Monitoring Houdini license manager with OpenLM

This document describes the steps required to interface OpenLM with Houdini in order to monitor license usage and obtain license statistics.

Requirements #

To query the Houdini license manager the following components must be installed:

1. OpenLM SLM or a Cloud account.
2. OpenLM Broker v4.14 or higher installed on the same machine as the Houdini license manager.

Monitoring capabilities and features #

The current monitoring capabilities available for Houdini through the OpenLM Broker are as follows:

Additionally, using the Broker component allows for buffered communication and the ability to remotely start / stop the license manager service.

OpenLM Broker configuration #

Diagram of how OpenLM interfaces with the Houdini

OpenLM Broker queries the license manager locally. This is done through the Houdini tool (NetworkLicenceManager)Once this data is collected, it is sent to OpenLM Server for processing.

OpenLM Broker interacts with license manager by executing local command periodically and parsing the command outputs. In this case, the Broker would query Houdini’s sesinetd by executing commands such as sesictrl.exe -i.

The Broker would schedule periodic execution of this command.

• It captures the output and parses critical information such as:
  • Total Licenses
    
  • Licenses in Use
    
  • License Expiration Dates
    
  • Usernames and Hostnames
    
  • License IDs and Versions
    

Please note that OpenLM Broker must already be installed and configured to report to OpenLM Server before proceeding further.

Automatic OpenLM Broker configuration

OpenLM Broker supports automatic configuration of Houdini.

1. Access your OpenLM Broker instance. Navigate to License Managers tab and click Detect:
   
   
2. If the Houdini process or service is started, Broker will automatically scan, detect and create a port node with all required settings.
3. Click Apply to commit the changes.
4. It is recommended to manually check that the automatic configuration is working by going to Commands → data_query and clicking Execute.

Manual OpenLM Broker configuration

If auto-detect did not work, you can also add and configure the license manager manually. To do so:

1. Click Add License Manager:
   
2. Select Houdini from the “License Manager Type” drop-down menu.
3. Enter the Houdini LM port number (default 1075). Click ADD.
4. In the Executable path field, enter or browse to the root folder where Houdini (Sesinetd) is installed. Click Save.
   
5. Select the Vendors tab. Enter Houdini in the “Vendor Name”. field then click Continue.
   
6. Click Save.
7. Follow the steps in the section “OpenLM SLM configuration” below.

OpenLM SLM configuration #

Automatic OpenLM SLM configuration through EasyAdmin

If you have followed the steps in the section above, OpenLM Broker should now be transmitting data to OpenLM SLM The final step is to approve the configuration in EasyAdmin:

1. Open the EasyAdmin interface either by accessing in your browser or through Windows Start → OpenLM → OpenLM EasyAdmin User Interface
2. In the LicenseManagers window, click on the “There are x servers pending approval” “hover over the red row that contains the details of the newly added Houdini LM server entry and click Approve.
   

At this point, Houdini has been automatically added to OpenLM Server, and the configuration is complete.

Manual OpenLM Server configuration

If automatic configuration has failed, you can manually configure OpenLM SLM to connect to the OpenLM Broker installation located on the Houdini machine. This is done manually via remote sampling.

The hostname and port settings must match those that have been configured for OpenLM Broker.

Adding a Houdini server

1. Select the License Servers tab.
2. Click Add.
3. From the Type drop-down menu, select Houdini.
4. Insert a description in the Description text box (e.g. “Houdini”)
5. Set the Time Zone to where the license server physically resides.
6. Enter the Hostname and Port number of the machine where Houdini is installed.
7. Allow server fall back to the denied license toggle is off.
8. Use Broker box: on
9. Click Save.

OpenLM SLM is now configured to monitor the incoming data from OpenLM Broker.

How to verify your Houdini configuration #

To check if the Houdini License Server is being monitored correctly:

1. Open the EasyAdmin user interface (access http://OpenLM Server hostname:5015 in your browser)
2. Click EasyAdmin Start → Widgets → License Servers. Verify that the configured license manager(s) appear in the server list. A green circle node indicates an active connection to the license server.

Please note that sometimes it may take up to 3 minutes for the status indicator to change if this is a new connection.