392335
How to Obtain the Host Name and Host ID of Your Computer
THIS INFORMATION ONLY PERTAINS TO SOFTWARE VERSIONS IDL 8.5, ENVI 5.3 AND PRIOR
Topic
When creating a new license file via the web licensing portal, users are asked to input the Host Name and Host ID of the computer being licensed. This help article discusses some common methods for obtaining this information from the computer. If ENVI or IDL is already installed on the computer, our software can be used to obtain this information by following the instructions below. This is the recommended method for obtaining the Host Name and Host ID information. If ENVI or IDL is not yet installed on the computer, please scroll down to view some common methods for finding this information without the use of our software.
About the Host Name
The Host Name (or hostname) of a computer is a label assigned to the machine that is designed to distinguish it from other devices connected to a network. It is often a human-readable nickname that corresponds to the IP Address of the computer.
About the Host ID
The Host ID (or hostid) of a computer is the unique identifier used by the ENVI and IDL licensing software to tie a license to a particular computer. It is most commonly a 12-digit alphanumeric string. The Host ID is actually the physical address, also known as the MAC address, of one of the hardware components of the machine. Computers often have several physical addresses associated with various hardware components. The recommended method for obtaining the Host ID of a computer is to use our software. This will ensure that the physical address referenced in the license file is the same physical address that our software will be referencing when an ENVI or IDL session is launched. If other methods are used to obtain the Host ID, please be sure toremove any dashes, spaces, or colons that may exist between the letters and numbers of the alphanumeric string. When copying and pasting the Host ID information into the web licensing portal, it is common for spaces before or after the Host ID to carry over. In the web licensing portal, please be sure that no spaces exist before or after the 12-digit string.
Server-Based Licenses
If you are licensing a server-based license, the Host Name and Host ID returned by these methods can be used to populate the Server Name and Server ID fields in the web licensing portal.
Obtaining the Host Name and Host ID if ENVI or IDL is already installed on the computer:
Windows OS
Open the License Wizard (Start > All Programs > ENVI 5.x (or IDL 8.x) > Tools > License Wizard)
When the License Wizard opens, select the radio button to "Request a license if you don't have internet access"
When you click "Next", a small text file will be generated which contains the Host Name and Host ID information for your computer. For the Host ID, there are sometimes several sets of 12-digit alphanumeric strings listed, which are each separated by a small space (each 12-digit string represents a physical address for a component of your computer). FROM THIS OUTPUT, USE ONLY ONE 12-DIGIT STRING AS YOUR COMPUTER'S HOST ID.
Mac OS X
Open an X11 or XQuartz Terminal Window
Issue the following commands:
cd /Applications/exelis/idl82/bin
The "hostname" command will return the Host Name for the computer. The ".lmhostid" command will return the Host ID of the computer. An alternative to this method would be to use the License Wizard that comes packaged with ENVI and IDL. If using the License Wizard, please follow along with the instructions described for Windows OS. On Mac OS X, the License Wizard can be found by navigating to 'Applications > exelis > envi5x (or idl8x) > License Wizard'.
Linux OS
Open a Terminal Window
Issue the following commands:
cd /usr/local/exelis/idl82/bin
The "./lmhostid -hostname" command will return the Host Name for the machine. The "./lmhostid" command will return the Flexnet Host ID for the machine. These values can be copied into the appropriate fields in the web licensing portal.
Obtaining the Host Name and Host ID if ENVI or IDL is not installed on the computer:
Windows OS
Open a Command Prompt (Start > All Programs >Accessories > Command Prompt)
Issue the following commands:
The "hostname" command will return the Host Name for the machine. The "getmac" command will return a list of physical addresses for your machine. You can use any physical address that is listed as the Host ID for the machine. IF YOU USE THIS METHOD TO OBTAIN THE HOST ID, PLEASE BE SURE TO REMOVE THE DASHES BETWEEN THE 12 DIGITS OF THE ALPHANUMERIC STRING.
MAC OS X
Open an X11, XQuartz, or Apple Terminal Window
Issue the following commands:
The "hostname" command will return the Host Name of the machine. The "ifconfig" command will output a variety of information about the machine. You are interested in the physical address associated with "en0". This may be listed as "ether"or "wifi", depending on your machine configuration. IF YOU USE THIS METHOD TO OBTAIN THE HOST ID, PLEASE BE SURE TO REMOVE THE COLONS BETWEEN THE 12 DIGITS OF THE ALPHANUMERIC STRING.
Linux OS
Open a Terminal Window
Issue the following commands:
The "hostname" command will return the Host Name of the machine. The "ifconfig" command will output a variety of information about the machine. For ENVI version 4.8 and IDL 8.0 and up, the hardware address of either "eth0" or "eth1" can be used for the Host ID. For versions prior to ENVI 4.8 and IDL 8.0, only "eth0" can be used for the Host ID. IF YOU USE THIS METHOD TO OBTAIN THE HOST ID, PLEASE BE SURE TO REMOVE THE COLONS BETWEEN THE 12 DIGITS OF THE ALPHANUMERIC STRING.
Related Help Articles
List of Flexnet Error Codes
Solution for "Hostid 000000000000" on Red Hat 6 and Fedora 15