licensing documentation - thinkbox · 2017-07-04 · licensing documentation, release 1.4.0...

Licensing DocumentationRelease 1.4.0

Thinkbox Software

December 14, 2015

CONTENTS

1 Getting Started 11.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 What License Do I Need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 License Server Host Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2 Installation 32.1 How to install the License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.2 Change the Hostname in License File: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.3 How to upgrade your license file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.4 Restarting the license server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3 Errors 93.1 How to find your License error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.2 Diagnosing and resolving the License error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113.3 Other Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4 Configuration 294.1 Default Configuration and Location of Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294.2 Setting License Server Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294.3 The Options File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304.4 Setting up Licensing Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314.5 Trouble shooting firewalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344.6 Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

i

CHAPTER

ONE

GETTING STARTED

1.1 Introduction

The following is meant as a self-service guide for installing and troubleshooting Thinkbox’s licens-ing tools. It contains information on; collecting server information needed for license generation,steps on how to install the license service, and information on diagnosing the common problemsfound during setup. This documentation is written for FlexLM 11.10 and later.

If at any point you find inconsistencies with the documentation please contact us in ThinkboxSupport, we work hard to continually improve our documentation for future users.

1.2 What License Do I Need?

We provide two different types of licenses. One type is referred to as ‘node locked’ which can onlybe tied to a single computer. The other type is known as a ‘floating’ license and while it’s hostedfrom one machine, many can borrow from there.

Asking about your options before you get a license to cater to your needs might make things easieror more flexible for you.

1.2.1 Node locked

Node locked licenses are the easiest to use as they don’t require a server. Instead, they are tied toa network card in the workstation the license is written for. This type of license is great for our 3Dtools such as Krakatoa or Frost if they are only ever going to be used by one person on that onemachine.

It’s also possible for us to tie the license file to a USB network device. In that case, it will besimilar to a license dongle, though you will need to copy the license file itself to the machines youwill be using. When our software starts, it will look for that device and the license will be active.

1

mailto:[email protected]


Licensing Documentation, Release 1.4.0

1.2.2 Floating

These licenses are slightly more complex to use, but perfect for studios where different peoplemight need to share our software. Here you will need to install the license server, and it will beresponsible for temporarily handing out licenses to users. We only provide this type of license forDeadline because the overhead of maintaining a farm file-by-file would be too high for both youand our sales staff. You should choose a machine that will always be available to everyone, so aserver is a good choice. Hardware requirements are very low, meaning it should run great fromanywhere.

With floating licenses, you will still need to configure the client software (Frost, Krakatoa, Dead-line), but in this case it’s to use the server machine. It’s not too complex, and we have lots of greatdocs and people to help you with it.

1.2.3 Switching options

Normally we don’t swap between node locked and floating (you can always ask), so it’s best tomake that choice during your trial period. As a good rule of thumb, if you’re a freelancer with aprimary work machine, node-locked licenses are going to be your best bet. If you work with a fewfolks and have enough IT skills to handle licenses, one that’s floating is going to suit you perfectly.We’re always open to having a conversation too if you’re ever not sure.

1.3 License Server Host Information

Our licensing tools use a computer’s host name and Ethernet MAC address to match licenses toa specific machine. When contacting Sales for new or updated licenses, you will need to providethem with this information.

The way we ask you to get this information is to download the Licensing Information Tools andextract them to an accessible local disk location.

Windows, Macintosh, and Linux tools are all used the same way. Once you have the LicensingInformation Tools downloaded, extract the files within. Double click to execute the file ‘run me’,this will obtain the information required and store it in the file “license_info.txt” onto your currentdesktop. If you are on a linux distribution which has no “~/Desktop” folder, you should find it nextto the ‘runme.sh’ script named “hostinfo.txt”.

Once you have your “license_info.txt” or “hostinfo.txt” file, please email it to the Thinkbox Salesteam and we will be able to create a new license file.

1.3. License Server Host Information 2

http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/license-server-download/license-information-tools/


CHAPTER

TWO

INSTALLATION

2.1 How to install the License Server

With the new license server installers, setting up licensing to work on Windows, Mac and Linuxhas been made even easier. By using the installers, services are created and started automaticallyand correct permissions are set where needed.

Troubleshooting licensing issues will become much easier as well. When the license service startslmgrd, it will now output its log information into a file named “Thinkbox.log” within the installa-tion directory. If you have any issues with licensing, check this log file first. We will be providingsome solutions to common problems in this guide, but do not hesitate to contact us if the possibleproblem is unclear.

Installing new licenses received from Thinkbox Sales or Support can be done by re-running thelicense installer. Since the installer stops and restarts the service, there is nothing more to do than;run the installer application, specify the location of the new license file, and let the installationcomplete.

2.1.1 Pre Install Notes

The installation of licenses will be similar for; Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operating systems,we will make note of any differences below.

During installation a copy of the license file will be added into the license server directory. Thenew file is renamed as “Thinkbox.lic,” because of this it is not required to keep the original licensefile. Although we recommend moving the original license file to a location you can access later, ifany changes need to be made in the future.

If custom ports or other options are required, specify within the license file before running theinstaller. Later, if changes need to be made, you will be editing the license file and then re-installingthe license server.

The install location will include the application files, log, and license file. The location varies peroperating system, see Location of Installed Files for reference.

3

http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/license-server-download/installers/


The lmtools application only exists on Windows, which is used for managing the service.

Windows

On Windows, the installer will create a Windows service and lmtools entry, both named “ThinkboxLicense.” This should make the license server compatible with existing tools.

OSX

We support versions OS X 10.6 and newer. Support for PowerPC is no longer available within thelicense server binaries.

Linux

If running a distribution that does not conform to the Linux Standard Base, such as Debian orUbuntu, you may be required to install the lsb package. For distributions that already conform tothe Linux Standard Base, you should be able to run without additional steps.

At this time, we only provide an executable binary file for installation of the license server. Wehope to make deb and rpm packages available soon to help catch lsb conformance problems.

2.1.2 Removal of Old Installations

If this is the first time the Thinkbox licensing tools have been installed on the current machine, youmay skip this section entirely.

Those who have already set up the license tools to start automatically should remove old installa-tions, as the installer does not check this. Failure to do so will likely result in conflicts between theold and new server. Instructions for removing old installations is in the next section.

Windows

To remove the automatic start configuration; open lmtools, choose the old service under “ConfigServices” tab, select the “Remove” button. Close lmtools, copy any existing license files to a safelocation. Finally, remove the “C:\FLEXnet\” folder to finish the process.

OSX

Since there was no convention for automatically configuring the license server to begin at systemboot time, just remove the the licensing binaries as needed. To make sure the binaries are notin use, force quit the lmgrd process. By convention, the files should be within the hidden folder“/usr/local/Thinkbox/flexnet”.

2.1. How to install the License Server 4


Linux

On Linux, the init script named “thinkboxls”, which is used to start lmgrd, was renamed to“thinkboxlm”. Make a backup of the license file, optionally remove the folder containing thelicense binaries, which will be contained within “/usr/local/Thinkbox/flexnet”.

2.1.3 Graphical Installation of the New Binaries

Installation will be performed the same way across Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operatingsystems.

The only two options that are required during installation will be the destination of the licensebinaries, as well as the location of the license file that will be used.

2.1.4 Text Mode Installation

To install from the command line, specify the location of the license file using the ‘licenseFile’option. If you would like to force text mode, you can use the ‘mode’ option.

The following are examples for each operating system:

Windows

C:\LicenseServer> ThinkboxLicenseServer*.exe --mode text--licenseFile c:\path\license.lic

OSX

$ cd ThinkboxLicenseServer*.app/Contents/MacOS/

$ sudo chmod +x ./osx-intel

$ sudo osx-intel --mode text --licenseFile /path/license.lic

Linux

$ sudo ./ThinkboxLicenseServer*.run --mode text --licenseFile/path/license.lic

2.1. How to install the License Server 5


2.1.5 Manual License Server Installation

We strongly recommend against the manual install method.

For manual installation, the binaries can be downloaded from the License Server Download page.

2.2 Change the Hostname in License File:

First step is to locate Thinkbox_license.lic, see Location of Installed Files for reference.

Right-click the license file, choose Edit or Open With..., and select a text editor you are comfortablewith.

In the license file, to the right of SERVER is your hostname and MAC address, see below:

SERVER hostname-1701E 123456ABCDEF

Edit the file to remove the old hostname and add the new one, don’t forget to save!

Note yes, you can change the hostname but do not change the MAC address. The MAC addressis tied into the rest of the license file. If you change this, the file will no longer be vaild.

2.3 How to upgrade your license file

When upgrading software or going from a temporary to permanent license you will need to upgradeyour license file. You can upgrade the license using the License Server Installer or manually, webreak down both below.

See Location of Installed Files to find where the Thinkbox_License.lic will be stored, based on theoperating system you are running.

2.3.1 License Server Installer

Re-run the installer. The installer will stop the current service, copy the new license file you giveit to replace the old one. Once finished it will restart the service.

2.3.2 Manual Install

Locate the directory the license file is currently stored in, replace the existing file with the newLicense file sent to you by sales or support, and restart the license server. It should be noted westrongly recommend using the license server installer going forward for maximum compatibility.

2.2. Change the Hostname in License File: 6

http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/license-server-download/manual-install-files/



2.4 Restarting the license server

For a variety of reasons you may need to restart the license server on your farm, and may not beable to run the installer again. This will walk you through that process, assuming you have usedour license server installer for your OS.

2.4.1 Windows

To restart the license server on Windows, open LMTools from the install directory, select theThinkbox license server entry

Once chosen, go to the Start/Stop/Reread tab and choose Start Server

If you get an error starting to start the service, try stopping it, waiting to a 5 count, then startingagain. If it still errors, go to Config Services to view the log and see if it has any indicators.

2.4. Restarting the license server 7


2.4.2 Mac OS

Restarting the license server on Mac OS requires the use of the Terminal, where you would typethe following to stop the service

sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.thinkbox.licensing.plist

and then to start it back up use

sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.thinkbox.licensing.plist

We recommend checking the /Applications/Thinkbox/License Server/Thinkbox.log file to verify itstarted as expected.

2.4.3 Linux

A restart of the license server on Linux requires a command line window where you would typethe following to stop the server

sudo service thinkboxls stop

and then the following to start it back up

sudo service thinkboxls start

We recommend checking the /opt/Thinkbox/License Server/Thinkbox.log file to verify it startedas expected.

2.4. Restarting the license server 8

CHAPTER

THREE

ERRORS

3.1 How to find your License error

Depending on the application you are running, there are a few locations to look for error messages.Below you will find a few examples of the more common licensing errors, you can also access thehandy list of error codes to find out what your error means.

If your error is not listed please email Thinkbox Support with the details.

3.1.1 License Server

If the license server was installed automatically, the license log is named “Thinkbox.log” withinits installation folder. The default installation folder will be;

Operating System Install LocationWindows C:\Program Files\Thinkbox\License Server\OSX /Applications/Thinkbox/License Server/Linux /opt/Thinkbox/License Server/

3.1.2 Deadline Slave

Licensing for Deadline is based one license per physical or virtual machine basis (on a one licenseper slave basis pre-version 7.0). When looking at the Deadline Monitor at your list of slaves, aslave unable to find a license will list a status other than permanent or an expiry date, as shownbelow.

If you are looking at a licensed slave window, the license line will show ‘permanent’ or ‘expiresin...’ followed by a day. If the slave has no license, it will show text such as:

9



Once you have verified you have a license issue on your hands, you can go to the slave log usingthe button at the bottom of the Slave window’s first tab, and locate your error. You are looking forthe general area shown below:

We want you to look for the specific text that matches the highlighted text above. Specifically thepart such as “FLEXnet Licensing error:-96”, which you can then use to look up in the rest of thisdocumentation to hopefully understand the error.

Note: Deadline Monitor, Launcher and Pulse do not require licenses

3.1.3 Krakatoa and other 3D apps

As Krakatoa, Frost, Stoke, Xmesh and other 3D applications we make are merely plugins, each hastheir own interlocking connections to the underlying application. They each have their own methodof supplying a license and seeing the result. If there is no valid license for one plugin/applicationmix, it might pop up a message with text like the one you saw in the slave log. Others may just tellyou they need a valid license file and prompt you for a file or server location. As we move forward,we will try to have a details button when there are issues that provides a FlexLM error code, muchlike we do in the latest version of Frost, seen below:

Below is how the error can show up in Krakatoa for Maya, for example:

3.1. How to find your License error 10


Once you have your error, go back to the index and find the page that matches it.

3.2 Diagnosing and resolving the License error

Once you have found your error it’s time to find out what the error means. While the FlexeraLicense Manager has a lot of possible errors, we have compiled a list of the ones we see morecommonly with the way Thinkbox applications interact with the license manager.

If you do not find your error below, please do not hesitate to contact Thinkbox Support so we caninvestigate further.

If you aren’t sure how to find your error, please see the previous section, How to find your Licenseerror.

3.2.1 Error: -1 Cannot find license file

Problem:

License server cannot find license file.

Cause:

License file is missing or the path to the license server is in the wrong format.

3.2. Diagnosing and resolving the License error 11



Solution:

License file no longer there

This error has two solutions, both solutions have the same end result of ensuring the file ends upin the right place.

Solution 1: You can re-run the installer, which will copy the license file you give to the installlocation.

Solution 2: Alternatively, you can copy the license file to the current installed location and re-nameit ‘Thinkbox.lic’.

Wrong license server format

Solution: Make sure that in Deadline, your license server hostname or IP address have an @symbol in front of it, for example @server01. Note: this only applies to Deadline, none of ourother applications.

3.2.2 Error: -2 Invalid license file syntax

Problem:

The license file does not contain the data expected for a valid license file.

Cause:

The file may have become corrupted or changed from the point of generation by Thinkbox to thetime it was loaded.

Solution:

Please contact Thinkbox Sales and request a new license file, advising the original has becomecorrupt and unreadable. Please provide your old license file for our reference (see Pre InstallNotes for location).




3.2.3 Error: -4 Licensed number of users already reached

Problem:

The license server has reached the maximum number of licenses for the particular feature beingrequested.

Cause:

The license server believes there are more clients requesting licenses than available. This can becaused by acutally running out of licenses, or a license getting ‘stuck’ in the system.

Solution:

Too many license requests for available licenses

Solution: Verify that the number of machines seeking a license is equal or less than the number oftotal licenses available for the application.

Some licenses may have gotten ‘stuck’ in the system

There are two options to resolve this, one short term and one a long term solution:

Solution 1: The short term solution is to restart the license server. This will allow you to get backup and running quickly.

Solution 2: The long term solution is to use what is called an options file, which will shorten thetime a machine can have a license before the license server takes it back. This will often nearlyeliminate this type of error, and prevent it from happening for significant periods of time. Pleasesee our Options File configuration documentation for more information.

Alternatively, please consider investing in more Thinkbox software licenses! Please contactThinkbox Sales.

3.2.4 Error: -7 No socket connection to license server manager

Problem:

The applicaton trying to obtain a license cannot connect to the license server.




Cause:

The license server software is out of date and needs to be upgraded.

Solution:

You should install the latest license installer build following the instructions in the License ServerInstallation documentation.

3.2.5 Error: -9 Invalid host

Problem:

The hostID being used in the license file does not match the MAC address of the machine runningthe license server.

Cause:

License manager is out of date, or there is a miss match for the hostname and/or MAC address,with what is entered in the license file.

Solution:

License manger version too old

If your license server is not showing in the log file as “FlexNet Licensing v11.12.0.0” or newer,we would recommend running our license installers or upgrading your license server manually.There will be better results from the newer versions with multi MAC address machines and otherpossible conflicts.

Thinkbox Deadline v7.0 requires at least Flexlm v11.12 to operate correctly.

Incorrect information provided

Solution: We would ask that you go through the machine info process and send over the resultingfile. Once we have that, we can correct any issues and re-issue your license.



3.2.6 Error: -10 Feature has expired

Problem:

The application cannot be licensed due to expiry of a non-permanent license.

Cause:

The license for the application you are trying to use has expired. This is usually due to a temporarylicense lapsing, a relocation which has not been completed yet, or a surge (weekly) rental whichneeds to be renewed.

Solution:

Please contact Thinkbox Sales to obtain a new license, either permanent or extended beyond thecurrent licensing period.

If you have already received a permanent license, stop the server, point it at the new license, andrestart. Alternatively, update the current license file with the new feature details and execute “re-read license file” option on your license server.

3.2.7 Error: -13 No SERVER lines in license file

Problem:

The license server did not contain a SERVER line, as the license server expected.

Cause:

This is likely caused by attempting to use a node locked license on a license server.

Solution:

Please advise Thinkbox Sales that you would like a floating license if possible for your application.Alternatively, provide the application you are licensing the node locked license. Contact ThinkboxTechnical Support if you require assistance.







3.2.8 Error: -15 Cannot connect to license server

Problem:

Typically, this error has to do with a problem within the operating system. Often this error comesalong with a general error.

Cause:

One common problem is that the firewall may be blocking the port used by the thinkbox vendordaemon, which means the client application cannot connect. While lmgrd itself will by default lis-ten on IPv6 at port 27000, the vendor daemon itself will choose a port at random if not configured.

Another cause of this error can be if the license file is using a host name instead of an IP address onthe “SERVER” line to refer to the license server, it’s possible that the lmgrd is unable to connectto the vendor daemon.

Solution:

Firewall

Solution: Verify that the firewall is the cause, by temporarily disabling it if it is safe to do so. Ifdisabling the firewall allows licenses to be checked out, you will need to allow the thinkbox vendordaemon to pass through.

It should be possible on OS X and Windows to either create program-based exceptions to the fire-wall, or allow custom ports. The first option you will be allowing any ports destined for thinkbox,regardless of number. Otherwise, you need to assign a static port for the vendor daemon in thelicense file and also open the same port number on the firewall. For Linux you will need to set andallow the custom port number.

Refer to our page on disabling or configuring your firewall for instructions on this. As well, formore information on setting a specific vendor daemon port see Setting License Server Ports.

The hostname may not be resolvable

A simple test would be to try to run the command ‘ping hostname‘ where hostname is the namefound on the “SERVER” line within the license file. If no answer returns, this is likely the problem.To stop the ‘ping’ command on Linux and OS X, hold the control (‘ctrl’) key, and press the ‘c’ key.

Solution: If the ping was unsuccessful and you know the IP address of the license server, you mayuse that in the license file in place of the host name.



3.2.9 Error: -18 License server does not support this feature

Problem:

This seems to be caused by the client and the server having incompatible information.

Cause:

If this error occurred after upgrading a product on the client machine(s), it is possible that thelicense server is no longer compatible with the client software.

As well if the license file was re-read on the server while the client application was still running,this message may be displayed.

Solution:

Out of date license server:

Solution: Upgrade or re-install the license server from the Downloads page of Thinkbox Soft-ware’s website.

Re-read license file:

Solution: In most cases, this error is harmless and restarting the client application should resolvethe error.

3.2.10 Error: -21 License file does not support this version

Problem:

The license file read by the license server does not list the application version you are attemptingto use.

Cause:

This is often caused by an upgrade to the application that did not include an upgrade to the licensefile. Perhaps, you forgot or have not yet updated your license server with the latest license file asprovided by Thinkbox Sales or Support team.


http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/license-server-download/


Solution:

Contact Thinkbox Sales and request a new license file.

3.2.11 Error: -25 License server does not support this version of thisfeature

Problem:

The license server application cannot support the current license.

Cause:

License Server version

The license being requested requires a newer version of the license server.

Feature version

The version of the application you are running is too high for the version in your license.

Solution:

License Server version

Upgrade your license server, either using the installer (shutdown the currently running licenseserver first) or manually upgrade and then restart. More information on this can be found in theLicense Server Installation documentation.

Feature version

Please contact Thinkbox Sales to get a new license for the updated version.

3.2.12 Error: -96 Server machine is down or not responding

Problem:

The lmgrd process is not responding on the default (27000) or custom port given in the application.





Cause:

Firewall

The firewall may be blocking the port used by lmgrd. While lmgrd itself will by default listen onIPv6 at port 27000, it is possible to use a custom port by editing the license file. This is covered inthe next section (See Ports).

Multi license system

If more than one company’s license server is being loaded on the machine, there is likely a portconflict, this is most obvious within the license log file. The license log file will say that eitherthe port number is in use, or that there is already an instance of the license server running. Thenlooking in the list of running processes thinkbox cannot be found in the list of running processes.

As Thinkbox’s lmgrd is using IPv6, it is also entirely possible that there is no conflict, but thatrequests for licenses are being sent to the IPv4 port instead.

LMGRD is not running

The license server application lmgrd isn’t running for one of many reasons.


If the client machine is using a host name instead of an IP address to refer to the license server, it’spossible that the client machine trying to connect is unable to resolve the name with the associatedIP address.

Solution:

Firewall

Solution: To verify that the firewall is in fact the cause, temporarily disable it if it is safe to doso. If disabling the firewall allows licenses to be checked out, you will need to allow lmgrd andlikely thinkbox to pass through. It should be possible on OS X and Windows to either; createprogram-based exceptions to the firewall allowing any ports from lmgrd, regardless of number, orset custom ports for both the license server. On Linux, you must use the port number.

Refer to our page on disabling or configuring your firewall for instructions on this. As well, formore information on setting a specific port see Setting License Server Ports.



Multi license system

Solution: You can resolve this by adding a specific port number at the end of the SERVER line inyour Thinkbox license file. Refer to our Ports page on this topic for more.

LMGRD is not running

Solution: In the list of running programs for your operating system, ensure that you are viewing allprocesses for all users and verify that the lmgrd license server is running. If not, you will need torefer to the license server log file which should be named ‘Thinkbox.log’ in the root of the licenseserver installation directory.

If the problem is not immediately obvious, don’t hesitate to contact Thinkbox Support.


A simple test would be to try to run the command ‘ping hostname‘ where hostname is the one youentered for the server name. If no answer returns, this is likely the problem. To close the commandon Linux and OS X, hold the control (‘ctrl’) key, and press the ‘c’ key.

Solution: If the ping command was unsuccessful and you know the IP address of the licenseserver, you may use that on the client instead in place of the host name. If you have a systemsadministrator, it would be best to bring up this error with them.

3.2.13 Error: -96 No such File or Directory

Problem:

Deadline is looking for a file instead of a license server.

Cause:

If the client machine is using a host name or IP address that is missing the preceeding @ symbolin either Deadline or in one of the environment variables.

This error will occur because without the @ symbol it will be looking for a file instead of a licenseserver.

Solution:

Solution: To fix this, all you need to do is add the required @ symbol to the beginning of thelicense server’s entry. For example @lic-server instead of just lic-server. This will allow the




license portion of Deadline to see that it is looking for a machine called ‘lic-server’ instead of alicense file.

3.2.14 Error: -96 System Error: 11004 “Comm. error”

Problem:

Flex is unable to look up the hostname.

Cause:

If the hostname specified in the licensing path has incorrect characters in it, Flex won’t be able tolook it up. Specifically, system error 11004 on Windows is a DNS lookup problem. This normallyhappens because the license path was specified as “@host:port” instead of as “port@host”.

Solution:

You will need to find where you set this value and change it so that the host name is valid. Usuallythis is set within the application, and sometimes within the registry or environment variables.Check out Setting License Paths for ways to modify these paths.

Solution: In general, you should just need to change the format so that the host name contains onlyletters and numbers, and that the port number is specified before the ‘@’ symbol, and the hostnameafter. For example, ‘27000@NCC1701E‘.

3.2.15 Error: -97 The desired vendor daemon is down.

Problem:

The machine cannot connect to the Thinkbox vendor daemon on the host machine.

Cause:

Firewall

The firewall may be blocking the port used by thinkbox. While traditionally thinkbox itself will bydefault listen using IPv6 on a random port, you can tell the vendor daemon to use a custom port.This is done by editing the license file and may be necessary if the firewall or security protocolsrequire a static port. This is covered in another section (See Ports).


mailto:port@host

mailto:'27000@NCC1701E


Vendor Daemon is not running

The vendor daemon application thinkbox isn’t running for one of many reasons.


If the client machine is using a host name instead of an IP address to refer to the license server, it’spossible that the client machine trying to connect is unable resolve the IP address for that name.

Solution:

Firewall

Solution: To verify that the firewall is in fact the cause, temporarily disable it if it is safe to doso. If disabling the firewall allows licenses to be checked out, you will need to allow thinkboxand likely lmgrd to pass through. It should be possible on OS X and Windows to either createprogram-based exceptions to the firewall allowing any ports from thinkbox, regardless of number,or set a custom port for the vendor daemon. On Linux, you must use the port number.

If you need or want to set a specific port for the vendor daemon, as it will be randomly chosenon each restart otherwise, we have documentation to walk you through this on our Setting LicenseServer Ports page. If you need to test your Firewall, refer to our page on disabling or configuringyour firewall for instructions on this.

Vendor Daemon is not running

Solution: In the list of running programs for your operating system, ensure that you are viewing allprocesses for all users, verify that the thinkbox vendor daemon is running. If not, you will need torefer to the license server log file which should be named ‘Thinkbox.log’ in the root of the licenseserver installation directory (see here for location.

If the problem is not immediately obvious, don’t hesitate to contact Thinkbox Support.


A simple test would be to try to run the command ‘ping hostname‘ where hostname is the one youentered for the server name. If no answer returns, this is likely the problem. To close the commandon Linux and OS X, hold the control (‘ctrl’) key, and press the ‘c’ key.

Solution: If the ping command was unsuccessful and you know the IP address of the license server,you may use that on the client, in place of the host name. If you have a systems administrator, itwould be best to bring up this error with them.




3.3 Other Errors

This section of the guide will walk you through the errors that are less clearly defined, and oftenlead to a great deal of confusion on the part of the users.

If your error is not one that starts with a number, you may find the answer in this section.

3.3.1 The Slave cannot run in LICENSE-FREE MODE

Problem:

While attempting to use Deadline in license free mode, the slaves appear to show an error sayingthey are unable to find license server.

Cause:

If the slave sees more than two (2) machines listed in the slave panel, it will report that it is noteligible for license free mode.

Solution:

Open the monitor and verify how many slaves are listed in the slave panel.

If there is more than two (2), you will need to eliminate slaves from the list until only two (2) arelisted. If you cannot remove slaves, you will need to obtain a license from Thinkbox Sales.

3.3.2 Deadline configuration error: An error occurred while trying toconnect to the database

Problem:

Deadline slave or monitor cannot connect to the MongoDB.

Cause:

This is not a Licensing error, this is a MongoDB/Deadline error:

3.3. Other Errors 23



Solution:

Please follow the steps found in the documentation Deadline Applications unable to connect toDatabase

3.3.3 Unnumbered Server Errors

These errors are a different type of error, in that you will rarely see them client side. They shouldonly appear in the license server log files, and often they will be connected to the vendor daemonor license file.

Not a valid server hostname, exiting

This error commonly occurs on a Macintosh, though it can occur on any OS, and can be verymisleading.

As it lists two hostnames; it seems to indicate what should be used, for example the hostname‘tardis’, is the one in the file. Most often on Macintosh though, this means the one ending in .localshould be used instead. For example ‘tardis.local’ instead of ‘tardis’.

Invalid license key (inconsistent authentication code)

This error occurs when the hostid in the file was changed after Thinkbox sent the file to you,causing it to no longer be a valid license. If the MAC address or hostname of the license serveryou use changes, you need to contact Thinkbox Sales for a new license file.

Thinkbox exited with status 27 (No features to serve)

For one reason or another, the license server has found no valid licenses on any files it is lookingat, and thus shut down. If the log shows the license file being used to be correct, please contact


http://docs.thinkboxsoftware.com/products/deadline/7.1/1_User%20Manual/manual/faq.html#client-connection-issues

http://docs.thinkboxsoftware.com/products/deadline/7.1/1_User%20Manual/manual/faq.html#client-connection-issues



Thinkbox Sales for a new license file. If the license file being used is not correct, please use thelicense installers to reinstall and point the installer to the correct license file.

Can’t make directory /usr/tmp/.flexlm

This error occurs on Linux, and so far has been reported on Ubuntu. The fix seems to be to createa folder named ‘tmp’ in the ‘/usr’ folder. It may be that no files are created here, but it will allowlmgrd to start correctly.

License server manager (lmgrd) startup failed: File not found, thinkbox

This error often occurs when customers add Thinkbox license entries into their existing FlexLMlicensing manager, without adding the vendor daemon file, thinkbox(.exe).

You can add the thinkbox(.exe) file by going to the ‘manual install files section of our licensingdownloads page and download the archive for your OS. Extract the Thinkbox vendor daemon file(thinkbox.exe on Windows, thinkbox on Mac and Linux) and move to the folder containing yourlmgrd license server executable.

On Linux machines a more likely cause of this error can be that the distribution chose not toconform to the Linux Standard Base. The fix here is to install the ‘lsb’ package from your packagemanager. The detailed cause is that the Linux program loader was unable to load the right librarythat was mentioned within the lmgrd or thinkbox binaries.

Unknown Hostname

If the hostname is verified as correct, this will come up sometimes when the machine cannot lookupit’s own hostname successfully. Common on Mac systems, there may be no entry for the machine’sown hostname in the hosts file. Found in /etc/ on the main drive, the hosts file will need to be editedto make an entry that points 127.0.0.1 to the machine’s hostname.

The hosts file would then look a bit like:

Notice the line at the bottom, with the localhost IP address followed by the name of the computer,which in this case is machine.



http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/license-server-download/manual-install-files/


thinkbox already running

This error may come up if you try to launch the license server and it’s already running.

If the thinkbox executable is not running, then there is likely another company’s instance of lmgrdalready listening on the default port of 27000. You can modify the port for our lmgrd by followingour page on this topic for more.

If you used the installer, modify the license given by sales and follow the instructions on our pageabout updating your license file.

Error: -15,570 Operation Now in progress

This problem and solution is specific to the license server log error “-15,570:36 ‘Operation now inprogress”’ when connected to “EXITING DUE TO SIGNAL 37 Exit reason 5”

The machine hosting the license file cannot find itself by name, and therefore errors. We can fixthat by editing the hosts file and add the entry for the local machine. The hosts file is found in oneof these locations:

Operating System hosts file locationWindows C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\OSX /etc/Linux /etc/

To add a reference to the local machine, we’ll use the IP address 127.0.0.1 which is the addressevery machine uses to refer to itself. We’ll then add the hostname as it’s listed in the license file,so in the case of a server called “lic-host” it would look like:

127.0.0.1 lic-host

This will allow the license server to look up itself by name and the license server to load up.

3.3.4 Got NIC Teaming?

Problem:

NIC Teaming can cause a new MAC address to show up, which no longer matches your license.

Cause:

When NIC Teaming is set up, the network gives the bundle a new MAC address, which can causeissues with our licensing!

To make it even better, upon a reboot of the licensing server, Windows likes to hand out a newMAC address for the teamed group all over again.



As you probably do not want to open a ticket every time the server is turned off and on again, wehave some more efficient solutions.

Solution:

Solution 1: If you have an extra unused NIC, plug this guy into the licensing server and leave itactive.

This way it is not attached to the teamed NICs, and therefore will not have the fun of ever changingMAC addressing.

Another nice benefit is you can move this unused NIC to any device you want the license server torun on, without effecting your licensing file.

Solution 2: This solution you will need to purchase a WiFi enabled USB dongle, so try solutionone first. A simple solution to NIC teaming or upgrading hardware causing new MAC addressing,is to lock your license to a USB WiFi enabled dongle.

When you lock the license to a WiFi enabled USB, and the hardware needs to be changed you can;unplug the USB, move to the new hardware, and Ta Da! the MAC address still matches! The USBdoes not need to be used in any sort of actual network transfer, but must be plugged in and enabled.

Note if you acquire a WiFi enabled USB that has storage, you can store your licensing file on itas well, to keep it all nice and neat. For both solutions it mentions the ability to move to differenthardware. This will only work if either the hostname on the replacement server stays the same, orif you have asked sales to give a wildcard hostname.

3.3.5 Multiple License Servers Listed:

Problem:

Too many License Servers in the sea for just one, Deadline can be very social at times! Whenlooking for a license server, Deadline likes to checkout all the options on the network beforesettling down with the last one.

Causes:

When checking out path variables and license servers available, no matter what license server iscurrently valid, Deadline will append each (in the order it found them) to the license file.

Deadline, that social butterfly, will then only talk to the very last server listed. If the last entry isnot the correct server, Deadline will send errors to the license server log.

If your license server log shows multiple addresses in the License path, this is definitely an issue.See an example below:



2015-02-06 10:00:00: License path: [email protected];[email protected];[email protected];

Solutions:

Solution 1: To verify only one path is specified, check the location(s) this can be set:

• Windows

• Macintosh

• Linux

Solution 2: If only one server path is ever entered and you still see multiple addresses in the log,you could have a sneaky license server running wild on the network. Once found, a quick uninstallshould fix this issue.

If you have followed the above steps and still have multiple servers showing up, please contactThinkbox Technical Support.



CHAPTER

FOUR

CONFIGURATION

4.1 Default Configuration and Location of Files

4.1.1 Location of Installed Files

When the installer runs it copies all required files, including the license file, to a pre specifiedlocation. Depending on the operating system, this location varies, see below for reference:

Operating System Install LocationWindows C:\Program Files\Thinkbox\License Server\OSX /Applications/Thinkbox/License Server/Linux /opt/Thinkbox/License Server/

4.2 Setting License Server Ports

When facing the issue of a port conflict; which can happen when you have more than one licenseserver running on the same system, or high security protocols in place, you may need to set customports for either the license server(lmgrd) or the vendor daemon(thinkbox), and sometimes both.This page will show you how to set either. To find the license file see Location of Installed Files.

4.2.1 LMGRD

The default port for LMGRD is 27000, but this is also used by many other FlexLM licensedapplications such as Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max. Setting up lmgrd to use a specificport, you would need to open the license file and find the SERVER line in the file. At the end ofthe line you would add the port you want to use, for example:

SERVER licserver 001122334455 27008

29



This would tell the license server to use port 27008 instead of the default. You should make surethe port you choose to use isn’t being used by another application, and once you have saved thechange to the file, you would need to restart the license server.

4.2.2 Thinkbox

The Thinkbox vendor daemon does not have a default port, but instead it’s default behavior is touse a random port each time. If you need it to use a specific port, which can become necessary ifyour network has strict security requirements, you can do so by adding ‘PORT=#####’ at the endof the VENDOR line like this:

VENDOR thinkbox PORT=2708

This would instruct the thinkbox vendor daemon to use the port 2708. You should make sure theport you choose to use isn’t being used by another application, and once you have saved the changeto the file, you will need to restart the license server for the change to take effect.

4.3 The Options File

4.3.1 Limiting License Checkout Time

The options file is a text file that allows the license administrator to control various operating pa-rameters of FLEXnet Licensing. This file is most often used for the purposes of preventing licensesgetting stuck in the license server. This can happen when a slave instance ends unexpectedly orotherwise doesn’t return its license. This ends up causing an Error “-4, Licensed number of usersalready reached” due to machines using too many licenses. The Options file can be used for avariety of purposes, but ours will simply use the Timeout feature.

To create an options file, we need to follow a few steps.

1. Use the example text below to create a text file using any text editor, and name it thinkbox.opt.

2. Save the options file in the same directory as the license file.

An example of the contents of the Options file is:

TIMEOUT deadline 1200

Once you have this file saved, restart the license server and your server will use the same timeoutrange that your Deadline slaves are coded to use.

You can change this to be any licensed application from Thinkbox by just switching the FEATURE‘deadline’ out for the name after FEATURE in your license file. For example frost, krakatoa-max,or xmesh-saver, or use TIMEOUTALL to make all thinkbox features in the license expire in theallotted time.

4.3. The Options File 30


4.3.2 Reserving Licenses

If you need specific machines to have a particular license available at all times, you would use theOptions file to set the reservation. Depending on the number of machines this includes, usually thebest option is just to set a reserve line for each machine you need to reserve for. The line in thecase of a Deadline license, and a machine whose name was bestrender01, you would write the lineas follows:

RESERVE 1 deadline HOST bestrender01

This would make sure that there was always a Deadline license available for bestrender01.

4.4 Setting up Licensing Paths

In addition to setting a license file location in the client application interfaces, you can also directthem to the license server or node-locked file. To do this you can set; an environment variable,Linux rc file or Windows registry key.

In any of these three locations you can use one or both key names for the path, eitherTHINKBOX_LICENSE_FILE or LM_LICENSE_FILE. The first takes precedence over the sec-ond, while LM_LICENSE_FILE can be used by any flex-enabled application.

The values for these variables are what Flexera calls the ‘license path’ for the client applications.This can either be a remote host specified as port@host (eg. 27001@lic-thinkbox), or a full pathto a license file (eg. c:\path\to\license.lic). It is also possible to specify multiple of each, separatedby semi-colons on Windows and colons on OS X or Linux.

Note that any of changes made to environment variables will require a restart of the client appli-cation, the host application in the case of plugins, or restarting the whole machine in the case ofDeadline. Registry or .flexlmrc changes should take effect immediately.

Let’s take a look at how to set these variables on the different operating systems we support.

4.4.1 Windows

Windows has the distinction of being able to use the registry as a configuration location but envi-ronment variables will work here just as they would on Linux or OS X. Let’s take a look at theenvironment variables first.

Environment variables

To find the environment variable settings on Windows Vista and higher, press the Windows keyon the keyboard and then type “Environment Variables” to search. This should provide an optionsaying “Edit the system environment variables”

4.4. Setting up Licensing Paths 31

mailto:port@host

mailto:27001@lic-thinkbox


Choosing this should bring up the variable settings window.

Now choose ‘New’ under ‘System Variables’, and add the following:

Variable Name: THINKBOX_LICENSE_FILE or LM_LICENSE_FILE VariableValue: The license path, eg port@host or c:\path\to\license.lic

Then click ‘OK’ to set the new path.

Registry

Within the Windows Registry, there are two more locations similar to the environment variables.One can be set for the entire machine, and the other can be for just the current user. We recommendthe machine-wide setting to ease administration.

To open the registry editor, press the Windows key on the keyboard and type “regedit.exe”, thenpress enter to select.



In the new window, navigate to one of the following locations:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FLEXlm License Manager

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FLEXlm License Manager

Right click on ‘FLEXlm License Manager’ and choose “New”, then “String Value”. Name thenew string either THINKBOX_LICENSE_FILE or LM_LICENSE_FILE, and change its value tothe license path for the client. The license path can be the location of the actual “thinkbox.lic” file,or for floating licensing it would be the location of the server, example 27000@hostname.

This change takes effect on edit, so you can edit the license path value registry until the clientsuccessfully checks out a license.

4.4.2 Macintosh OS X

Please note this method may not work in versions of Macintosh OS X before 10.7

For OS X, you will need to edit the launchd.conf file to add in a line to set the variable we need,and then reboot your Macintosh. To do this please follow the steps below;

First, you should open up a terminal prompt, which is found in /Applications/Utilities/

Next we need to open the file in a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/launchd.conf

You may be prompted with an administrative password, then the file will open in the text editor.

Once done, scroll down to the bottom to start a new line, and then type in:

setenv THINKBOX_LICENSE_FILE [license path]

Once you have finished, use the panel at the bottom to save the file and exit. Once that is done, runthe following from the same terminal window.

grep -E "^setenv" /etc/launchd.conf | xargs -t -L 1 launchctl

Your applications should now look for the license info in the proper location.


mailto:27000@hostname


4.4.3 Linux

For Linux, you can run a simple command from the Terminal application to create a file in theprofile.d folder, which will run each time the system is booted.

Once you have the Terminal window open, type the following two commands:

echo "export THINKBOX_LICENSE_FILE=[license path]" >>/etc/profile.d/thinkbox.sh

chmod +x /etc/profile.d/thinkbox.sh

Make sure to change the [license path] to the path to your license file or server, and then uponreboot, the system should automatically set the right variable. If you need to update this, just runthe command with the new path.

4.5 Trouble shooting firewalls

Firewalls are one of the biggest causes of licensing errors. Due to the number of times this hascome up in building this documentation, we decided to make one document with steps for bothmaking exceptions and disabling the firewalls on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux.

4.5.1 Disable the firewall

Windows

Note: The newer versions of the license server installers for Windows make these firewallrules by default. If your version was downloaded after October 2015, this should not beneeded.

In order to disable the Windows Firewall, you need to go into the control panel, search for firewall,and then click the ‘Check Firewall Status’ option

4.5. Trouble shooting firewalls 34


On the left hand side choose ‘Turn Windows Firewall on or off’

Choose ‘Turn off Windows Firewall’ for all listed types of networks, then hit ok.

Macintosh OS X

For Macintosh OS X, often the firewall is already disabled. If you aren’t sure, open up SystemPreferences from the Apple menu, in the upper left hand corner, and choose Security and Privacy.



Under Security and Privacy choose the Firewall Tab

In this tab you will see if the firewall is on or off. If it is on, you will likely notice the ‘Turn OffFirewall’ button is greyed out. You will need to click the lock in the lower left corner.

Enter your administrative credentcials when prompted.



Now you will see the Turn Off Firewall button enabled, and you can turn off the firewall.

Don’t forget to click the lock again to save your changes.



Linux

For disabling the firewall in Linux, we will show how on two different distributions, Red Hat andDebian.

Red Hat

Open a terminal window and type

/etc/init.d/iptables save /etc/init.d/iptables stop

In order to stop the firewall from starting up on boot, you would use

chkconfig iptables off

Debian

First verify the firewall status using

sudo ufw status

If the status is reported as active, then you will want to stop it using

sudo ufw disable

4.5.2 Making a Firewall exception

Windows

In order to add an exception to Windows, open the start menu and type firewall. Then choose the‘Windows Firewall with Advanced Security’ option.



Once the window opens you will want to choose ‘Inbound Rules’ on the left, then ‘New Rule...’on the right.

In the new window choose the Program option and next.



Then give it the path to your lmgrd process (You will need to repeat this for thinkbox.exe).

Next choose ‘Allow the connection’, so that the program can run.

Make sure to allow for all three network types; Domain, Private, and Public.



Give the rule a name, I usually name it after the process. finally, click finish.

Make sure you make exceptions for both thinkbox.exe and lmgrd.exe as these are critical parts ofthe license server.

Macintosh OS X

For OS X, often the firewall is disabled. If you aren’t sure, open up System Preferences from theApple menu in the upper left hand corner, and choose Security and Privacy.



Under Security and Privacy choose the Firewall Tab.

In this tab you will see if the firewall is on or off. If it is on, you want to add an exception for thelicensing processes. You may need to click the lock in the lower left corner.

Enter your administrative credentials when prompted.



Once unlocked, click the ‘Firewall Options’ button.

This window will have a list of protocols and give you the chance to add a new exception. Clickthe + symbol.

You will be prompted to locate the executable you want to add an exception for. You will want to



do this to add both lmgrd and thinkbox to the exceptions list.

Once you have added both exceptions, click OK on the lock again to save your changes.

Linux

Please note that due to the complexity and possible complications resulting from editing the LinuxIP tables, we recommend only experienced users to attempt this. Otherwise please contact yoursystem administrator or support for assistance on this.

Red Hat

In order to add in a rule for lmgrd on Linux, you would use the command

iptables -I INPUT 1 -p tcp --dport 27000 -j ACCEPT

This assumes your lmgrd is using the default port, if this is not the case you will need to create arule for any custom ports it may use.

For the vendor daemon using a custom port you will need to add ‘PORT=#####’, to the VENDORline of the license file. Once finished a second rule for this must be added to the IP tables.



Debian

In order to add in a rule using the ufw on Debian based distributions, you would use the command

sudo ufw allow 27000/tcp

You would change the number to whichever port you need to use, and make sure you make excep-tions for both the lmgrd license server executable, and the thinkbox vendor daemon.

4.6 Frequently Asked Questions

4.6.1 What to do if you are have a Flexlm conflict between 2providers?

If you are running two license servers on the same machine that are trying to use the same port,the best option is to change the port used by the license server daemon by making a change in thelicense file. More information on this can be found in the License Server Installation documenta-tion.

4.6. Frequently Asked Questions 45

licensing documentation - thinkbox · 2017-07-04 · licensing documentation, release 1.4.0...

Documents