OpenLM Agent Installation – KB804

This document covers the OpenLM Agent installation process. The Agent is a component that can be installed on any number of workstations to enhance the end-user experience and control it.

The goal is to allow administrators to obtain additional information regarding license usage on individual workstations which can be used for more effective resource management.

The capabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Providing administrators with the capability of monitoring end-user application idle times, and releasing idle licenses as a result.
• Providing end-users with a license availability interface.
• Reporting on IP, project information and workstation availability.

This document covers:

1. Installing OpenLM Agent
   1. Using the Setup Wizard.
   2. Silent mode.
   3. System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) installation and GPO rollout.
   4. Installation options and parameters.
   5. Service check.
2. Upgrading OpenLM Agent
3. Uninstalling OpenLM Agent

1. Installing OpenLM Agent

The first step in the install process is to obtain the latest OpenLM Agent installer from our Downloads page. The typical installation package will be named as openlm_active_agent_win_####.msi (where “####” represents the version number).

There are three ways to install the Agent:

1. Using the Setup Wizard. This is an easy, semi-automated way to install the Agent on one or a small number of workstations. It requires minimal user input in the form of clicking “Next” and selecting certain options.
2. Using the command line (silent mode):
   1. When an administrator wants to automate OpenLM Agent installation on a large number of machines either through scripts or 3rd party tools.
   2. When it’s required to control parameters that aren’t available in the installer UI.
3. Using the System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or GPO rollout options. Similar to silent mode, these tools allow for automatic deployment of the Agent on a large number of machines using a pre-set configuration file.

Option A: OpenLM Agent Installation using the Setup Wizard

This method uses an on-screen Wizard which guides the end-user through the installation process.

1. Double-click the installer file to launch the installation. A welcome screen for the OpenLM Agent Installation Wizard will appear (see Figure 1)
   

   Figure 1: The OpenLM Agent Setup Wizard

    

2. Click [Next] to continue to the License Agreement screen (See Figure 2).
   

   Figure 2: License Agreement screen

3. Read the license agreement, select “I Agree” then click [Next] to continue.
4. On the Extensions screen, select the software packages for which you want extended monitoring and control support then click [Next]. The installer detects the presence of these software packages automatically on your system, otherwise the options will be grayed out (see Figure 3)
   

   Figure 3: The OpenLM Extensions screen

   For users of software in the oil & gas industry, we offer 3 custom extensions for the Petra, Kingdom and Harmony platforms. Please contact sales to see if they fit your needs.

   Note: if a new software suite is installed afterwards, the OpenLM Agent must be reinstalled with the appropriate extension box checked.

    

5. Check the “OpenLM Applications Manager” box if you need Agent support for the OpenLM Applications Manager, which allows for monitoring and control of standalone, unmanaged or named applications, then click [Next] (see Figure 4)
   

   Figure 4: The Applications Manager option screen.

6. If you want to change the default install location, click “Browse” and choose a new path. Click [Next] to continue. The “Disc Cost” button will show available drives and how much space you will be left with after installation (See Figure 5).
   

   Figure 5: The “Select Installation Folder” screen.

7. On the “Confirm Installation” screen click [Next] to begin the installation process (see Figure 6)
   

   Figure 6: The final confirmation screen.

8. Wait while the installer copies the required files. Once complete, you should see the screen below (Figure 7). Click [Close] to exit the Setup Wizard.
   

   Figure 7: The “Installation Complete” screen.

9. Once the installation is complete, the Agent configuration will automatically open (Figure 8)
   

   Figure 8: OpenLM Agent Configuration Screen

   Check that all options are set correctly:

   • “Language” determines the language of the OpenLM Agent interface (by default: English).
   • “OpenLM Server” should point to the OpenLM server hostname or IP address. (by default: localhost).
   • “Use SSL” should be checked only if your network uses SSL (by default: unchecked)
   • “Port” field should match the OpenLM Server connection port. (by default: 7012)
   • “Logging level” toggles the amount of detail to be written into the log files. (by default: ERROR)Note: if you have closed this screen, it is possible to reopen it by clicking on the “Show Hidden Icons” arrow in the traybar → right-clicking on the Agent icon → selecting “OpenLM Agent Configuration”
     
10. Once you have entered the address of the OpenLM Server, click [Check connectivity to OpenLM Server]. If a connection has been established, you should see the following dialog (Figure 9). Click [OK].
    

    Figure 9: The connection success dialog.

    If a connection could not be established (Figure 10), check to see that the OpenLM Agent service is running. See the “Service Check” section below in this document for more details. Additionally, check to see if you have a working network connection the OpenLM Server and that the server is operational.

    

    Figure 10: The connection failure dialog.

     

11. [Optional] If the OpenLM Applications Manager extension was installed at step 5, the OpenLM Applications Manager tab will be available at the top of the Agent Configuration screen. Click the tab to reveal additional options related to the OpenLM Applications Manager (see Figure 11).
    

    Figure 11: The Agent’s Applications Manager configuration tab.

    Check that all options are set correctly:

    • “OpenLM Applications Manager server” field should point the correct OpenLM Applications Manager hostname or IP address. (by default: localhost)
    • Check the “Use SSL” box if the network uses SSL security. (by default: unchecked)
    • “Port” field must match the “OpenLM Applications Manager” connection port (by default: 27080)
    • [Check connectivity status] will test the above parameters to establish a server connection. The functionality and error/success messages are the same as in step 10.
    • [Products list and paths] – by pressing the [Configure] button, you’ll be able to add to the list of applications monitored by the OpenLM Applications Manager.
    • “OpenLM Applications Manager Service status” shows the status of the OpenLM Applications Manager service, which can be started by clicking the Run button.
12. Once you have set your options as required, click [Apply] to save and close the configuration screen.

At this point, the OpenLM Agent installation is complete.

Option B: Installing the Agent using silent mode

This installation method allows users to quickly install OpenLM Agent with predefined options and thus, eliminating the need for the on-screen ‘Wizard’ assistance.

1. Open a command prompt with administrative privileges (see Figure 12) by pressing Windows + R, typing cmd and pressing Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
   

   Figure 12: A command prompt with administrative privileges.

2. Start the Windows Installer component using your preferred installation parameters in the command prompt, by using the following command format:
   msiexec /i <MSI installation file path> /qn /norestart <parameters>
    
   “MSI installation file path” should be replaced with the location where the OpenLM Agent MSI installer resides. For “parameters”, please consult the “Installation options and parameters” section in this document below.
3. Press Enter to execute the command and start the installation.

At this point, the installation is complete. For further information on configuring basic OpenLM Agent functionality, please see this dedicated how-to.

Option C: Installing the Agent through SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager)

Although we recommend using Group Policy Object (GPO) installation as described in this document as the primary method, installing the Agent through SCCM is also possible.

The following section will describe the general steps of installing OpenLM Agent using SCCM. These instructions assume that there is already a working SCCM installation in your environment as well as the workstations where the Agent will be deployed. In-depth configuration, information and support about SCCM are beyond the scope of this document, so for further assistance please consult with Microsoft Support.

The installation consists of two stages:

1. Creating the installation package for the application
2. Deploying the application on the target workstations

Creating the OpenLM Agent installation package

1. Download the OpenLM Agent installer (openlm_active_agent_win_####.msi) on the SCCM server or on a network share accessible by that server.
2. Open the SCCM Configuration Management Console on the SCCM server.
3. Navigate to the Applications tab in the Software Library menu, left of the screen (Software Library → Overview → Application Management → Applications).
4. [Optional] A folder can be created under Applications in order to help manage the applications of the organization. This may be helpful in cases where it is an advantage to create applications for a variety of situations.To create a folder, simply right-click on Applications and choose “Folder” from the popup list. Enter Folder Name in the Configurations Manager screen and click [OK].
5. Right-click on Applications and choose “Create Application” from pop-up menu. An “Application Wizard” dialog will open, displaying general information (see Figure 13).Note: If an application needs to be added to a folder, which was created at step 4, you’ll need to simply right-click on the folder name in the menu, instead of clicking on Applications.
   

   Figure 13: The “Create Application Wizard” displaying the General panel.

6. Select “Automatically detect information about this application from the installation files” by clicking the radio button. This will use information from the installation files for automating the setup as much as possible.
7. Choose an installation file type, then click the ‘down’ arrow on the Type drop-down list and choose “Window Installer (*.msi)”.
8. Click [Browse] to locate the MSI installation file obtained on step 1.
9. Click [Next] to advance to the ‘View Imported Information’ panel, which displays information automatically captured from the installer package.
10. Click [Next] to advance to ‘Specify information about this application’ panel (see Figure 14)
    

    Figure 14: The “Specify information about this application” screen.

11. Enter your comments and details in to the upper fields. These can help you identify and sort applications during search. The fields include Name, Administrative Comments, Manufacturer, Version, Optional Reference and Administrative Categories.
12. Modify the Installation program field as required and use the [Browse] button to locate the installation file in question. This field can include options you would normally use in silent installation from the command line. See the “Installation parameters and options ” section further in this document.
13. In the lower half of the panel, select the desired installation behavior from the “Install behavior” drop-down menu:
    • “Install per user” – Installs using rights taken from the current user.
    • “Install per system” – Installs using SMS Agent Host service rights (Local System account).
    • “Install per system if the resource is a device otherwise, install per user” – If the application is targeted for a collection of devices, use install per system. If the application is targeted as a collection of users or user groups, use install per user.
14. Click [Next] button to advance to the Summary screen.
15. Review the compiled information for the application install. If anything needs to be changed click [Previous] to navigate back through the wizard screens. Return to Summary screen after completing changes.
16. When everything has been reviewed, click [Next] on the Summary screen. It will save the changes and display the progress screen (see Figure 15) while the application is created. When the process has finished, the completion screen will appear along with a review of the process (see Figure 16).
    

    Figure 15: The “Create Application Wizard” progress screen.

     

    

    Figure 16: The “Create Application Wizard” success screen.

17. Click [Close] to exit the wizard.

At this point, creation of the installation package is complete. It will be available in the SCCM console listing under Software Library → Overview → Application Management → Applications.

Additional applications may be created to handle different installation criteria by repeating step 4 through 17. Additional parameters and details may be added by right-clicking the application in the console and choosing “Properties”.

Deploying the application on the target workstations

1. Open the SCCM console and locate application in the listing under Software Library → Overview → Application Management → Applications.
2. Right-click on the OpenLM Agent application and select “Deploy” from the popup menu that appears. The “Deploy Software” Wizard will open along with a General screen (titled “Specify General Information for this Deployment”). The ‘Software’ field will be prefilled with the application name (see Figure 17).
   

   Figure 17: The “Specify general information for this deployment” screen.

3. Click [Browse] to the right of the “Collection” field → the “Select Collections” screen will appear. By default the User Collections window is opened (see Figure 18).
   

   Figure 18: “Users Collections” window on the Select Collection screen.

4. Use the drop-down list in the upper left part of the “Select Collections” screen to navigate to the desired User Collections, then choose from any available options which appear in the right part of the screen.
5. [Optional] Use the drop-down list in the upper left part of the “Select Collections” screen. Then navigate to “Device Collections” and choose from the available options which appear in the right part of the screen (see Figure 19)
   

   Figure 19: “Device Collections” window on the Select Collection screen.

6. Click [OK] to accept the changes and return to the General screen.
7. Click [Next] to advance to the “Content” screen (panel titled “Specify Content Destination”).
8. Click [ADD] to open a popup menu and choose “Distribution Points”. Add distribution points by marking the checkboxes on Add Distribution Points screen.
9. Click [OK] to return to the Content screen.
10. Click [Next] to advance to the “Deployment Settings” screen (panel titled “Specify Settings to Control How this Software is Deployed”)
11. Default values for “Action and Purpose” are “Install” and “Available,” respectively. “Available” needs to be changed to “Required”, as these options are the suggested ones when installing OpenLM Agent.Click [Next] to advance to the “Scheduling” screen (panel titled “Specify Schedule for this Deployment)
12. [Optional] Use the options on the “Scheduling” screen to specify the time of installation. The default value of “As soon as possible after the available time” will launch installation as soon as possible following completion of the deployment setup.
13. Click [Next] to advance to “User Experience” screen (panel titled “Specify the user experience for the installation of the software on the selected devices”).
14. [Optional] Adjust the options as desired. The default for “User Notification” is “Display in Software Center and show all notifications.” “Commit changes at deadline or during maintenance window (requires restart)” is also checked by default.
15. Click [Next] to advance to the “Alert” screen (panel titled “Specify Configuration Manager and Operation Manager alert options”).
16. [Optional] Adjust the options as desired. None of the options are enabled by default.
17. Click [Next] to advance to the “Summary” screen (panel titled “Confirm settings for the new deployment”).
18. Review the information compiled for deployment. If anything needs to be changed, use the [Previous] button to go back through the wizard screens. Return to the Summary screen after making any changes.
19. Click [Next] on the “Summary” screen to accept changes and initiate deployment. A progress screen will appear.
20. When the process has finished, the Completion screen will be displayed along with a review of the completed process.
21. Click [Close] to exit the wizard to return to the console screen.
22. [Optional] Locate the deployment by clicking the Deployments tab at the bottom of SCCM console screen with the selected application.

Upon successful deployment, OpenLM Agent should appear in the client’s “Software Center” and will be installed automatically.

Installation Options and Parameters

This section lists the install parameters that can be used during silent mode or SCCM installations. The parameters are divided into three sections:

• Command Parameters
• Active Agent Extensions
• License Manager Extension Parameters

Installation Command Parameters

Agent Extensions Parameters

OpenLM Extensions are software modules that enable OpenLM to retrieve idle licenses through the “Save and Close” method. Additional information on OpenLM extensions can be found on the OpenLM website (OpenLM Extensions). Parameters and values for installation during silent installation are listed in the table below.

NOTE: Extensions can only be installed when the relevant application has already been installed on the workstation. So if an associated application is not present on the workstation, the installation flag will be ignored regardless if it is set or not.

Installing License Manager Extensions

OpenLM Applications Manager helps monitor and manage named, standalone and unmanaged applications, but it can also intervene with their license checkout events.

For more information, see the dedicated documentation on the website (OpenLM Applications Manager documentation).

License Manager Extension Parameters

Examples

The following examples are intended to be guidelines to possible real-world scenarios that may help users select and configure installations for their own needs. They are not intended to be suggested configurations. The ‘####’ string in each example represents the installer version number which is subject to change.

Example 1

Install OpenLM Agent and connect it to OpenLM Server ‘145.13.4.121.’ Hide notification icon. Set logging level to ERROR:

msiexec /i “C:\tmp\openlm_agent_win_####.msi” /quiet /norestart SERVERNAME=145.13.4.121 SHOW_NOTIFICATION_ICON=false ERROR_LEVEL=ERROR

Example 2

Install OpenLM Agent and connect it to OpenLM Server ‘olm_server’ on port 7777. Set the language to German. Set logging level to ALL.

msiexec /i “C:\tmp\openlm_agent_win_####.msi” /quiet /norestart SERVERNAME=olm_server SERVERPORT=7777 ERROR_LEVEL=ALL LANG=de-DE

Example 3

Install OpenLM Agent and connect it to OpenLM Server ‘olm_server,’ on server port 7012, then connect it to the OpenLM Applications Manager on port 27080 with centralized products rollout.

msiexec /i “C:\tmp\openlm_active_agent_win_####.msi” SERVERNAME=olm_server_host SERVERPORT=7012 INSTALL_PROACTIVE=1 LICENSE_MANAGER_SERVER=olm_app_manager_host LICENSE_MANAGER_PORT=27080 ERROR_LEVEL=ERROR CENTRALIZED_PRODUCTS_XML=true ALLOW_EDIT_PRODUCT_LIST=false /qn

Example 4

Install OpenLM Agent with all applications extensions and connect it to OpenLM Server ‘olm_server’ on port 7012.

msiexec /i “C:\tmp\openlm_active_agent_win_####.msi” SERVERNAME=olm_server_host SERVERPORT=7012 INSTALL_PROACTIVE=1 LICENSE_MANAGER_SERVER=olm_app_manager_host LICENSE_MANAGER_PORT=27080 ERROR_LEVEL=ERROR INSTALL_SOLIDWORKS=1 INSTALL_ARCGIS=1 INSTALL_ARCGISPRO=1 INSTALL_MATLAB=1 INSTALL_AUTOCAD=1 /qn

Example 5

Install OpenLM Agent with all applications extensions and connect it to OpenLM Server ‘olm_server’ on port 7012, then connect it to the OpenLM Applications Manager on port 27080 with centralized products rollout.

msiexec /i “C:\tmp\openlm_active_agent_win_####.msi” SERVERNAME=olm_server_host SERVERPORT=7012 INSTALL_PROACTIVE=1 LICENSE_MANAGER_SERVER=olm_app_manager_host LICENSE_MANAGER_PORT=27080 ERROR_LEVEL=ERROR INSTALL_SOLIDWORKS=1 INSTALL_ARCGIS=1 INSTALL_ARCGISPRO=1 INSTALL_MATLAB=1 INSTALL_AUTOCAD=1 CENTRALIZED_PRODUCTS_XML=true ALLOW_EDIT_PRODUCT_LIST=false /qn

Service Check

This section is only relevant when the OpenLM Applications Manager was selected during installation. You will need to make sure all of the necessary OpenLM components are running before attempting to use the module.

1. Open Windows Services (e.g., execute C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.msc or type “Services” in Windows search on the taskbar and choose Services from the result).
2. Be sure that “OpenLM SoftwareLocker Service” is running. If the service is not running, right-click the service name in the Windows Services screen and choose “Start” from the pop-up menu.
3. When the service has started, close the Services window by clicking [X] in the upper right of the screen.

When it is confirmed that the service is running, check the server connection again.

2. Upgrading OpenLM Agent

To upgrade an existing installation of OpenLM Agent:

1. Obtain the latest OpenLM Agent installer from our Downloads page
2. Disable your antivirus software for the duration of the upgrade. If your organization’s security policy prohibits you from doing this, make sure to whitelist the OpenLM Agent process (typically located at C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenLM\OpenLM Agent\OpenLM_Agent.exe)  and the OpenLM SoftwareLocker Service (typically located at C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenLM\OpenLM Agent\OpenLM_SoftwareLockerService.exe) in your antivirus settings.
3. Double-click the installer file. The upgrade wizard is virtually identical to the one for installing, so proceed to follow the steps in section 1 of this document.

3. Uninstalling OpenLM Agent

Standard uninstall:

1. Open the “Programs and Features” window (either by pressing Windows + R, typing appwiz.cpl and hitting Enter; or by going to Control Panel → Uninstall a program)
2. Locate and select “OpenLM Agent”. Click “Uninstall” at the top of the screen (see Figure 20)
   

   Figure 20: The Programs and Features screen with OpenLM Agent highlighted.

3. A confirmation dialog will pop up (Figure 21). Click [Yes] to begin removal.
   

   Figure 21: The uninstall confirmation dialog.

4. The progress screen will close when the process is complete (Figure 22). You can then close the “Programs and Features” window.
   

   Figure 22: The OpenLM Agent uninstall progress window.

At this point, the removal process is complete. Some Agent configuration files may be left behind and must be deleted manually. Their purpose is so that OpenLM Agent can be reinstalled without losing previous configurations. They can be found by default in C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenLM\OpenLM Agent\

Silent Uninstall

1. Open a command prompt with administrative privileges by pressing Windows + R, typing cmd and pressing Ctrl + Shift + Enter
2. Enter the following command then press Enter:
   msiexec /x <Product code> /quiet

where /x is the flag for removal and <Product code> must be replaced with the relevant product code.

To obtain the Product code, open a command prompt and type:

wmic product where “Name like ‘%agent%’” get Name, Version, IdentifyingNumber

You should get a code similar to the one in Figure 23.

Figure 23: The WMIC command displaying the OpenLM Agent product code.

Example uninstall command:

msiexec /x {32DBB325-482D-41B1-B390-A80BFF6795A6} /quiet