The Razorcat licensing landscape: The “state of the union”
In the world of embedded software, TESSY is the industry standard for automated unit and integration testing of C/C++ code. As organizations scale their testing for ISO 26262 or IEC 61508 compliance, managing the Razorcat Floating License Server (FLS) becomes a critical operational task.
The “testing crunch” visibility gap
TESSY licenses are high-value assets. A common challenge in embedded R&D is the “testing crunch,” where licenses are heavily utilized right before a release. However, a major source of waste is “session camping”—developers leaving the TESSY IDE open while they go to meetings or work on other code. Without real-time Razorcat usage analytics, IT managers cannot see if a license is actively running a regression test or simply sitting idle.
CI/CD vs. Desktop contention
Razorcat offers specialized CI (Continuous Integration) licenses for headless execution in pipelines. A unique challenge is managing the contention between interactive users and automated build agents (like Jenkins or GitLab). When these pools aren’t monitored, automated builds often fail due to license shortages caused by “hoarding” on the desktop side. Without monitoring Razorcat internal seat usage, you likely have significant “shelfware” that could be redistributed to your CI/CD pipeline.
Quick summary: OpenLM for Razorcat
OpenLM empowers you to transform your embedded testing investment into a data-driven operation by providing granular transparency into your FLS assets.
- Unified FLS monitoring: Support for the Razorcat Floating License Server (v8.x, v9.x, and higher).
- Identify “IDE Hoarding”: Detect when the TESSY IDE is open but no test design or execution is occurring.
- CI vs. Desktop balancing: Track usage patterns to ensure your headless CI/CD pipelines have the capacity they need.
- Permanent checkout tracking: Monitor licenses checked out for offline use (up to 30 days) to ensure they return to the pool.
- Unified safety-critical stack: Manage Razorcat alongside other tools like Parasoft, Vector, and LDRA in a single dashboard.
Comprehensive solution framework
OpenLM provides a three-layered approach to help you manage Razorcat licenses efficiently.
The visibility layer (global monitoring)
Gain a unified view of your floating TESSY and CTE licenses. OpenLM interfaces with the FLS to show current check-outs, user IDs, and hostnames. This layer removes the “black box” of lab licensing, showing you who is truly active in real time across global teams.
The automation layer (active management)
Move beyond manual seat audits. OpenLM’s active process monitoring identifies when the tessy.exe process is idle. By identifying these “zombie” sessions, you can encourage better license etiquette or manually release seats to ensure critical certification runs are never blocked.
The intelligence layer (strategic foresight)
Leverage advanced analytics to determine the true ROI of your testing stack. By analyzing Razorcat usage frequency and duration, you can justify every dollar spent on premium modules and right-size your next renewal based on actual demand.
Technical details: The OpenLM Razorcat integration
OpenLM uses a secure, Broker-based approach to capture high-fidelity data from your Razorcat environment, optimized for FLS v9.x standards.
Seamless connectivity and monitoring
- Native Broker support: The OpenLM Broker is installed on the license server to query the FLS locally using the flsutil.exe utility.
- Default Port Monitoring: OpenLM typically monitors the Razorcat FLS over port 10000 (or your custom port defined in fls.conf).
- Feature-level tracking: Track specific feature increments for TESSY, CTE (Classification Tree Editor), and ITE (Integrated Test Environment).
- Resolution: Captures check-out and check-in events with 1-minute resolution, providing a high-definition view of your license availability.
Advanced reporting
- Actual Usage vs. Assigned: Visualize the gap between your total license pool and your peak concurrent demand.
- License Expiration Tracking: Manage maintenance and subscription dates for all Razorcat modules in one centralized hub.
Strategic ROI and business value
Organizations leveraging OpenLM for Razorcat typically see a 15–20% improvement in license availability.
- Procurement support: Use “actual activity” data to challenge renewal costs and right-size your tester-to-license ratio.
- Accelerated certification: By eliminating license-related test failures, you remove a major hurdle in your ISO 26262/ASIL compliance journey.
- Audit-ready stance: Maintain a continuous, verifiable record of usage to ensure you stay within your contractual limits.
