Summary

Article provides a walk through for how to create a three-server redundant environment with FLEXnet Publisher.

Synopsis

This article provides a walk through for how to create a three-server redundant environment with FLEXnet Publisher.

Discussion

To generate a license file that uses redundant servers, three servers must be specified when the license is created. Unlike independent servers, each SERVER line requires a port number, which can be any number from 1024 to 32000 which is unused at the end-user site. The order of SERVER lines in the license file (for redundant servers) specifies the end user's desired selection order for the master server node.

Here's an example floating license with three server redundancy:

SERVER pat 17003456 2837
SERVER lee 17004355 2837
SERVER terry 17007ea8 2837
VENDOR demo
FEATURE f1 demo 1.0 1-jan-2005 10 SIGN=1AEEFC8F9003
FEATURE f2 demo 1.0 1-jan-2005 10 SIGN=0A7E8C4F561F

Things to note about this example license file

• A three server redundant configuration is specified. This is a set of three server nodes, any two of which must be running for FLEXnet Licensing to function.
• Three SERVER lines and one VENDOR line required.
• All three servers communication via the same TCP/IP port.
• Two features are FLEXenabled: f1 and f2.
• Expires on January 1, 2005.
• Floating runs on any node. No hostid on FEATURE lines.
• Limited to ten concurrent licenses for each feature.

See Workaround section for an example using FLEXnet Publisher 10, and the Licensing Programming and Reference Guide for additional information on Three Server Redundancy.

Here's an example to successfully get a three-server redundancy to work using the lmflex example provided with the default FLEXnet Publisher 10 toolkit. This is using three 32-bit Windows XP systems, but it should work the exact same with the systems being used as long as they can see each other on the same network. Let's walk through it on your three systems and see if we can get it working the same. Here's the license file used:

SERVER bruce 00ffa8fba989 2837
SERVER iasupport1 000d60e2f56e 2837
SERVER mbruce 000d60e2f705 2837
VENDOR bruce10
INCREMENT f1 bruce10 1.0 permanent 10 TS_OK SIGN=EBC5A800B138
INCREMENT f2 bruce10 1.0 permanent 1 TS_OK SIGN=CF6A00B4A6A4

Please modify the host names, hostids, and FLEXnet Publisher 10 vendor daemon on the three systems. On a command-line in the platform directory, lmcrypt counted.lic and run "nmake" to build the default lmflex.c example. After it builds successfully and the license file has been successfully encripted, copy the toolkit to all three systems.

Using a command-line in the platform directory of each of the systems in the three-server redundancy, start the servers (try to start them quickly in succession; have the command set up on each of the three and then hit enter on each console so they start about 5 seconds apart). A quorum should be established. Monitor the debug output console on each system until each indicates it has established connection to tertiary redundant server. Once that's done, at the command-line of the platform directory, run "lmflex" and try to check out an "f1" license (do this on each of the three systems). Each should successfully checkout from the master server, indicated by it's debug log.