Name: Shadow Licensing Uncovered: Smart Control for Unmanaged Software
Start: 2026-02-04T10:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-04T17:00:00+00:00
Location: OpenLM

Reprise license management (RLM) and optimization with OpenLM

Reprise License Manager (RLM) is a leading software license management solution, trusted by hundreds of software publishers and tens of thousands of end-user organizations. Founded by the original developers of FLEXlm (now FlexNet), RLM was designed to emphasize simplicity, transparency, and flexibility, avoiding the complexity of first-generation license managers.

OpenLM provides a comprehensive Software License Management (SLM) solution that seamlessly integrates with the Reprise RLM license manager. OpenLM Reprise RLM monitoring delivers real-time usage data and critical denial reports, enabling you to reduce waste, optimize your license pool, and ensure your engineering teams have uninterrupted access to their software.

Understanding RLM licensing: Simple, flexible, and transparent

RLM is unique in its design philosophy: it moves policy enforcement out of the application code and places it directly into the plain text license file. This allows administrators to easily understand exactly what they are entitled to.

What is Reprise RLM?

Reprise RLM is a flexible, cross-platform license management tool that controls the allocation of licenses by tracking which users and computers can use named licenses. It consists of a generic server (rlm) and an ISV-specific server, with requests transmitted over TCP/IP. RLM supports deployment both on-premises and through its hosted solution, RLMCloud.

RLM licensing schemas

RLM supports various license models without requiring code changes in the product:

Floating (Concurrent) licenses: This model allows a license to “float” on a network, being shared by any user who can access the license server, up to a concurrent usage limit. This is managed by the RLM license server.
Node-locked (Fixed) licenses: Licenses are tied to a specified host or computer. Notably, RLM node-locked licenses often do not require a license server to run, simplifying deployment.
Other models: RLM supports numerous other types, including trials, subscription, and named-user licenses.
Automatic server discovery: RLM-enabled applications can automatically find license servers over a Local Area Network (LAN), which simplifies customer support.

OpenLM's solution for Reprise RLM monitoring and optimization

OpenLM provides deep integration with the Reprise RLM license manager, using RLM’s dedicated reporting utilities (rlmutil) and parsing the unencrypted report log files to create comprehensive usage reports.

OpenLM capability	Value for Reprise RLM licenses	Supported by OpenLM
Real-time usage monitoring	Tracks usage activity across all RLM-supported applications in a single dashboard. Report resolution is By second.	Yes
License denials reporting	Tracks when and why users are denied access. Denials reporting is fully supported.	Yes
Expiration date reporting	Tracks when licenses are due to expire.	Yes
License harvesting/Reclamation	Dedicated optimization tools are available to manage and reclaim idle RLM licenses.	Yes
Project and Group usage reporting	Provides reports for license usage per user, host, or usergroup.	Yes
Borrowed license reporting	OpenLM does not currently support tracking borrowed RLM licenses.	No
Multiple server redundancy	OpenLM does not currently support monitoring RLM’s multiple server redundancy schemes.	No

The OpenLM advantage for Reprise RLM

OpenLM provides the centralized control required to manage RLM at an enterprise scale, eliminating fragmented visibility and moving you from reactive troubleshooting to proactive optimization.

Evidence-based negotiation: Detailed reports showing that you own licenses but rarely use them concurrently give you the evidence to reduce your renewal count and reallocate budget.
Solve denials instantly: Real-time denial tracking ensures you can quickly distinguish between a true license shortage and a simple configuration error, minimizing engineer downtime.
Simplicity and transparency: Leverage RLM’s plain text logs and OpenLM’s advanced analytics to easily audit license activity and utilization patterns.
Unified SAM: Monitor RLM alongside over 70 other license managers (including FlexNet), giving you a single source of truth for your entire software portfolio.