ArcGIS, ESRI, FlexLM, IBM LUM, LM-X, OpenLM, SafeNet, Sentinel HASP, Sentinel RMS

Q&A guide for OpenLM (FAQ)

December 8, 2010

OpenLM

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Installation

Where should I install the OpenLM Server?

The OpenLM server can be installed on any machine connected to the network. For evaluation purposes you can install it on your personal workstation. In the production environment, a secured and stable server is recommended.

Do I have to install OpenLM Server on the FLEXlm server?

No. OpenLM can remotely monitor one or many FLEXlm servers.

What operating system is required for OpenLM Server?

OpenLM supports almost any windows OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 R2 and Windows Server 2008 R2. We also support both 32 & 64 versions. Please check our full compatibility table on our website. Despite the fact the OpenLM Server runs on Windows platforms it can monitor FLEXlm servers that run on any operating system (UNIX, Linux, MAC OS,…).

Which license managers are supported by OpenLM?

FLEXlm (FLEXnet)

IBM LUM

Sentinel RMS

Sentinel HASP

RLM

LM-X

DSLS

EasyCopy

MathLM

BetaLM

Do you recommend to install any component on each FLEXlm Server?

Yes, we recommend to install OpenLM Broker software on each licenses server. OpenLM Broker performs important services on the server for OpenLM:

It constantly reads your license manager log files (report log files in case of FLEXlm/FLEXnet).
It can push license usage information to OpenLM Server in order to solve accessibility problems.
It controls the license manager.
It allows users to edit our FLEXlm option files using OpenLM EasyAdmin.

The installation of OpenLM Broker is not mandatory, OpenLM can function without it. OpenLM Broker is supported on Windows, UNIX, Linux and contains an easy to use installation wizard.

We have License servers in different places, some of them are located in different time zones. Do we need to install another instance of OpenLM?

No. A single instance of OpenLM can monitor all your license servers, even if they are located in different time zones.

What is the functionality of the OpenLM Agent?

The OpenLM Agent is an optional component that empowers the end user and by that it allows users to have better access to the licenses they need. OpenLM Agent provides this functionality:

The user can get immediate license availability report from OpenLM icon on the notification area.
The user can also see which users are using the licenses and full users information as synchronized with LDAP (Windows Active Directory).
When the demand for licenses is high compare to the number of the available licenses, users will get a license denial. When this happens some users may spend valuable time on searching for available license. The “License Availability Notifications” feature can save this valuable time by automatically registering a request for the user when a FLEXlm denial occurs. Once the requested license is released back to the license pool the user will get a notification that says that license may be available.
With supported systems like ESRI ArcGIS or Autodesk software, OpenLM can release idle licenses and by that enhance license usability.

How can I configure “license availability notifications”?

Open the OpenLM Server configuration form and navigate to the “Agent Policy” tab. Check “Notify End User” and then set the maximum time frame for the license order to be valid (default is 60 minutes). Users will get a license availability notification after they were denied and the requested feature became available within the set “maximum time”.

We have many workstations. How can I distribute the OpenLM Agent to end users?

OpenLM Agent Supports silent installation, and thus can be distributed by any network management system like Microsoft SMS, CA Unicenter, HP OpenView etc. If you do not have a network management system you can easily distribute it by network start-up scripts or VO.

Where can I find the commands for OpenLM Agent silent install?

All the options are detailed in our blog.

I would like to implement access control to OpenLM EasyAdmin so unauthorized users will not be able to access the system. How Can I do that?

The “OpenLM Role Based Security” extension enables system managers to easily implement access control and role based access permissions to the system. Access permissions can be applied to individual users or groups of users as synchronized with Active Directory or created locally in OpenLM.

Where does OpenLM store its information? Can I use my own relational database?

OpenLM uses an embedded Firebird database. The embedded database is a file (OPENLM_DB.FDB) typically located at: C:Program Files (x86)OpenLMOpenLM Serverdb

OpenLM also allows you to configure it to use external RDBMS like Oracle, MS SQL Server, MySQL and Firebird server.

Where is the OpenLM Users Management interface?

All OpenLM Users Management functionality is now embedded into OpenLM EasyAdmin interface. Check the “Users & Permission” menu in OpenLM control panel.

Which web server serves EasyAdmin? Can I use my own web server?

OpenLM also installs the LightTPD web server as part of the OpenLM Server installation. LightTPD is configured as a Windows Service and starts up with the machine. The use of web servers such as Apache or IIS or others is also supported.

Operating EasyAdmin

I have a lot of licenses and users. The lists are very long and I find it hard to navigate. What can I do?

EasyAdmin provides many tools that help in managing large amounts of information:

Sorting: click any title and the information will be sorted by this column.

Filtering: On the left side of each tab you can find a filtering tab. It includes automatic filters according to the most important attributes: server name, vendor, etc.

I have features that I don’t want to see in the license list. Can I hide some licenses?

Yes, on EasyAdmin Control Panel click Start->Preferences->”Show/Hide features”. Uncheck the features you want to hide and they will not be displayed.

I want to use the usage information that OpenLM system collected to generate additional charts and reports. Is it possible?

Yes, you can easily export any information displayed in EasyAdmin by clicking the green export button at the bottom of each EasyAdmin window. It will export a CSV file can later be manipulated in any spreadsheet or Database. If you configure OpenLM to use an external database you will also be able to access the information directly.

What is the purpose of the workstations window?

It allows you to know which workstations use your floating licenses. The workstations tab is very useful when you are distributing OpenLM Agents to all users workstations. It enables the system manager to track and monitor the progress of the distribution process.

We would like to be able to charge projects for software usage time. Can OpenLM help me do that?

Yes. The OpenLM Groups & Projects extension provides a full solution for this purpose. OpenLM supports a billing policy based on groups of users or on projects.

I do not see the real product name in EasyAdmin, I just see the name of the FLEXlm product name, which is not convenient. Can I set the name by myself?

Yes. The EasyAdmin Control Panel Start –> Administration –> “Products/Packages” menu opens a form that allows you to name each product and to manually arrange packages.

Will OpenLM alert me on expired licenses?

Yes, OpenLM EasyAdmin lists licenses that are about to expire within a month in red. This way you can easily detect these licenses. You can also use the extension, OpenLM Alerts to define any alerts based on license expiration dates.

We use a FLEXlm triad configuration (three redundant servers serving the same license file). Does OpenLM Server support FLEXlm triad?

Yes. In the OpenLM Server configuration tool check the “Is triad” box, and fill in the details of all three servers in the “Server Name” / ‘Port’ table.

How can I open logging on OpenLM system in order to debug problems?

Most OpenLM system components contain an easy GUI to set logging level. Please check this article.

OpenLM for ESRI ArcGIS and OpenLM for Autodesk

Do I have to install the OpenLM Agent on each workstation?

Yes. The agent communicates with OpenLM Server and when there is a need to close the application in order to free up licenses, it will save the active project and close the software. The Agent also communicates with the end user and provides a wide range of services that save administration time and empower end users to obtain floating licenses by themselves.

Does OpenLM for ESRI ArcGIS support ESRI Extensions licenses like 3D, Network, Publisher?

Yes. OpenLM fully supports ESRI software extensions. Since very often the number of extension licenses is very low compared to the number of base licenses (ArcInfo, ArcEditor, ArcView) we implemented special (optional) methods to enhance license usage rate:

OpenLM Agent closes all extension licenses when ArcGIS shuts down. It assures that when the user reopens ArcGIS extension will only be used if it is really needed.
OpenLM Server can remotely release an extension license from an idle ArcGIS session without even closing it.

Organizations can expect a huge increase in extensions usability when implementing OpenLM for ESRI ArcGIS.

What are good setting for my license release functionality?

We pre-set the system to 80% threshold and 15 minutes maximum idle time (check this article).

Can the user lose any information after OpenLM closed an idle session?

No. OpenLM always saves the project before closing it. OpenLM will not close an application if it’s processing something.

My end users express concern about the implementation of OpenLM for ESRI ArcGIS or Autodesk software in our organization. What is your experience?

OpenLM functionality is implemented in many organizations that use ESRI ArcGIS or Autodesk software. Users are typically concerned about any change and specifically from OpenLM managing their licenses. After a week of using the system most users get used to OpenLM and appreciate the fact that they can now get the license they need whenever they need it. We will be happy to help with the implementation of OpenLM and to supply references to organizations that already implemented it.

What is the support level for Autodesk software?

OpenLM fully supports the Autocad Network License Manager.

Will OpenLM close a new project that was never saved?

Yes. It will save it in a temporary folder (defined by the system administrator) with a temporary name and close it.

Can I configure OpenLM Agent to work with ArcGIS Desktop or Autocad published using Citrix (no desktop, just application window)?

Yes, OpenLM fully supports that. The only requirement is to launch OpenLM Agent with the same link that starts the application on Citrix (contact us in order to get a sample script).

In order to avoid a situation where the application was closed but, OpenLM Agent is still open and occupying the Citrix license, there is an additional settings on the OpenLM Agent configuration. On the lower part of the form the settings: “shut Agent when products are inactive after…” determines how long the Agent will stay running after ArcGIS closes. Setting it to 5 minutes can be a good start.

Support, updates and upgrades to OpenLM Software

Will you notify me when software updates are available?

Your OpenLM server can do that for you. It will automatically check for updates on OpenLM Server and send you an email message when updates are available. All you need to do is to enable Software Notification in the OpenLM Server Configuration form.

How can I get support?

You can contact us by:

* Email – Send email to support@openlm.com.