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Rational License File Management

White Papers


Abstract

This white paper paper describes the different type of licenses for IBM Rational products and effective ways of managing license files for these products.

Content

Author: Karthik M




Table of Contents:






Introduction




This white paper covers the different aspects of successful configuration and maintenance of a license files from a license administration point of view. This document provides information on frequent use cases like merging Telelogic and Rational licenses, pairing of point product and token licenses, and other editing scenarios an administrator can encounter.

Rational licenses can be permanent or temporary license files. Permanent and temporary license files cannot be mixed. Instead, they must be saved in two separate locations with the license server pointed to both files. The server can then serve both the permanent and the temporary licenses.

IBM does not recommend editing the license file. However, at times the license file require editing for an effective consumption of the licenses.

Here are the different types of license keys described in this white paper:

  • Authorized User License (Named User license)
  • Authorized User Fixed Term license (FTL)
  • Activation Kit (Software Delivery Platform)
  • Floating license
  • Floating license fixed term license (FTL)
  • Token licenses.



Authorized User Licenses




There are two types authorized user licenses: "Node locked" and "User based". Node locked licenses are generated against a host machine and do not require license server software. Node locked licenses have the keyword "uncounted" in the license file. Here is an example of an authorized user license file for DOORS:

    FEATURE DOORS telelogic 2008.1231
    31-dec-2009 uncounted \
    1234567890ABCDEF1234
    VENDOR_STRING=T99-12345
    HOSTID=DISK_SERIAL_NUM=12341234

User based licenses are generated against the license server and require an options file to be configured. User based licenses are also known as "Named user licenses". User based licenses have the key word “USER_BASED” in the increment block. Not all the products have named user based licenses available. Here are the products that have user based licenses:

  • Rational Change
  • Rational Focal Point
  • Rational Synergy
  • Rational Asset analyzer
  • Rational Insight
  • Rational Publishing Engine
  • Rational PurifyPlus (UNIX and Linux)

Here is an example of a named user license file:

    SERVER TESTserver1 DISK_SERIAL_NUM=6ccf3394 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR telelogic
    VENDOR rational
    INCREMENT DWA_EDIT telelogic 2014.01151 15-jan-2014 1 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 USER_BASED ISSUED=13-Dec-2012 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      1234 5678 9999 9999 9999 9999 9999"



Authorized user fixed term licenses (FTL)




Authorized user fixed term licenses (FTL) work the same way as authorized user licenses. However, the only difference is these licenses are term based. Once a fixed term is completed these licenses will not work and they expire. Here is an example of an authorized user fixed term license file:

    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR telelogic
    VENDOR rational
    INCREMENT DCCC telelogic 2014.0115 15-jan-2014 uncounted \
      C9999999999999999999999 VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 \
      HOSTID=DISK_SERIAL_NUM=XXXXXX ISSUED=13-Dec-2012 SIGN2="XXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX\
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"

In this example, the authorized user fixed term license is valid only till 2014.0115 (January 15, 2014).

In a regular authorized user license, there is a maintenance date that is only the expiration of the license maintenance, not the actual license. In an authorized user fixed term licenses the actual license file expires.



Activation kits




Activation kits act similar to node locked license keys. However, activation kits do not take the host information of the machine when generated or activated.

Once you generate an activation kit from your Rational License Key Center account, you can pass on the same activation kit to the number of users to which you are entitled. You can only generate the kit once in the License Key Center, but it can be downloaded from the License Key Center any number of times.

Activation kits are dependent on the version of the product. Activation kits are available only for Rational products. For example: An activation kit for Rational Performance Tester V8.0 will not work for Rational Performance Tester V8.2 and vice versa.



Floating license




A floating user licenses means anyone on the network can use the licensed software, up to the limit specified in the license file. Floating licence keys require a license server. Users "check-in" and "check-out" licenses from a pool as they use the Rational product.

Here is an example of a floating license file:

    SERVER testserver1 84719fb6 19353
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR telelogic
    VENDOR rational
    INCREMENT DOORS telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 50A01010028E4D5E9A14 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX\
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"
    INCREMENT DRL telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 60C07010B1AA2012F76D \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"



Floating fixed term license (FTL)




Floating fixed term licenses (FTL) work the same way as the floating user licenses. However, the only difference is these licenses are term based. Once a fixed term is completed, these licenses expire and will no longer work.

Here is an example of a floating fixed term license file:

    SERVER Testserver 782bcb55d27c 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR telelogic
    VENDOR rational
    INCREMENT Change-Base telelogic 2014.0115 15-jan-2014 1 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=13-Dec-2012 SIGN2="XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"

In this example the floating license fixed term is valid only till 2014.0115 (January 15, 2014).

In a regular floating user license, there is a maintenance date that is only the expiration of the license maintenance, not the actual license. In a floating user fixed term license, the actual license file expires.



Token licenses




With token licenses each product consumes a predefined token value, not a predefined quantity as with traditional floating licenses. The token based licensing allows you to buy a certain number of tokens for defined Rational products that use the token based licensing model.

Tokens are the most flexible method of licensing. It is a floating license key where each license has a predefined token value replacing the static license quantity. The IBM Rational License Key Server (RLKS) automatically calculates the tokens being checked in and out by different products. Tokens are consumed and released when a product checks in or out licenses from the license server. The users are able to obtain a license as long as there are sufficient, unused tokens available for the entitled token products.

The token license solution is available for select Rational products and is only fixed term.

An actual token license file will have a "master" feature line that has:

  • The "TLSTOK" key word
  • The number of tokens generated for the server
  • Date on which the token term expires
  • The increment block for each predefined product covered by the token agreement

Here is an example of a token license file:

    INCREMENT TLSTOK ibmratl 2.0 15-jan-2014 50 vendor_info="0|IBM \
      Rational Main Token Feature|0" ISSUED=12-Mar-2013 \
      NOTICE="Sales Order Number:Tokens - Internal Account 2013 AG" \
      AUTH={ rational=( LK=ABCDEFGHIJK) ibmratl=( SIGN="XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX") }
    INCREMENT LOG_C_REDUCER telelogic 2014.01152 15-jan-2014 1 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999:t,TLSTOK,1.0,LOG_C_REDUCER,2 sort=150 \
      ISSUED=12-Mar-2013 SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX "
    INCREMENT LOG_C_S_MIX telelogic 2014.01152 15-jan-2014 1 \
      A0B010103400E46EECCA \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999:t,TLSTOK,1.0,LOG_C_S_MIX,2 sort=150 \
      ISSUED=12-Mar-2013 SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX "

In this example, the increment with key word "TLSTOK" is the master feature line. There are 50 tokens generated and the token term expires on January 15th, 2014.



Editable and non editable components of a license file




With the understanding of the different types of license keys, you must aware that there are only certain components in a license key that can be edited and there are others that cannot be edited.

Note: Manually editing a license key incorrectly can corrupt the license file and make it unfit for use. Always backup your license file. Only a person having sound knowledge of the license file or licensing concepts should attempt editing the file. Contact IBM Rational Client Support if you are not sure on how to edit a file.

These are the components that can be edited in a license file.

  • Vendor daemon
  • Ports for the lmgrd and the vendor daemons
  • Appending of new set of licenses generated for the same host
  • Also editing the host name in the license file (Applicable only for the evaluation licenses)

These are the components that cannot be edited in a license file:

  • Increment lines or any value in the entire increment block
  • Host ID on the license file
  • Package line (Only if applicable)

This white paper presents the more probable scenarios of when you can edit an existing license file, the correct way of editing the license file, and the best practices that are applicable before you start any editing work on the license file.



Scenarios where you edit a license file





Merging of two license files (Rational) and (Telelogic)




The license file for a Rational product that is generated and downloaded from the License Key Center ends with an extension “.upd”. For Telelogic products, the license file generated ends with the extension “.dat”.

You can open the Rational license file with a text editor and append it to the Telelogic license file. You can also append the contents of the Telelogic license file to a Rational license file in an exact same manner discussed in the next example.

Once the appending is done, you can save it in a ".upd" format and import it using the Rational License Key Administrator. Alternatively, you can also save it in ".dat" format and point the Rational License Key Server directly to this file.

For example: You have two license files, one generated in ".upd" format and another in ".dat" format for the same host name (testserver1) and the same host ID.

Here the license file generated in the .upd (Rational) format:

    SERVER testserver1 84719fb6 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR rational

    INCREMENT RLPwCC rational 1.00000 permanent 3 8C003AF180A0 \
    VENDOR_STRING="0|Floating|0| ClearQuest:1.1, RequisitePro:4.0, \
      ClearCase:1.0" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=U vendor_info="0|IBM \
      Rational Lifecycle Pkg with ClearCase Floating License Key|0" \
      ISSUED=03-mar-2010 NOTICE="Sales Order Number: XXXX for \
      XXXXXXXXX ck=103 SN=4415790

Here is the license file generated in the .dat (Telelogic) format:

    SERVER testserver1 84719fb6 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR telelogic
    VENDOR rational
    INCREMENT DOORS telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 50A01010028E4D5E9A14 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"
    INCREMENT DRL telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 60C07010B1AA2012F76D \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX "

You have two options:

    1. Merge the ".upd" license file with the ".dat" license file by copying only the increment blocks from the ".upd" license file and appending it to the ".dat" license file.

    2. Merge the ".dat" license file with the ".upd" license file by copying only the increment blocks from the ".dat" license file and appending it to the ".upd" license file.

Here is the result of merging the .upd (Rational) file with the .dat (Telelogic) file:

    SERVER testserver1 84719fb6 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR telelogic
    VENDOR rational
    INCREMENT DOORS telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 50A01010028E4D5E9A14 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"
    INCREMENT DRL telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 60C07010B1AA2012F76D \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"
    INCREMENT RLPwCC rational 1.00000 permanent 3 8C003AF180A0 \
      VENDOR_STRING="0|Floating|0| ClearQuest:1.1, RequisitePro:4.0, \
      ClearCase:1.0" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=U vendor_info="0|IBM \
      Rational Lifecycle Pkg with ClearCase Floating License Key|0" \
      ISSUED=03-mar-2010 NOTICE="Sales Order Number:XXXXXXX for \
      XXXXXXXXXXXX" ck=103 SN=4415790

Here is the result of merging the .dat (Telelogic) file with the .upd (Rational) file:

    SERVER testserver1 84719fb6 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR rational

    INCREMENT RLPwCC rational 1.00000 permanent 3 8C003AF180A0 \
      VENDOR_STRING="0|Floating|0| ClearQuest:1.1, RequisitePro:4.0, \
      ClearCase:1.0" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=U vendor_info="0|IBM \
      Rational Lifecycle Pkg with ClearCase Floating License Key|0" \
      ISSUED=03-mar-2010 NOTICE="Sales Order Number: XXXX for \
      XXXXXXXXX" ck=103 SN=4415790
    INCREMENT DOORS telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 50A01010028E4D5E9A14 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"
    INCREMENT DRL telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 60C07010B1AA2012F76D \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"



Editing old license file to support new vendor daemon




In versions of Rational License Key Server later than V8.1.1, you require the vendor daemon "ibmratl" to serve out licenses. There can be a scenario that you have an old license file that does not have ibmratl after having to upgrade Rational License Key Server to V8.1.1 or later.

Here is an example of a license file without the ibmratl vendor:

    SERVER testserver1 0050569935A6 19353
    DAEMON telelogic
    DAEMON rational


    FEATURE Telelogic_Support telelogic 1.000 31-aug-2009 1000 \
    9070F0701A540F33A04E VENDOR_STRING=XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX"

    FEATURE SA-SystemArchitect telelogic 2009.0831 permanent 20 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-342145 ISSUED=21-Aug-2008 SIGN2="XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX"

    INCREMENT RLPwCC rational 1.00000 permanent 3 8C003AF180A0 \
      VENDOR_STRING="0|Floating|0| ClearQuest:1.1, RequisitePro:4.0, \
      ClearCase:1.0" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=U vendor_info="0|IBM \
      Rational Lifecycle Pkg with ClearCase Floating License Key|0" \
      ISSUED=03-mar-2010 NOTICE="Sales Order Number: XXXXX for \
      XXXXXXXXXXX" ck=XXX SN=XXXXXXXXX

Here is an example of a license file the ibmratl vendor manually added:

    SERVER testserver1 0050569935A6 19353
    VENDOR ibmratl
    FEATURE Telelogic_Support telelogic 1.000 31-aug-2009 1000 \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"

    FEATURE SA-SystemArchitect telelogic 2009.0831 permanent 20 \
    VENDOR_STRING=T10-342145 ISSUED=21-Aug-2008 SIGN2="XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX"

In this example, you removed the vendor daemon telelogic, as any version of the Rational License Key Server V8.1.1 and beyond only requires the ibmratl vendor.

Note: See technote 1411515 for information on the merging of the telelogic daemon with the ibmratl daemon.



Removing vendor daemons from the license file




A license file generated from the Rational License Key Center might have all the three vendor daemons: ibmratl, rational, and telelogic. Here is an example of such a file:

    SERVER tor-srvmon-01 005056B73D29 19353
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR telelogic
    VENDOR rational
    INCREMENT DOORS telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 50A01010028E4D5E9A14 \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX"
    INCREMENT DRL telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 60C07010B1AA2012F76D \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"

In this situation, if you have Rational License Key Server V8.1.1 or later you can encounter one of these errors:

    Rational: The desired vendor daemon is down.
    Check the lmgrd log file, or try lmreread.
    Vendor:Host:   hostname
    License path:  port number@hostname;
    FLEXnet Licensing error:-97,121

    Telelogic: The desired vendor daemon is down.
    Check the lmgrd log file, or try lmreread.
    Vendor:Host:   hostname
    License path:  port number@hostname;
    FLEXnet Licensing error:-97,121

These are only two of the error messages can can occur in this situation, but there can be other variations of the message.

In this situation, you can resolve the issue by editing the license file to have only one vendor daemon, ibmratl:

    SERVER tor-srvmon-01 005056B73D29 19353
    VENDOR ibmratl
    INCREMENT DOORS telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 50A01010028E4D5E9A14 \ \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"
    INCREMENT DRL telelogic 2012.1231 permanent 4 60C07010B1AA2012F76D \
      VENDOR_STRING=T10-999999 ISSUED=18-Jul-2012 BORROW=2160 \
      SIGN2="1XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
      XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX"



Assigning different port numbers to the vendor daemons




When the license server is present behind a firewall, this must be accounted for in the license file to ensure the client application checks out license keys without any issues. To point a client outside the firewall to a license server:

    1. Open three bidirectional (two-way communication) ports on the firewall:

      • One for the license manager daemon (lmgrd.exe), the rational daemon (rational.exe), and the IBM rational daemon (ibmratl.exe).

      • Any port numbers can be used. However, FLEXlm recommends 27000 for lmgrd and any other ports between 27001 and 27009 for rational and ibmratl.

      • If you need information on how to open ports on a firewall, contact your firewall software vendor. If your firewall is Microsoft Windows Firewall, go to Windows Control Panel > Windows Firewall and add a port from Exceptions tab.

    2. Once the ports are open on the firewall, you must specify them on the server and vendor lines (daemon in old license files) within the license file.

      • On UNIX and Linux platforms - Locate the ".dat" license file and use a text editor to modify the daemon lines to look like this:

        SERVER <hostname> <host ID> 27000
        DAEMON rational /usr/local/flexlm/sun4_solaris2/rational port=27001
        DAEMON ibmratl /usr/local/flexlm/sun4_solaris2/ibmratl port=27002


      • On Windows platforms - Locate the rational_server_perm.dat license file on the license server. By default this file is stored in:

        C:\Program Files\Rational\common (RLKS V7.0.1 and earlier)

        OR

        C:\Program Files\IBM\RationalSDLC\common (RLKS V7.1)

        OR

        C:\Program Files\IBM\RationalRLKS\common (RLKS V8.1 and later)

        Modify the file to look like this:

        SERVER <hostname> DISK_SERIAL_NUM=1234abcd 27000
        VENDOR rational "C:\Program Files\IBM\RationalSDLC\common\rational.exe" port=27001
        VENDOR ibmratl "C:\Program Files\IBM\RationalSDLC\common\ibmratl.exe" port=27002


        Also consider updating the temporary license file rational_server_temp.dat).

      • An alternative Windows platforms method - Open the Rational License Key Administrator that is installed on the license server. Access the Settings > Server Ports menu option. Enter the ports opened for each of the daemons and click OK.

        Note: Attempting to change the server ports from Rational License Key Administrator can sometimes result in the FLEXlm service stopping with error messages in the logs about missing host IDs. If this occurs, you must to apply IBM Rational Common Licensing Interim Fix 03 or modify the license file manually as per the steps in technote 1454407.

    3. Once the license server is configured with the ports opened on the firewall, go to the client machine.

      • On UNIX and Linux platforms - Set the Environment variable:

        LM_LICENSE_FILE=<port#>@<server host name or IP address>
        Example: setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE 27000@<hostname>


        You must stop and restart the Rational License Server for these changes to take effect. Kill all the current lmgrd and rational processes:

        % /bin/ps -ef | grep lmgrd

        Restart the license server using one of these commands:

        %cd <Rational>/config/start_lmgrd_on_<your machine>

        OR

        %lmgrd -c <license file> -l <flexlm log file>

      • On Windows platforms - Open the Rational License Key Administrator. Access the Settings > Client/Server Configuration menu option. Enter the lmgrd port and click OK.



    4. If you installed any IBM Rational Software Development Platform products that are configured to use floating license support:

      1. Open IBM Installation Manager and click Manage Licenses.

      2. Select the product. For example, IBM Rational Performance Tester.

      3. Select Configure Floating license support and click Next.

      4. Select I accept the terms of the license agreements and click Next.

      5. Select the line where the license server is mentioned. Click Edit.

      6. Enter the lmgrd port number in the Edit Server window and click OK.

      7. Click Finish.

Note: If you are in a Wide Area Network (WAN) or Virtual Private Network (VPN), increasing the Server Wait Time in Rational License Key Administrator settings from the default of 5 seconds to 25 gives clients enough time to establish a license server connection.



Editing the temporary license file to add the Hostname information




When you generate any temporary license from the Rational license key center website the license file will look like below

    SERVER Myhost Any 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR rational

    INCREMENT UnifyingPlatform rational 1.00000 permanent 7 2E7F7D702A24 \
      VENDOR_STRING="|Floating|0| ClearCase_LT:1.0, ClearQuest:1.1, \
      RequisitePro:4.0, soda_word:3.5, TestManager:7.1, \
      UnifiedProcess:5.1" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=UH \
      vendor_info="0|IBM Rational Team Unifying Platform Floating \
      License Key|0" ISSUED=12-may-2010 NOTICE="Sales Order Number: \
      XXXXXXXXX for XXXXXXXXXXXX" ck=XXX SN=XXXXXXXX

Cause: While generating the evaluation licenses, By default the Host name Myhost is considered and host id will reflect Any as this license can be run on any machine irrespective of the license type, But while configuring these licenses on the license key server you need to make sure that we edit this information “Myhost” and update it with the appropriate Host name of the machine on which the license key server is running.

If this is not done then the evaluation license cannot be configured on the license server and license checkouts will not happen.

However the above the license file has to be edited and we need to manually enter the host name of the machine on which the license server is running and you need to configure this license file.

If the Rational license key server is running on the host ABCD and if you need to configure this temporary license file on the Rational license key server running on this host then the license file has to be edited as below.


    SERVER ABCD Any 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    VENDOR rational

    INCREMENT UnifyingPlatform rational 1.00000 permanent 7 2E7F7D702A24 \
      VENDOR_STRING="|Floating|0| ClearCase_LT:1.0, ClearQuest:1.1, \
      RequisitePro:4.0, soda_word:3.5, TestManager:7.1, \
      UnifiedProcess:5.1" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=UH \
      vendor_info="0|IBM Rational Team Unifying Platform Floating \
      License Key|0" ISSUED=12-may-2010 NOTICE="Sales Order Number: \'
      XXXXXXXXX for XXXXXXXXXXXX" ck=XXX SN=XXXXXXXX



Pairing floating and token licenses on the same license server




When floating and token licenses are generated against the same server, the licenses are automatically merged by the License Key Center. Consider generating the floating licenses first and then generate token licenses.

By default the license key center adds this sort value for all token licenses:

    sort=150

This means that the floating licenses are consumed before token licenses. If you require the token licenses to be consumed first, then the value sort value can be changed to 75 manually.

If there are multiple versions of the same product that are requesting licenses, you must create a group to avoid license check out errors.

Create an options file with name ibmratl.opt to define groups for picking floating and token license keys. Groups can either be based on the user name of the application or host name of the machines where the application is accessed. For Example: Rational ClearCase can pick up token licenses only after version V7.1.2. If there are ClearCase V7.0 clients trying to pick up token licenses, there can be several errors in the log file.

There are several rules you can use to apply this method. Only one of these rules must be entered.

Here are the contents of the ibmratl.opt file with the rule to exclude ClearCase V7.1.2 hosts from picking up floating licenses:

    HOST_GROUP CC712hosts host1 host2 host3
    EXCLUDE ClearCase:VERSION=1.00000 HOST_GROUP CC712hosts


Here are the contents of the ibmratl.opt file with the rule to exclude ClearCase V7.1.2 users from picking up floating licenses:

    GROUP CC712users user1 user2 user3
    EXCLUDE ClearCase:VERSION=1.00000 GROUP CC712users


Here are the contents of the ibmratl.opt file with the rule to exclude ClearCase V7.0 hosts from picking up token licenses:

    HOST_GROUP CC7hosts host1 host2 host3
    EXCLUDE ClearCase:1.000002 HOST_GROUP CC7hosts


Here are the contents of the ibmratl.opt file with the rule to exclude ClearCase V7.0 users from picking up token licenses:

    GROUP CC7users user1 user2 user3
    EXCLUDE ClearCase:1.000002 GROUP CC7users

Here are the contents of the corresponding license file:

    SERVER Hostname DISK_SERIAL_NUM=AB12CD34 27000
    VENDOR ibmratl
    OPTIONS="C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\RationalRLKS\common\ibmratl.opt"

    INCREMENT ClearCase rational 1.00000 21-dec-2012 10 123456789ABC \
    VENDOR_STRING="0|Floating|0| ClearCase:1.0" DUP_GROUP=U \
    vendor_info="0|IBM Rational ClearCase Floating License Key \
    (FLEXlm license manager)|0" ISSUED=21-feb-2000 NOTICE="Sales \
    Order Number: "No Company" ck=106 SN=654321

    INCREMENT ClearCase rational 1.000002 21-dec-2012 1 ABCEF1234567 \
    VENDOR_STRING=0|Floating|0|0:t,TLSTOK,2.0,ClearCase,5:CLEARCASE \
    OVERDRAFT=0 sort=150 DUP_GROUP=U ISSUED=22-Jan-2011


    INCREMENT TLSTOK ibmratl 2.0 21-dec-2012 100 vendor_info="0|IBM \
    Rational Main Token Feature|0" ISSUED=22-Jan-2011 \
    NOTICE="Sales Order Number:Tokens - No Company \
    AUTH={ rational=( LK=722EE4F735CA) ibmratl=( SIGN="XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX") telelogic=( LK=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SIGN2="XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX \
    XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX") }

This configuration ensures that ClearCase V7.1.2 clients only pickup token licenses and ClearCase V7.0 clients only pickup floating licenses.



Pairing user based and floating licenses on the same server




Similar to pairing the floating licenses and the token licenses, you can also pair floating licenses and user based licenses. When floating and user based licenses are generated against the same server, the licenses are automatically merged by License Key Center. For a user based license, an options file must be created with all the user names that check out the user based licenses included.

Here is an example of the changes you must make in the floating and user based licenses to make sure that the userbased licenses are checked first, preventing the users on the INCLUDE lists from using the standard floating licenses.

Here is the contents of the original rational.opt file:

    GROUP PurifyPlus_000 myuser1 myuser2
    INCLUDE purify GROUP PurifyPlus_000

Here are the contents of the original rational_server_perm.dat file:

    SERVER myserver 1234dead
    VENDOR rational

    INCREMENT PurifyPlusUNIX rational 5.00000 permanent 2 123456789ABC
    VENDOR_STRING="0|NamedUser| |purecov:5.0 purify:5.0     quantify:5.0" USER_BASED DUP_GROUP=UH vendor_info="0|IBM     Rational PurifyPlus for Linux and UNIX Named User License     Key|0" ISSUED=31-Mar-2011  NOTICE="Sales Order Number: 0123 for NoCompany" ck=121     SN=1234567

    INCREMENT PurifyPlusUNIX rational 5.00000 15-Dec-2011 2 CBA987654321     VENDOR_STRING="0|Floating| |purecov:5.0 purify:5.0     quantify:5.0" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=UH vendor_info="0|IBM     Rational PurifyPlus for Linux and UNIX Floating License Key|0"     ISSUED=31-Mar-2001 NOTICE="Sales Order Number: 3210 for NoCompany" ck=83     SN=7654321

The new options file (rational.opt) must be:

    GROUP PurifyPlus_000 myuser1
    INCLUDE purify:KEY=123456789ABC GROUP PurifyPlus_000

And the new license file (rational_server_perm.dat) must be:

    SERVER myserver 1234dead
    VENDOR rational

    INCREMENT PurifyPlusUNIX rational 5.00000 permanent 2 123456789ABC
    SORT=50 VENDOR_STRING="0|NamedUser| |purecov:5.0 purify:5.0     quantify:5.0" USER_BASED DUP_GROUP=UH vendor_info="0|IBM     Rational PurifyPlus for Linux and UNIX Named User License     Key|0" ISSUED=31-Mar-2011  NOTICE="Sales Order Number: 0123 for NoCompany" ck=121     SN=1234567

    INCREMENT PurifyPlusUNIX rational 5.00000 15-Dec-2011 2 CBA987654321    
    SORT=75 VENDOR_STRING="0|Floating| |purecov:5.0 purify:5.0     quantify:5.0" OVERDRAFT=0 DUP_GROUP=UH vendor_info="0|IBM     Rational PurifyPlus for Linux and UNIX Floating License Key|0"     ISSUED=31-Mar-2001 NOTICE="Sales Order Number: 3210 for NoCompany" ck=83     SN=7654321

These changes ensure that the user based licenses are checked first. The changes prevent the users on the INCLUDE lists from using the standard floating licenses.



Conclusion




It is important for the license server administrator to have a clear understanding of the editing or modifications that can be accommodated in the license file in different situations to ensure the efficient checkout of licenses.

This white paper answers the queries and concerns related to Rational license file maintenance and the scenarios where the editing must be done. The answers these questions so that the impact is minimal during the maintenance of the license server for updating or reconfiguring the licenses.



References







Disclaimer

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. WHILE EFFORTS WERE MADE TO VERIFY THE COMPLETENESS AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, IT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. IN ADDITION, THIS INFORMATION IS BASED ON IBM’S CURRENT PRODUCT PLANS AND STRATEGY, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY IBM WITHOUT NOTICE. IBM SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF, OR OTHERWISE RELATED TO, THIS DOCUMENT OR ANY OTHER DOCUMENTATION. NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO, NOR SHALL HAVE THE EFFECT OF, CREATING ANY WARRANTIES OR REDOCUMENTS FROM IBM (OR ITS SUPPLIERS OR LICENSORS), OR ALTERING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ANY AGREEMENT OR LICENSE GOVERNING THE USE OF IBM PRODUCTS OR SOFTWARE.

Original Publication Date

07 June 2013

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Document Information

Modified date:
17 June 2018

UID

swg27038595