
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Chapter 15: Error Codes
Error Code Descriptions
6 The executable has not been prepped with the preptool. See “preptool” in Trusted Storage-based 
Programming Reference for instructions.
5 Unable to allocate resources.
4 Initialization failed.
3 Unsupported version of the operating system.
2 Unable to load activation library.
1 Unable to find activation library.
-1 Cannot find license file.
-2 Invalid license file syntax.
-3 No license server system for this feature.
-4 Licensed number of users already reached.
-5 No such feature exists.
-6 No TCP/IP port number in license file and FLEXnet Licensing Service does not exist. (pre-v6 only)
-7 No socket connection to license server manager service.
-8 Invalid (inconsistent) license key or signature.
The license key/signature and data for the feature do not match. This usually happens when a license 
file has been altered.
-9 Invalid host.
The hostid of this system does not match the hostid specified in the license file.
-10 Feature has expired.
-11 Invalid date format in license file.
-12 Invalid returned data from license server system.
-13 No SERVER lines in license file.
-14 Cannot find SERVER host name in network database.
The lookup for the host name on the SERVER line in the license file failed. This often happens when 
NIS or DNS or the hosts file is incorrect. Work around: Use IP address (for example, 
123.456.789.123) instead of host name.
Table 15-1: Error Codes  (cont.)
Error Code Description
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Error Code Descriptions
-15 Cannot connect to license server system.
The server (lmadmin or lmgrd) has not been started yet, or the wrong port@host or license file is 
being used, or the TCP/IP port or host name in the license file has been changed.
Windows XP SP2 platforms have a limit on the number of TCP/IP connection attempts per second 
that can be made, which your application may have exceeded. Refer to the manufacturer’s 
documentation on how to change this limit.
-16 Cannot read data from license server system.
-17 Cannot write data to license server system.
-18 License server system does not support this feature.
-19 Error in select system call.
-20 License server system busy (no majority).
-21 License file does not support this version.
-22 Feature checkin failure detected at license server system.
-23 License server system temporarily busy (new server connecting).
-24 Users are queued for this feature.
-25 License server system does not support this version of this feature.
-26 Request for more licenses than this feature supports.
-29 Cannot find ethernet device.
-30 Cannot read license file.
-31 Feature start date is in the future.
-32 No such attribute.
-33 Bad encryption handshake with vendor daemon.
-34 Clock difference too large between client and license server system.
-35 In the queue for this feature.
-36 Feature database corrupted in vendor daemon.
-37 Duplicate selection mismatch for this feature. Obsolete with version 8.0 or later vendor daemon.
-38 User/host on EXCLUDE list for feature.
-39 User/host not on INCLUDE list for feature.
-40 Cannot allocate dynamic memory.
Table 15-1: Error Codes  (cont.)
Error Code Description
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Chapter 15: Error Codes
Error Code Descriptions
-41 Feature was never checked out.
-42 Invalid parameter.
-47 Clock setting check not available in vendor daemon.
-52 Vendor daemon did not respond within timeout interval.
-53 Checkout request rejected by vendor-defined checkout filter.
-54 No FEATURESET line in license file.
-55 Incorrect FEATURESET line in license file.
-56 Cannot compute FEATURESET data from license file.
-57 socket call failed.
-59 Message checksum failure.
-60 License server system message checksum failure.
-61 Cannot read license file data from license server system.
-62 Network software (TCP/IP) not available.
-63 You are not a license administrator.
-64 lmremove request before the minimum lmremove interval.
-67 No licenses available to borrow.
-68 License BORROW support not enabled.
-69 FLOAT_OK can’t run standalone on license server system.
-71 Invalid TZ environment variable.
-73 Local checkout filter rejected request.
-74 Attempt to read beyond end of license file path.
-75 SYS$SETIMR call failed (VMS). Indicates and error due to an operating system failure.
-76 Internal FLEXnet Publisher error. Please report error to Acresso Software.
-77 Bad version number must be floating-point number with no letters.
-82 Invalid PACKAGE line in license file.
-83 FLEXnet Publisher version of client newer than server.
-84 USER_BASED license has no specified users; see license server system log.
Table 15-1: Error Codes  (cont.)
Error Code Description
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Error Code Descriptions
-85 License server system doesn’t support this request.
-87 Checkout exceeds MAX specified in options file.
-88 System clock has been set back.
-89 This platform not authorized by license.
-90 Future license file format or misspelling in license file.
The file was issued for a later version of FLEXnet Publisher than this program understands.
-91 Encryption seeds are non-unique.
-92 Feature removed during lmreread, or wrong SERVER line hostid.
-93 This feature is available in a different license pool.
This is a warning condition. The server has pooled one or more INCREMENT lines into a single pool, 
and the request was made on an INCREMENT line that has been pooled.
-94 Attempt to generate license with incompatible attributes.
-95 Network connect to THIS_HOST failed.
Change this_host on the SERVER line in the license file to the actual host name.
-96 License server machine is down or not responding. 
See the system administrator about starting the server, or make sure that you’re referring to the 
right host (see LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable).
-97 The desired vendor daemon is down. 
1) Check the lmadmin or lmgrd log file, or 2) Try lmreread.
-98 This FEATURE line can’t be converted to decimal format.
-99 The decimal format license is typed incorrectly.
-100 Cannot remove a linger license.
-101 All licenses are reserved for others.
The system administrator has reserved all the licenses for others. Reservations are made in the 
options file. The server must be restarted for options file changes to take effect.
-102 A FLEXid borrow error occurred.
-103 Terminal Server remote client not allowed.
-104 Cannot borrow that long.
-105 Feature already returned to license server.
Table 15-1: Error Codes  (cont.)
Error Code Description
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Error Code Descriptions
-106 License server system out of network connections.
The vendor daemon can't handle any more users. See the debug log for further information.
-110 Cannot read dongle: check dongle or driver.
Either the dongle is unattached, or the necessary software driver for this dongle type is not installed.
-112 Missing dongle driver.
In order to read the FLEXnet ID dongle hostid, the correct driver must be installed. These drivers are 
available from your software publisher.
-114 SIGN= keyword required, but missing from license certificate.
You need to obtain a SIGN= version of this license from your vendor.
-115 Error in Public Key package.
-116 TRL not supported for this platform.
-117 BORROW failed.
-118 BORROW period expired.
-119 lmdown and lmreread must be run on license server.
-120 Cannot lmdown the server when licenses are borrowed.
-121 FLOAT_OK requires exactly one FLEXid hostid.
-122 Unable to delete local borrow info.
-123 Returning a borrowed license early is not supported. 
Contact the vendor for further details.
-124 Error returning borrowed license.
-125 A PACKAGE component must be specified.
-126 Composite hostid not initialized.
-127 A item needed for the composite hostid is missing or invalid.
-128 Error, borrowed license doesn't match any known server license.
-135 Error enabling the event log.
-136 Event logging is disabled.
-137 Error writing to the event log.
-139 Communications timeout.
-140 Bad message command.
Table 15-1: Error Codes  (cont.)
Error Code Description
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Error Code Descriptions
-141 Error writing to socket. Peer has closed socket.
-142 Error, cannot generate version specific license tied to a single hostid, which is composite.
-143 Version-specific signatures are not supported for uncounted licenses.
-144 License template contains redundant signature specifiers.
-145 Bad V71_LK signature.
-146 Bad V71_SIGN signature.
-147 Bad V80_LK signature.
-148 Bad V80_SIGN signature.
-149 Bad V81_LK signature.
-150 Bad V81_SIGN signature.
-151 Bad V81_SIGN2 signature.
-152 Bad V84_LK signature.
-153 Bad V84_SIGN signature.
-154 Bad V84_SIGN2 signature.
-155 License key required but missing from the license certificate. The application requires a license key 
in the license certificate. You need to obtain a license key version of this certificate from your vendor.
-156 Invalid signature specified with the AUTH= keyword.
-157 Trusted storage has been compromised; repair needed. Contact your vendor for repair instructions.
-158 Trusted storage open failure. Contact your vendor for further information.
-159 Invalid fulfillment record. Contact your vendor for further information.
-160 Invalid activation request received. Contact your vendor for further information.
-161 No fulfillment exists in trusted storage which matches the request. Contact your vendor for further 
information.
-162 Invalid activation response received. Contact your vendor for further information.
-163 Cannot return the specified activation. Contact your vendor for further information.
-164 Return count(s) would exceed the maximum for the fulfillment. Contact your vendor for further 
information.
-165 No repair count left. Contact your vendor for further repair authorization.
-166 Specified operation not allowed. Contact your vendor for further information.
Table 15-1: Error Codes  (cont.)
Error Code Description
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Error Code Descriptions
-167 The requested activation has been denied because the user or host is excluded from activating this 
entitlement by a specification in the options file.
-168 The options file contains include specifications for the entitlement, and this user or host is not 
included in these specifications.
-169 Activation error. Contact your vendor for further information.
-170 Invalid date format in trusted storage. Can be caused by setting your system clock to an earlier date. 
Check that your system clock is set to the current date and time.
-171 Message encryption failed. Internal error. Please report to Acresso Software Inc.
-172 Message decryption failed. Internal error. Please report to Acresso Software Inc.
-173 Bad filter context. Internal error. Please report to Acresso Software Inc.
-174 SUPERSEDE feature conflict. Contact your vendor for further information.
-175 Invalid SUPERSEDE_SIGN syntax. Contact your vendor for further information.
-176 SUPERSEDE_SIGN does not contain a feature name and license signature. Contact your vendor for 
further information.
-177 ONE_TS_OK is not supported in this Windows Platform.
-178 Internal error. Please report to Acresso Software Inc.
-179 Only one terminal server remote client checkout is allowed for this feature.
-180 Internal error. Please report to Acresso Software Inc.
-181 Internal error. Please report to Acresso Software Inc.
-182 Internal error. Please report to Acresso Software Inc.
-183 More than one ethernet hostid not supported in composite hostid definition. Contact your vendor for 
further information.
-184 The number of characters in the license file paths exceeds the permissible limit. 
There is a limit on the number of license files that can be used by a license server manager. This limit 
is on the number of characters in the combined license file paths to the license files:
• Unix - 40,960 characters
• Windows - 20,400 characters
Reduce the number of license files, or relocate them so that the paths are shorter.
Table 15-1: Error Codes  (cont.)
Error Code Description
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Report Log File
The license server produces both report log files and debug log files. The focus of this appendix is report 
log files. For information on debug log files see Debug Log File.
The report log file contains feature usage information and is generated by the vendor daemon. However, 
a vendor daemon does not write report logs by default; this action must be enabled. The data in report 
logs is compressed, authenticated, and organized into a repository.
Use Acresso Software’s software license administration solution, FLEXnet Manager, to gain exceptional 
visibility into license usage data and to create insightful reports on critical information like license 
availability and usage. FLEXnet Manager can be fully automated to run these reports on schedule and 
can be used to track license servers and usage across a heterogeneous network of server including 
Windows NT, Linux and UNIX. Contact Acresso Software at www.acresso.com for more details on how 
to obtain an evaluation copy of FLEXnet Manager for your enterprise.
Managing Report Log Output
As a vendor daemon runs for a period of time, the volume of report log output increases. If you have a lot 
of license activity, these log files grow very large. You need to consider where to put these files and how 
often to rotate and archive them. Therefore, it may be necessary to rotate or switch report log output into 
different files over time, each file containing license activity over a particular period of time. 
Report log data is collected by the vendor daemon into an internal data buffer area before being flushed 
to the output file. The daemon’s internal buffer is flushed once a minute or whenever it gets full, 
whichever occurs first. To ensure the freshest data possible in the report log file, flush the buffer on 
demand with the lmreread command. Use standard file compression tools to reduce the size of a report 
log file when it is no longer being written. 
To avoid corruption and for performance, it is suggested that the vendor daemon write its report log to a 
file on a disk local to the system running the vendor daemon. Each vendor daemon must write to its own 
report log file.
150 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 16: Report Log File
Enabling Report Log Output for a Vendor Daemon
Enabling Report Log Output for a Vendor Daemon
There are two ways to enable report logging for a particular vendor daemon either before or after 
starting the license server.
• Add the REPORTLOG line to the options file for that vendor daemon. See REPORTLOG for more 
details.
• Invoke lmswitchr on the vendor daemon. See lmswitchr for more details.
Redirecting Report Log Output for a Vendor 
Daemon
The report log output for a particular vendor daemon can be moved into separate files, each file 
representing activity over a different period of time. There are three ways in which to do this whether the 
vendor daemon is running or not:
• Change the REPORTLOG line in the vendor daemon’s options file and reread its options file by 
invoking lmreread (version 8.0 or later vendor daemon) or restart.
• Invoke lmswitchr on the vendor daemon. See lmswitchr for more details.
• Invoke lmnewlog on the vendor daemon. Requires a version 7.1 or later vendor daemon. See 
lmnewlog for more details.
17
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 151
Debug Log File
The license server produces both debug log files and report log files. For information on report log files, 
see Report Log File.
A debug log file contains status and error messages useful for debugging the license server. A license 
server always generates debug log output. Some of the debug log output describes events specific to 
lmadmin or lmgrd and some of the debug log output describes events specific to each vendor daemon. 
Managing Debug Log Output
As the license server manager and its vendor daemons run for a period of time, the volume of this output 
increases. As it gets older, the value of the debug log output decreases; therefore, it may be necessary for 
you to separate old debug log output from current output; either archive or delete the old output.
For performance, it is suggested that each debug log file be on a disk that is local to the system that is 
running the license server manager and its vendor daemons. However, if the debug log file must be on 
a remotely-mounted disk and you find that the license server is too slow, start lmgrd with the -nfs_log 
option to improve performance.
See Debug Log Messages for a description of the debug log output format.
Capturing Debug Log Output for a License Server
If you are using lmadmin as your license server manager, separate log files are created for lmadmin and 
each vendor daemon that it manages. The log files are written to the /logs directory.
By default, lmgrd and the vendor daemons it manages write debug log output to standard out. To put this 
debug log output in a file, either redirect the output of the license server to a file or start lmgrd with the
 -l debug_log_path option.
152 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 17: Debug Log File
Debug Log Messages
Capturing Debug Log Output for a Particular Vendor Daemon
The debug log output from different vendor daemons controlled by the same license server can be 
written to their own files (version 8.0 and later vendor daemon). There are three ways to do this:
• If you are using lmadmin as your license server manager, you configure the location and file name 
directly in the GUI from the Vendor Daemon Configuration screen. See on-line help for information 
on Vendor Daemon Log.
• Add the DEBUGLOG line to the options file for each vendor daemon. See DEBUGLOG for more 
details.
• Invoke lmswitch on the vendor daemon. See lmswitch for more details.
Note that lmgrd writes its own debug log output to standard out.
Redirecting Debug Log Output for a Running Vendor Daemon
It is possible to redirect the debug log output for a particular vendor daemon to a different file. There are 
two ways to do this:
• Change the DEBUGLOG line to the options file for the vendor daemon and reread its options file by 
invoking lmreread. See DEBUGLOG for more details.
• Invoke lmswitch on the vendor daemon. See lmswitch for more details.
Limiting Debug Log Output for a Vendor Daemon
By default, debug log output contains all events. To limit the events that are logged for a particular 
vendor daemon, add a NOLOG line to the options file of that vendor daemon. One of the reasons you 
may want to limit the events that are logged is to reduce the size of the debug log output.
See Also
NOLOG
Debug Log Messages
FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit processes generate debug log files in the following format:
hh:mm:ss (daemon) message
where:
Table 17-1: Debug Log Messages
Message Description
hh:mm:ss Time that the message was logged.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 153
Chapter 17: Debug Log File
Debug Log Messages
The debug log files can be used to:
• Diagnose configuration problems
• Diagnose daemon software errors
Note: A debug log file cannot be used for usage reporting with FLEXnet Manager.
Informational Messages
Table 17-2 lists the various informational messages used within FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit.
daemon Either lmadmin, lmgrd or the vendor daemon name. In the case where a single copy of 
the daemon cannot handle all of the requested licenses, an optional “_” followed by a 
number indicates that this message comes from a forked daemon.
message The text of the message.
Table 17-2: Information Messages
Message Description
Connected to host This daemon is connected to its peer on host.
CONNECTED, master is host The license daemons log this message when a quorum is up and 
everyone has selected a master.
DENIED: num_lic feature to user user was denied access to num_lic licenses of feature.   
EXITING DUE TO SIGNAL nnn
EXITING with code nnn
All daemons list the reason that the daemon has exited. 
EXPIRED: feature feature has passed its expiration date.
IN: “feature” user (num_lic licenses) user has checked in num_lic licenses of feature.
Lost connection to host A daemon can no longer communicate with its peer on node host, which 
can cause the clients to have to reconnect, or cause the number of 
daemons to go below the minimum number, in which case clients may 
start exiting. If the license daemons lose the connection to the master, 
they kill all the vendor daemons; vendor daemons shut themselves down.
Lost quorum The daemon lost quorum, so it processes only connection requests from 
other daemons.
MULTIPLE vendor servers running. Kill 
and restart license daemon.
The license server manager has detected that multiple vendor daemons 
with the same vendor name are running. Shutdown lmadmin or lmgrd 
and all vendor daemons and then restart lmadmin or lmgrd.
Table 17-1: Debug Log Messages
Message Description
154 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 17: Debug Log File
Debug Log Messages
Configuration Problem Messages
Table 17-3 lists configuration problem messages found in FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit.
OUT: feature user (num_lic licenses) user has checked out num_lic licenses of feature.
RESERVE feature for USER user
RESERVE feature for HOST host
A license of feature is reserved for either user or host.
REStarted vendor (internet port nnn) Vendor daemon vendor was restarted at TCP/IP port nnn.
Retrying socket bind (address in use) The license servers try to bind their sockets for approximately six 
minutes if they detect “address in use” errors.
Selected (EXISTING) master host. This license daemon has selected an existing master host as the 
master.
SERVER shutdown requested. A daemon was requested to shut down via a user-generated kill 
command.
Server started on host for: feature_list A (possibly new) server was started for the features listed.
Shutting down vendor The license server manager is shutting down the vendor daemon 
vendor.
SIGCHLD received. Killing child servers. A vendor daemon logs this message when a shutdown was requested by 
the license daemon.
Started vendor The license server manager logs this message whenever it starts a new 
vendor daemon.
Trying to connect to host The daemon is attempting a connection to host.
Table 17-3: Configuration Problem Messages
Message Description
host: Not a valid server host, 
exiting
This daemon was run on an invalid host name.
host: Wrong hostid, exiting The hostid is wrong for host.
BAD CODE for feature The specified feature name has a bad license key or signature. It was probably 
typed in wrong, or modified by the end user.
CANNOT OPEN options file The options file specified in the license file could not be opened.
Couldn’t find a master The daemons could not agree on a master.
License daemon: lost all 
connections
This message is logged when all the connections to a server are lost, which 
often indicates a network problem.
Table 17-2: Information Messages
Message Description
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 155
Chapter 17: Debug Log File
Debug Log Messages
Daemon Software Error Messages
Table 17-4 lists various daemon software error messages:
Lost lock, exiting
Error closing lock file
Unable to re-open lock file
The vendor daemon has a problem with its lock file, usually because of an 
attempt to run more than one copy of the daemon on a single node. Locate the 
other daemon that is running via a ps command, and kill it with kill -9.
No DAEMON line for vendor The license file does not contain a DAEMON or VENDOR line for vendor.
No DAEMON lines, exiting The license daemon logs this message if there are no DAEMON or VENDOR 
lines in the license file. Because there are no vendor daemons to start, there is 
nothing for the license daemon to do.
No features to serve! A vendor daemon found no features to serve. This could be caused by a 
corrupted or incorrectly entered license file.
UNSUPPORTED FEATURE request: 
feature by user
The user has requested a feature that this vendor daemon does not support. 
This can happen for a number of reasons: the license file is bad, the feature has 
expired, or the daemon is accessing the wrong license file.
Unknown host: host The host name specified on a SERVER line in the license file does not exist in 
the network database (probably /etc/hosts).
Table 17-4: Daemon Software Error Messages
Message Description
accept: message An error was detected in the accept system call.
Can’t allocate server table space A malloc error. Check swap space.
Connection to host TIMED OUT The daemon could not connect to host.
Illegal connection request to 
vendor
A connection request was made to vendor, but this vendor daemon is not 
vendor.
read: error message An error in a “read” system call was detected.
select: message An error in a “select” system call was detected. This is usually a sign of a 
system networking failure.
Server exiting The server is exiting. This is normally due to an error.
Table 17-3: Configuration Problem Messages
Message Description
156 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 17: Debug Log File
Debug Log Messages
18
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 157
Identifying FLEXnet Licensing 
Versions
Version Compatibility between Components
In general, always use the latest version of lmadmin, lmgrd and lmutil/lmtools, all of which are available 
from www.acresso.com, and you will automatically enjoy many of the enhancements available in the 
most recent versions of FLEXnet licensing. However, some enhancements require a vendor daemon 
built with a newer version of FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit, and yet others require a 
FLEXenabled application built with a newer version of FLEXnet Publisher Licensing Toolkit. Contact 
your software publisher for the latest version of their vendor daemon. 
The rules about FLEXnet licensing component version compatibility are summarized as:
• Version of lmutil/lmtools must be >=
• Version of lmadmin  (see note) or lmgrd, which must be >=
• Version of vendor daemon, which must be >=
• Version of the client library linked to the FLEXenabled application, which must be >=
• Version of license file format
Except for the license file, use lmver to discover the version of all these components. For the vendor 
daemon, lmgrd, and lmutil, you can also use the -v argument to print the version. 
Note: lmadmin can only be used with components with a version of 9.2 or higher.
158 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 18: Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions
Determining the License File Version
Determining the License File Version
The following rules apply to individual FEATURE, INCREMENT or UPGRADE lines. It is possible to 
have a mix of versions in a single file. Only the features that a particular application checks out 
determine the version of the license for that feature.
Version Summary
Version 1.0—1988
First FLEXlm Release, containing all the basic FLEXlm features
Version 1.5—February 1990
First widely used version including DEMO
Version 2.1—March 1991
• Improved TIMEOUT support
• Improved ethernet hostid support
Version 2.21—November 1991
• Added support for many platforms and some platform-specific improvements, such as hostid
• Hostid ANY added
Table 18-1: Determining the License File Version
Version Description
Version 2 Blank quotes or a quoted string at the end of the FEATURE line.
>= Version 3 INCREMENT or UPGRADE line.
>= Version 4 OVERDRAFT, DUP_GROUP, INTERNET, or PACKAGE appear.
>= Version 5 SUPERSEDE, ISSUED, USER_BASED, HOST_BASED, or SN appear.
>= Version 6 START appears.
>= Version 7.1 SIGN= keyword appears.
>= Version 8.0 BORROW, FLOAT_OK, and TS_OK appear.
>= Version 8.1 SUITE_RESERVED appears.
>= Version 8.4 COMPOSITE appears.
>= Version 11.5 ONE_TS_OK and SUPERSEDE_SIGN appear.
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 159
Chapter 18: Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions
Version Summary
Version 2.26—March 1992 (Used only by Sun)
• Added license lingering
Version 2.4—December 1992
• Added use-all-feature-lines capability for incremental license distribution
• Enhanced vendor customization routines
• Enhanced options file
• Added new hostid types: USER, HOSTNAME, and DISPLAY
• Added port@host to locate license file —downloads license file from server
Version 2.61—March 1993 (Used only by Sun)
• Added INCREMENT and UPGRADE lines to license file
Version 3.0—May 1994 
• INCREMENT and UPGRADE behavior changed and improved
• Added UDP protocol support
• Added uname -i hostid for HP
• Added multiple jobs for enhanced support of LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable as a license 
search path
• New, optional license file format with keyword=value syntax for optional new features, including: 
asset_info, ISSUER, and NOTICE, “ \ ” license file continuation character, 2,048 character limit per 
feature
Version 4.0—December 1994
• Removed use of floating point, for enhanced reliability
• FEATURE line additions: ck, OVERDRAFT, DUP_GROUP, INTERNET hostid
• PACKAGE line
• License Finder
• lmdiag and FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS for diagnostics
Version 4.1—May 1995
• Performance improvements and new platform support
Version 4.1—Patch Release 6, October 1995
• Windows patch release for Windows 95 with various performance improvements
160 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 18: Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions
Version Summary
Version 5.0—March 1996
• Improved port@host behavior—FLEXenabled application doesn’t read license file
• Automatic port@host via USE_SERVER line in license file
• Hostid lists—lock a feature to several hostids
• New FEATURE attributes: SN (serial number), USER_BASED, HOST_BASED, MINIMUM, 
SUPERSEDE, ISSUED (issued date), CAPACITY (charging based on system capacity)
• Optional avoidance of NIS and DNS via IP address instead of host name
• Improved report log file format
• Server, upon startup, notifies of licenses that expire within two weeks
• Improved options file functionality
Version 5.11—February 1997
• SUPERSEDE lists, PLATFORMS= license attribute,
• new options: MAX, TIMEOUTALL
• Windows control panel added 
• Windows license generator GENLIC added
Version 5.12—April 1997
• Performance improvements and new platform support
Version 6.0—September 1997
• lmgrd can read multiple license files
• FLEXlm license directory support: *.lic automatically used
• License files require no editing for use at the site
• Optional path on DAEMON/VENDOR line; $PATH environment variable used
• Decimal license format, with lminstall utility for typing in licenses
• FEATURE lines are shorter, easier to understand and type in
• PACKAGE lines can be shipped in separate files that never require user editing
• Default TCP/IP port numbers make SERVER line port number optional
• Default options file path
• this_host host name supported on SERVER line
• VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE supported (for example, DEMO_LICENSE_FILE)
• @host supported where default port numbers are used
• Windows only: user prompted for license file or license server name
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 161
Chapter 18: Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions
Version Summary
• License files are optionally case insensitive
• lmdown and lmreread accept -vendor vendor argument
• START=dd-mmm-yyyy optional license attribute
Version 6.1—June 1998
• Performance improvements
Version 7.0—August 1999
• License Certificate Manager support for automatic license fulfillment
• Support for try-before-you-buy licensing
• License file handles inserted new lines from emailers
• License lines automatically optimally sorted
• Improved lmtools interface for Windows
• lmgrd, when run at command line on Windows, runs in background by default
• Improved three-server redundancy reliability (version 7.0 vendor daemon and lmgrd)
• lmreread and lmdown take -all argument to shut down or reread all lmgrds
• Support registry (Windows) and $HOME/.flexlmrc (UNIX) for FLEXlm environment variables
• Automatically install license path in registry or $HOME/.flexlmrc after successful checkout
• Options support for LM_PROJECT with PROJECT
• Performance improvements, especially for Windows NT
• Intel Pentium III CPU-ID (version 7.0d or later, November 1999)
Version 7.1—August 2000
• Security enhancements 
• SIGN= keyword in license 
• lmnewlog utility (version 7.0d or later vendor daemon)
Version 7.2—December 2000
• Performance enhancements 
Version 8.0—October 2001
• lmborrow (version 8.0 or later components), lmpath (version 8.0 or later vendor daemon), lmswitch 
(version 8.0 or later vendor daemon) utilities
• lmreread rereads options file and SERVER host name 
• License borrowing with BORROW keyword 
162 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 18: Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions
Version Summary
Version 8.1—January 2002
• CRO Security enhancements
Version 8.2—August 2002
• Support added for Windows XP compliancy
Version 8.3—October 2002
• Support added for returning borrowed licenses early
Version 8.4—January 2003
• Support for reserved package suites
Version 9.0—March 2003
• Support for COMPOSITE= hostid type
Version 9.2—July 2003
• Options file keywords added: GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE and MAX_BORROW_HOURS
Version 9.5—November 2004
• New environment variable: LM_UTIL_CASE_SENSITIVE
Version 10.0—April 2004
• Released as FLEXnet Licensing
• Support for fully qualified domain names
Version 10.1—November 2004
• Additional FLEXid driver support for USB dongles
Version 10.8—April 2005
• IPv6 address support for hostids
• Enhanced three-server redundant configuration support
• Support for common vendor daemons
Version 11.1—November 2005
• Support for license rights in trusted storage
• IPv6 support for hostids reverted in this release
Version 11.5
• Support new attribute for the NOLOG Option keyword
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 163
Chapter 18: Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions
Version Summary
• IPv6 support
• New error codes
• New feature definition line keywords–ONE_TS_OK and SUPERSEDE_SIGN
Version 11.6
• New license server manager, lmadmin, which requires components with a minimum version of 9.2.
• Support for multiple ethernet hostids on Linux platforms.
Version 11.6.1
• Queuing of license requests when MAX as defined in the option file is exceeded. Note that queuing 
must be configured in the FLEXenabled application.
164 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
Chapter 18: Identifying FLEXnet Licensing Versions
Version Summary
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 165
Index
A
ANY hostid 109
asset_info 82
AUTH 80, 84
B
BORROW_LOWWATER 119
borrowing 91
C
COMPOSITE
hostid 109
concurrent license 87
Contacting Acresso Software 2
converting license formats 51
creating options file 116
D
debugging license server 111
DEBUGLOG 120
decimal format licenses 51
DEMO hostid 109
diagnosing checkout problems
troubleshooting checkouts 47
disabling
lmdown 32, 36
lmremove 32, 36
DISPLAY
hostid 109
type 119
dist_info 82
DUP_GROUP 80
E
enabling report log 130
environment variables
FLEXLM_BATCH 138
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS 138
FLEXLM_TIMEOUT 138
LM_BORROW 138
LM_LICENSE_FILE 138
LM_PROJECT 138
LM_SERVER_HIGHEST_FD 138
setting 137
VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE 138
error code
descriptions 140
format 139
EXCLUDE 120
EXCLUDE_BORROW 121
EXCLUDEALL 122
expiration date 79
Index
166 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
F
feature
version 79
FEATURE line 79
asset_info 82
AUTH 80
dist_info 82
DUP_GROUP 80
expiration date 79
feature version 79
FLOAT_OK 80
HOST_BASED 81
HOSTID 81
ISSUED 81
ISSUER 81
license count 80
NOTICE 81
ONE_TS_OK 81
order of precedence 82
OVERDRAFT 81
PLATFORMS 81
serial number 81
SIGN 80
signature 80
SN 81
sort 82
sorting order 82
START 81
SUITE_DUP_GROUP 81
SUPERSEDE 81
syntax 83
TS_OK 81
USER_BASED 81
user_info 82
vendor daemon name 79
vendor_info 82
VENDOR_STRING 81
FLEXlm License Finder 70
FLEXLM_BATCH 138
FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS 112
level 1 112
level 2 112
level 3 113
FLEXLM_TIMEOUT 138
FLEXnet Manager 130
FLEXnetID with FLOAT_OK 89
FLOAT_OK 80
floating license 87
G
GROUP type 124
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE 125
H
HOST type 118
host, SERVER line 76
HOST_BASED 81
HOST_GROUP type 125
HOSTID 81
hostid
ANY 109
COMPOSITE 109
DEMO 109
DISPLAY 109
HOSTNAME 109
ID 109
INTERNET 109
SERVER line 76
special 109
USER 109
HOSTNAME hostid 109
I
ID hostid 109
INCLUDE 125
INCLUDE_BORROW 126
INCLUDEALL 127
INCREMENT line 79
INTERNET
hostid 109
type 119
IPv6
support overview 61
ISSUED 81
ISSUER 81
Index
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 167
L
license
borrowing 91
concurrent 87
floating 87
mixed 88
network license 87
node-locked 87
license count 80
license directory 37–38
license file
compatibility between different versions 105
decimal format 85
FEATURE line 79
format 75
how to combine 104
INCREMENT line 79
lminstall 51
order of lines 86, 88
PACKAGE line 83
rereading after an update 54
SERVER lines 105
specifying for license server 32, 35
specifying location 73
types 87
UPGRADE line 85
USE_SERVER line 78
VENDOR line 77
with multiple servers 36
License Finder 70
license pool 79, 117
license rehosting 89
license search path 102
license server 15, 35
alerts 15
debugging 111
disk space used 12
install as service 18, 25
install as Windows service 25, 60
license rights 15
lmadmin 15
run in foreground 32
lmgrd 35
run in foreground 36
sockets used 11
specifying license files 32, 35
starting
lmadmin 18, 25
lmgrd 37
license server debug log
lmadmin 32
starting for lmgrd 36
license server manager 15, 35
LINGER 128
LM_BORROW 138
LM_LICENSE_FILE 138
LM_PROJECT 138
reporting on project 131
use in options file 119
LM_SERVER_HIGHEST_FD 138
lmadmin 15
installing 17
license server manager not starting 21
starting 18, 25
manually 20
stopping 16, 22, 33
upgrading 19
lmdiag
syntax 47
troubleshooting 47
lmdown
disabling 32, 36
enabling for use with lmadmin 33
restricting access 32, 36
syntax 48
lmgrd
and redundant servers 36
compatibility between versions 35
debug log file 153
shutting down 48
starting 35, 37
starting debug log 36
syntax 35
use latest 157
lmhostid
syntax 49
lmhostid, syntax 49
lminstall
license file format 51
syntax 51
lmnewlog, syntax 51
lmremove
disabling 32, 36
Index
168 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
enabling 34
restricting access 32, 36
syntax 53
lmreread
restricting access 32, 36
syntax 54
lmstat
output for lmreread 55
syntax 55
lmswitch, syntax 57
lmswitchr, syntax 58
lmtools 59
lmutil
lmdiag 47
lmdown 48
lmhostid 49
lminstall 51
lmnewlog 51
lmremove 53
lmreread 54
lmstat 55
lmswitch 57
lmswitchr 58
lmver 59
lmver, syntax 59
M
MAX 128
MAX_BORROW_HOURS 129
MAX_OVERDRAFT 129
memory usage, daemons 12
mixed licenses 88
mobile licensing
borrowing 91
FLEXnetID with FLOAT_OK 89
node-locked to FLEXid 89
node-locked to laptop 89
node-locked to user name 95
prepaid license pool fulfillment 95
N
network bandwidth and FLEXnet Publisher 12
network license 87
node-locked license 87
NOLOG 130
NOTICE 81
O
ONE_TS_OK 81
options file
BORROW_LOWWATER 119
creating 116
DEBUGLOG 120
DISPLAY type 119
examples 133
EXCLUDE 120
EXCLUDE_BORROW 121
EXCLUDEALL 122
GROUP type 124
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE 125
HOST type 118
HOST_GROUP type 125
INCLUDE 125
INCLUDE_BORROW 126
INCLUDEALL 127
INTERNET type 119
LINGER 128
MAX 128
MAX_BORROW_HOURS 129
MAX_OVERDRAFT 129
NOLOG 130
PROJECT type 119
read by vendor daemon 133
REPORTLOG 130
required for HOST_BASED 81
required for USER_BASED 81
RESERVE 131
rules of precedence 133
TIMEOUT 132
TIMEOUTALL 132
type argument 118
USER type 118
options file path 78
OPTIONS=SUITE 84
OPTIONS=SUITE_RESERVED 84
order of lines in license file 86, 88
OVERDRAFT 81
Index
License Administration Guide FNP-1161-LA01 169
P
PACKAGE line 83
AUTH 84
OPTIONS=SUITE 84
OPTIONS=SUITE_RESERVED 84
SIGN 84
signature 84
syntax 84
package suite 84
PLATFORMS 81
port number
server default range 77
SERVER line 77
VENDOR line 78
precedence or FEATURE lines 82
PROJECT type 119
R
rehosting, license 89
remote disks, guidelines for using 13
report log file 12
reporting on project 131
REPORTLOG 130
RESERVE 131
restricting access
lmdown 32, 36
lmremove 32, 36
lmreread 32, 36
S
SERVER line 76
combining license files 105
default port numbers 77
host 76
hostid 76
port number 77
syntax 76
three-server redundancy 76
setting environment variables 137
SIGN 80, 84
signature 80, 84
SN 81
sockets
number used by license server 11
sort 82
specifying location of license file 73
START 81
starting lmadmin 18, 25
starting lmgrd 37
status of license server 55
SUITE_DUP_GROUP 81
SUPERSEDE 81
switching debug log
lmswitch 57
switching report log
lmadmin 33
lmnewlog 51
lmswitchr 58
T
three-server redundancy
separate license files 36
SERVER lines 76
TIMEOUT 132
TIMEOUTALL 132
troubleshooting
with FLEXLM_DIAGNOSTICS 112
with lmdiag 47
TS_OK 81
U
UPGRADE line, syntax 85
USE_SERVER line 78
USER hostid 109
USER type 118
USER_BASED 81
user_info 82
V
vendor daemon
and redundant servers 36
debug log file 153
lmnewlog 52
lmreread 54
lmswitchr 58
memory usage 12
Index
170 FNP-1161-LA01 License Administration Guide
options file 116
report log 33
uncounted licenses 88
VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE 138
version compatibility 35
vendor daemon name
FEATURE line 79
VENDOR line 78
vendor daemon path 78
VENDOR line 77
options file path 78
port number 78
vendor daemon name 78
vendor daemon path 78
vendor.opt 78, 116
vendor_info 82
VENDOR_LICENSE_FILE 75, 138
VENDOR_STRING 81
Vista 59, 137