Application Note 1005: Configuring OpenLM to close idle Licenses

 

Scope

The OpenLM License management tool provides two capabilities; One is the extraction of license statistics and license usage reports. The Other is the capability to either save and close or suspend idle licensed processes. This document goes into the details of these features; it elaborates their capacities and required configuration.

General

SUSPEND AND RESUME

The basic idle process management method is the "Suspend and Resume" method. This method detects an idle process, identifies its respective license, releases the license into the common license pool, and "freezes" the application until the license is reclaimed. This method is a global one, intended for all sorts of licensed applications. At the time of writing this revision (Rev1.2) the "Suspend and Resume" method is supported for FLEXlm licensed applications.

SAVE AND CLOSE

Another idle process management method is the “Save and Close” method. In this method, an idle station is identified, the user's work is saved, and the application is actively shut down altogether, not just suspended (as in the case of the "Suspend and Resume" method).
At the time of writing this revision (Rev 1.2), the "Save and Close" feature is reserved for three specific licensed application vendors: ESRI (vendors of ArcGIS), Autodesk (vendors of AutoCAD), and MathWorks (vendors of Matlab). These applications are named by convention "Extension Supported" applications.

CONTROLLED WORKSTATIONS

Workstations are labeled as “Controlled” when they fulfil two conditions:

1. An “Active Agent” is installed and running on these stations
2. Both the License Server and the “Active Agent” report drawn licenses of "Extension Supported" applications.

Controlled workstations facilitate the “Save and Close” method of license retrieval. The indication of workstations as “controlled” is present as a green ‘V’ on the “Workstations” window in the EasyAdmin web application:

THE “ACTIVE AGENT” SOFTWARE MODULE

The software module that interfaces the managed application directly, and enables either one of the idle processes’ management methods is the "OpenLM Active Agent" software module. This software module is optional, and its license should be acquired independently from the OpenLM basic software package. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further clarification.

 

OpenLM Active Agent

As mentioned above, the software module that interfaces the managed application directly is the "OpenLM Active Agent" module. This module must be installed in the end user's computer, In order to apply either one of the application management features mentioned above ("Suspend and Resume" or "Save and Close").

INSTALLING THE ACTIVE AGENT:

The OpenLM Active agent may be downloaded from the "Downloads" section of the OpenLM main site:

http://www.openlm.com/index.php/component/docman/doc_download/75-openlm-active-agent

During the installation process, follow these steps:
1. Go through the standard download forms and procedures (Run the installation, read and accept the License Agreement etc.)
2. If an Extension Supported application was identified as installed on the computer, the “OpenLM Extensions” dialog window appears.

The user may either:

• Select to install the appropriate software extensions, thus ruling an idle application to be treated in the "Save and Close" method, or
• Select NOT to install the appropriate software extensions, thus ruling an idle application to be treated in the "Suspend and Resume" method, even though it is an "Extension Supported" application.

3. In the "Agent Configuration" dialog window, type in the OpenLM server with which the Agent is required to connect, and click the "Apply" button.

 

"Suspend and Resume" an Idle application

An idle application is treated in the "Suspend and Resume" method (as opposed to the "Save and Close" method) if it is:

• A NON "Extension Supported" application, or
• An "Extension Supported" application, upon which the application’s extension was not installed during the Active Agent's installation (see Active Agent's installation, above.)

In any such case, the linkage between the application's process and its respective license needs to be manually established.

PROCESS TO LICENSE LINK

In order to Establish a link between the monitored process and  its respective license
follow these steps:
1. Find the process' ID and exact format Name:
a.    Click the Windows "Start" button
b.    Select "All Programs" →  "OpenLM" → "Agent" → "Tools" → "Processes List". The following "Processes" table window appears.

c.    Find the required process and copy its exact format name.

2.    Open the Easyadmin tool
3.    Press the Easyadmin start button (On the bottom right corner of the Easyadmin window). A selection menu pops up.
4.    Select Administration. The Following window Appears

5.    Select the Process / Features icon. The following window appears:

6. In order to add a new process to the currently managed processes’ list, click the “Add” icon in the Process List frame, on the left-hand side of the “Process features” window.
The following window appears:

7. Type in the required data:

• The "Process name" as obtained in bullet #1 above, e.g: ArcMap.
• A verbal description of the managed process, and
• The application's Vendor name as appears at the license file. e.g.: ARCGIS

8. Check the "Enabled" box.
9. Click 'Add', and add in the new application’s features.
The user may choose to do so automatically by clicking the “Add Vendor” green ‘+’ sign on the right side of the “Process features” window,
or by selecting each feature separately by clicking the “Add” green ‘+’ sign right next to it.

After completing the process described above in paragraphs 1 through 10, the Active Agent is ordered to monitor the managed process.

SETTING THE ACTIVE AGENT’S PREFERENCES

The Active Agent’s preferences configure different aspects of the Active Agent’s intervention in a managed application’s operation. I order to configure these preferences, go through the following steps:
1. Open the Easyadmin tool.
2. Press the Easyadmin start button (On the bottom right corner of the Easyadmin window). A selection menu pops up.
3. Select Administration. The “Administration”window Appears.

4. Select the Active Agent icon. The “Active Agent” window appears:

5. Set a number in the range of 0 to 100 for the  “Start releasing licenses after ...” parameter. This number is the threshold over which idle licenses would be marked for releasing.
This threshold is presented as a percentage of the overall number of licenses of that specific application.
6. Set the “Minimum idle time before client is released” parameter. This parameter literally means that once the release threshold has been surpassed, and a license has been identified as idle, a timer is being set. once this timer is surpassed, the license would be freed.
7. The other parameters in the “Active Agent” window literally present system resource thresholds that determine the state at which a process is at, i.e: active or idle.

"Save and Close" an Idle application

An idle application is treated in the "Save and Close" method (as opposed to the "Suspend and Resume" method) if it is an "Extension Supported" application, upon which the extension installation was NOT cancelled during the Active Agent's installation (see Active Agent's installation, above.)
In such a case, the linkage between the application's process and the specific license it drew from the license pool is automatically established. For this reason the actions taken in the “Process to License Link” section (above) are redundant in case of “Save and Close”-ing an idle application.
Setting an Active Agent’s preferences is done the same way as in the "Suspend and Resume” method described above.

Extension dedicated functions

The Active Agent window’s “Extension Dedicated” label contains several functions that are extension specific, i.e. intended solely (at the time of writing this revision, Rev 1.2) for managing Matlab, ArcGIS and Autodesk applications. The “Extension dedicated” tab incorporates three bars entitled:

• Handling extensions,
• Software items that will not be saved nor reported when closed and
• List of Directories for which projects will not be saved when closed

Note: OpenLM recommends keeping the extension dedicated preferences at their default values, as this should be considered an advanced users’ section.

THE HANDLING EXTENSIONS BAR

Folder to save closed projects:

Self explanatory.

Overwrite existing projects

• Checked (Default): The same file name is used for project saving each time the application is detected as idle and closed.
• Unchecked: Each recurrence of an idle application closing event brings about the creation of a new copy of the saved project.

Show extension list at software start up

• Checked: The application’s extension list is shown when the application is restarted after detected as idle and closed. This is useful for manually prompting users to confirm their usage of a certain extension.
• Unchecked (Default): The application’s extension list is NOT shown when the application is restarted after detected as idle and closed.

Turn off licensed extensions at shutdown

• Checked (Default): Extensions that require licenses are closed together with the idle application. This requires the user to obtain a license for the extension when restarting the application.
• Unchecked: Extensions that require licenses are NOT closed together with the idle application.

Turn off custom extensions at shutdown

• Checked (Default): Extensions that do NOT require licenses are closed together with the idle application. This requires the user to obtain a license for the extension when restarting the application.
• Unchecked: Extensions that do NOT require licenses are NOT closed together with the idle application.

Application’s behavior when extension passes usage threshold

There are two methods of operation to deal with an event in which an application was NOT compelled to close according to the Active Agent’s preferences, but a licensed extension that is embedded in that application WAS compelled to close. These two optional operations are either turning off the extension, or shutting down the application altogether.

Solve license manager errors

• Checked (Default): The Active Agent employs an algorithm to solve license manager errors (e.g.: hung up license).
• Unchecked: This algorithm is not activated

Actively shut open applications down at …

• Checked: The Active Agent actively shuts down all the applications, and frees all licenses on a given time, in accordance with certain company policies.
• Unchecked (Default): No such shut-down is set.

Hide ‘Set ArcGIS License Level’ from agents

ArcGIS comprises of three usage license levels: ArcInfo, ArcEditor and ArcView. The vendor allows a selection of required level of usage license, however the Active Agent incorporates an elementary GUI to set this level (See following image).

This option may be presented or hidden from the user according to the selection of this check box.

• Checked: The ArcGIS license level GUI is NOT presented to the user.
• Uchecked (Default): The ArcGIS license level GUI is presented to the user. In order to view it, right click the OpenLM Agent icon (Marked by the black ellipse). “Set ArcGIS License level” appears on the top of the pop-up menu (Marked by the red ellipse).

 

The “Software items that will not be saved …” bar

This bar lists a number of objects that would not be saved when the application is closed ; e.g.: ArcCatalog.exe is a file browser which holds no substantial data at its own right, and therefore is not saved.

 

The “List of Directories for which ...” bar

This bar lists directories onto which no changes would be made upon application automatic closure. This is intended for projects that should keep the same static information every time they are started.

Revision 1.3, Jun 05, 2012.