Internal: IDL 8.x server based license file format needs latest Exelis VIS license manager
Since the launch of IDL 8.0, Exelis VIS uses a new format in their licenses.
For licensing Exelis VIS products with non-server based licenses (e.g. default Windows Node Locked licenses and Flexible Single User or FSU licenses) all that is required is the correct version of the license file certificate.
For licensing Exelis VIS products with server based licenses the user will need both, a correct version of the license file certificate as well as executing the license manager binaries for that version of the Exelis VIS product or later.
This article discusses this new format and some common problems related with this change.
New Format
The new licenses use a new text format. The following is a comparison of a section between a pre- IDL 8.x license file and a post-IDL 8.x license file:
pre-IDL 8.x:
INCREMENT idl idl_lmgrd 6.400 1-jan-0000 0 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX \
VENDOR_STRING="501572-TEST-2TEST COMPANY" \
HOSTID=123abc123 PLATFORMS="i86_n x64_n" ck=67
post-IDL 8.x
INCREMENT idl idl_lmgrd 8.000 1-jan-0000 uncounted XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX \
VENDOR_STRING="232435-1TEST COMPANY" \
HOSTID=123abc123 PLATFORMS="i86_n x64_n" ck=101 SIGN="1234 \
5678 9101 1121 3141 1516 ABCD EFGH IJKL MNOP QRST UVWX YZ01 \
1234 5555 9999 1121 3333 5555 7777 9999 1222 33333 2222 2222 \
4444 3333"
Non-server based licenses
Non-server based Exelis VIS licenses, like default Windows Node Locked (SN) licenses and Flexible Single User (FSU) licenses which don't need to communicate with a license manager service to function, will continue to work with any current and older version of the software.
Server-based licenses
Server-based licenses, Floating Licenses (FL) for example, require you to install a License Manager Service. Due to the changes in the actual license file explained above, it will be necessary to use the latest version of the vendor daemon and license manager (lmgrd).
Exelis VIS uses Flexnet Publisher to license its software product. IDL 8.0 ships with the following version FLEXnet Publisher components:
lmgrd v11.6.0
idl_lmgrd v11.6.0 (this version of the idl_lmgrd must come from an IDL 8.0 based installation)
It will be necessary to use these or a higher version of the binary files when using license files that contain this new format. Note also that the Flexnet Publisher version of the lmgrd must have the same or higher version as the idl_lmgrd.
Common potential problems
The following two scenarios may occur:
(1) A new license file is used with an old version of the license manager. The license manager (lmgrd) will fail to start and the startup error will show the following line:
"Invalid License Key"
Then , attempting to start IDL will show the following error message:
% LICENSE MANAGER: Cannot connect to license server system.
The license server manager (lmgrd) has not been started yet,
the wrong port@host or license file is being used, or the
port or hostname in the license file has been changed.
(2) An old license file (i.e a license that has not been rebuilt to accommodate the new format) with a new or old license manager and then starting IDL 8.0. In this case the error message from IDL is the following:
% LICENSE MANAGER: SIGN= keyword required but missing from the license certificate.
This is probably because the license is older than the application
You need to obtain a SIGN= version of this license from your vendor.
Feature: idl
This means that the license has to be rebuilt to include the new license format.
Note: Replacing the license manager
If the license manager is replaced by the current version of the license manager, then the license administrator will need to be sure that the license manager has been stopped and re-started before using the IDL software.
References
Installation and Licensing Frequently Asked Questions:
http://harrisgeospatial.com/Support/SelfHelpTools/HelpArticles/HelpArticles-Detail/TabId/2718/ArtMID/10220/ArticleID/15162/Download--License-Center-FAQ.aspx