CapeSym

Table of Contents

License Activation

After installation, the license file (capesym.lic) must be updated to enable the software. The license file(s) will be configured by CapeSym for the type of licensing purchased. To do this, information about the machine on which the software is to run must be provided by the end user. Two types of licenses are supported: node-locked licenses and floating licenses. A floating license allows SYMMIC to run on any machine that can access the license manager over the network. A node-locked license allows SYMMIC to run on one particular machine. Transferring a node-locked license to a different machine is only possible by requesting a new license file from CapeSym.

SYMMIC licensing is supported by the Reprise License Manager (RLM). Other commonly used license managers, such as FlexNet, cannot be used to manage licenses for SYMMIC.

LICENSE capesym symmic_gui 2.0 06-jan-2016 single
  hostid=disksn=1SBDSW68 start=06-jan-2015 _ck=7a62bd062c sig="60PG450
  J688W5MABETX4N5ERE6UEUK5NJBF5DP822M090HFDC4W9PBKSV1YTDUFCG8EPFS0B9FC
  0"
LICENSE capesym symmic_solver 2.0 06-jan-2016 single
  hostid=disksn=1SBDSW68 start=06-jan-2015 _ck=d062bd902b sig="60PG450
  3PAXHDCW50VH143V98RQDNNU5ES6NS1R22M08TF8DW91MCNWJN4T3BJXGUAPDFSMM7QH
  G"

The license file typically contains two LICENSE lines, each line representing a "pool" of one or more licenses for a particular functionality of the SYMMIC software. The LICENSE line includes an end date for the license followed by the number of licenses (seats) in the pool. In the case of a node-locked license, the number of licenses is usually replaced by the word "single", indicating the pool contains a single seat. Only one copy of a SYMMIC graphical user interface (GUI) and one copy of the SYMMIC solver can be run at time for single, node-locked licenses. Floating licenses are distinguished by having a "1" instead of the word "single" for the number of licenses. A LICENSE line for a floating license also does not contain hostid information. Hostid information is instead given on the SERVER line at the top of the license file.

SERVER localhost disksn=1SBDSW68
ISV capesym port=51822
LICENSE capesym symmic_solver 2.0 19-jan-2015 1 start=05-jan-2015
  _ck=d3d6bcc18a sig="60P0452A59YCJ4E81KERM5YDD37GPJD7JVNMKQR22GJ8M0CM
  M70TTUY9WQ19QNV661WAY96J64"
LICENSE capesym symmic_gui 2.0 19-jan-2015 1 start=05-jan-2015
  _ck=7dd6bc4866 sig="60P0453FEP6S7KEGKVMUNQHDQCV3V5Q6EX8Q0H022GY9FMQB
  XNPMJF4QASJVRMPTX2309FN83R"

Single Node-Locked Licenses

For a single node-locked license, the host id or mac address of the machine must be sent to CapeSym so the license file can be created. When SYMMIC is started for the first time after installation, the License dialog displays the host information after a short delay, as shown below. To request a signed license file for the machine, use the Copy button to copy the host information to the clipboard, and then paste the information into an email addressed to SYMMIC_support@capesym.com.

The capesym.lic file you will receive should be copied into the SYMMIC program folder (typically C:\Program Files\SYMMIC\), overwriting the existing capesym.lic file if present. Reopening the License dialog (from the Help menu) after updating the license file will show valid licenses and expiration dates. For example, this figure shows that the software has detected at least one GUI and solver license, both of which are node-locked (machine).

License status can be checked at any time by opening the License... item from the Help menu of the SYMMIC main window. When the dialog opens, the software will scan for licenses. During the scan, a progress bar may be displayed and “Searching for licenses...” may appear at the top of the dialog. When the dialog is done searching, the available licenses will be displayed. If all licenses have expired or are otherwise found to be invalid, the dialog will report “No valid licenses were found.” The Help button in the dialog can be used to get more information about the license manager.

Multiple Node-Locked Licenses

In cases where a single machine has more than one node-locked license, the Reprise License Manager must run on the machine for the licenses to be recognized. An updated license file should be requested using the same procedure as described above for the single node-locked license, i.e. by sending the host id in an email to SYMMIC_support@capesym.com.

After copying the license file into the program directory, run the RLM. Open a command prompt and change to the program directory where SYMMIC is installed, and then enter:

C:\Program Files\SYMMIC>rlm

This will start the license manager from which SYMMIC can obtain the solver licenses. The RLM can also be installed as a service using the procedure discussed in the next section.

Floating Licenses

For floating licenses, a license update request must include the host id and the computer name or IP address of the machine that will run the license manager. The computer name or IP address provides the network location of the RLM server for the client machine license files. The RLM server must be running before SYMMIC can obtain a floating license. The License dialog can be used to show the valid floating licenses and their expiration dates. For example, the figure below shows that 10 GUI and 10 Solver license are available, but only 1 GUI license is currently in use.

Install SYMMIC onto the machine that will serve floating licenses, and use the License dialog to get the host id and computer name. Send this information to SYMMIC_support@capesym.com and copy the returned capesym.lic file into the SYMMIC program folder. The license manager (RLM) can then be started to provide floating licenses to other client machines.

To install RLM as a service (so that it is always running), open a command prompt and change to the SYMMIC program folder. Enter the following on the command line:

>rlm -install_service -service_name capesymRLM -dlog capesymRLM.log

Then, either Restart your computer, or Start the service from the Windows services manager (Control Panel -> Admin Tools -> Services). Install the RLM service on the one machine whose host id is listed in the license file. You will need administrator privileges for installing RLM as a service. Under Windows Vista or higher this may mean using the "Run as administrator" option when opening the command prompt window.

Once RLM is installed and running on the server machine, SYMMIC can be configured to run on any client machines that can access the server over the network. First install SYMMIC and delete any existing capesym.lic file in the program directory. Copy the client.lic file into the SYMMIC program folder, and rename the client.lic file to capesym.lic and then run SYMMIC.

To uninstall RLM as a service, first Stop it, then use:

>rlm -delete_service -service_name capesymRLM

To get RLM to reload the license file(s) while it is running, use:

>rlmutil rlmreread

RLM Network Port Usage

By default, the RLM server uses TCP port 5054 to display license status information in a web browser. Therefore on the server machine, directing a web browser to: http://localhost:5054 will reveal the status of the license manager, including the log of messages issued by RLM when the service was started. Accessing this log can be useful for debugging problems. The status pages can also be accessed from a client machine by using the full IP address of the server machine in the web address instead of localhost.

Two other ports may be used for floating licenses, in addition to port 5054. UDP port 5053 may be used for broadcast requests for RLM servers. Since the license manager may be simultaneously managing licenses for products from different independent software vendors (ISVs), a separate TCP port is dynamically allocated for capesym-specific floating license management. This port that must be open between the server and client machines for SYMMIC floating licenses to work properly.

The capesym-specific port number is reported on the RLM web server status page as shown above. Because it is generated dynamically, it is not known until the RLM service starts and it may change to a different (random) value with each restart of the service. It may be desirable to fix the ISV server port number. This can be done including the port number on the ISV capesym line of the floating license file. This change usually can be made to the license file without resigning it.

To open the required ports in Windows Firewall use the following procedure in Windows 7. Go to Control Panel > Windows Firewall > Advanced Settings and change the Inbound Rules. Add a New Rule... for Port > TCP at Specified local ports: 5053-5054. Add another New Rule... for Port > UDP at Specified local ports: 5053-5054. Finally, add a New Rule... for Port > TCP at Specified local ports: using the port number for the ISV Server capesym, such as port 51822 in the example shown above. Outbound Rules should already be set to allow all ports for all programs by default. But if this is not the case, the same ports should also be opened to outbound traffic from the RLM server machine.

License Roaming

License roaming allows a client machine to retain a floating license after its first use, so that the license can be reused later even if the client machine is disconnected from the network. A laptop can take a floating license on the road for several days, but while the license is roaming it will not be available to anyone else. The RLM server will report that the floating license is unavailable until either the roaming period expires or the license is returned to the RLM server by the client machine.

If a roaming license capability has been purchased and provided by CapeSym, the client license file will include a signed LICENSE line for "rlm_roam", as shown below.

SERVER 207.172.1.100 disksn=1SBDSW68
ISV capesym  
LICENSE capesym rlm_roam 1.0 permanent uncounted hostid=ANY
  _ck=a41efcd189 sig="60P0452T7TDH24BYWRNJE1CCEC8RTA0WKYEMHQG22GVMPKXV
  E07F4KJ15RBXCS6BY15X5T2AN0"

Roaming is disabled, by default. To enable roaming on a particular client machine two environment variables need to be set: RLM_LICENSE and RLM_ROAM. (To set environment variables on Windows 7 use Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced [Tab] > Environment variables prior to starting SYMMIC.) RLM_LICENSE=port@host tells the client software where to find the server that has provided the floating license that is roamed. The port part is the port number of the capesym ISV server, described above. The host part is the name and/or the IP address of the license server machine. RLM_LICENSE=51822@207.172.1.100 is an example. RLM_ROAM=n tells the license server the number of days that a floating license will be roamed after it is last checked out, according to the following table.

Note that a license does not become roamed until it is accessed by the client machine. This means that to hold the GUI license, the SYMMIC application window needs to be opened. To hold the solver license, the solver must be invoked by actually running a simulation. It may be helpful to access the RLM web server to verify that both of the licenses have been successfully roamed before disconnecting from the network.

If the client machine remains connected to the license server via the network with RLM_ROAM set to a positive number, then every time a license is renewed the roaming period will also be renewed. To disable this behavior, set the value of RLM_ROAM=0 after the license(s) first roam.

Roamed licenses will be automatically returned to the available license pool on the server when the roaming period expires. The client machine does not need to be connected to the network for this to occur. However, it is not possible for the server to restore roamed licenses early while the client machine is disconnected from the network. For this reason it is recommended to use the shortest roaming period possible (e.g. RLM_ROAM=today) in order to prevent long-term loss of the licenses when plans change.

The client machine can return a roamed license early by setting RLM_ROAM to -1, and then restarting the SYMMIC application and exiting it (to return the license). To return the solver license early it is necessary to also run a simulation on the client machine. Returning a license early only works if the RLM_LICENSE environment variable is properly set and the port number of the ISV license server has not changed. RLM version 11.2 or higher might also be required for early return of roamed licenses. RLM version 11.2 began to be used in SYMMIC version 2.8.3.

License Queuing

The default operation of the Reprise License Manager is to deny rather than queue license requests when all licenses are in use. Thus, when SYMMIC (or xSYMMIC) is unable to get a license for running a simulation, the simulation is abandoned. In prior versions, the solver license was checked out and in multiple times during a long superposition calculation. However, as of version 2.9.0 this is no longer an issue. SYMMIC and xSYMMIC now claim a license at program start and hold it throughout all operation until the program terminates. Therefore the use of license queuing is probably no longer needed in most multi-user situations, but it is still possible if desired.

To allow simulations to wait for license availability, enable license queuing by setting environment variable RLM_QUEUE=1 before running SYMMIC (or xSYMMIC). When the environment variable is defined, the simulation will wait indefinitely for the next available license, and the calculation will continue once a license becomes available. While waiting in the license queue, the console will report:

Waiting for solver license...

To eliminate license queuing, delete the environment variable RLM_QUEUE.

License queuing is only possible when the RLM server is being used to manage licenses. Hence, license queuing is always possible with floating licenses, but might not work with single machine-locked licenses. To enable license queuing with machine-locked licenses, install the RLM service on the machine.

RLM on Virtual Machines

RLM will not run a virtual machine to prevent illegal duplication of licenses. Therefore, RLM should be installed on a non-virtual server. Under special circumstances, a separate license can be issued that will enable RLM to run on virtual machines. For more information contact SYMMIC_sales@capesym.com.

RLM on Non-Windows Platforms

Versions of the RLM server are available for most platforms, so non-Windows machines can be used to manage floating licenses. (The SYMMIC software itself is only supported on Windows operating systems.) The correct version of the RLM server for your platform may be downloaded directly from Reprise Software at: http://www.reprisesoftware.com/admin/software-licensing.php

Download and install the End User Bundle for your server architecture. Then send the server information indicated above (Host Id, Computer Name, and IP Address) to SYMMIC_support@capesym.com so that a license file can be created for the server. The capesym.lic file can then be copied into the RLM server program directory to enable the server to issue client licenses.

For more information on configuring the Reprise License Manager see the RLM End-User Manual available from the Help button in the License dialog or on the distribution CD.

Licensing for Linux

If you already have the RLM license server running on another machine (Windows or Linux) in the network, and the client license file uses the full numeric IP address (i.e. not the machine name), then this license file should work fine. Just copy it over and place it in the installation /bin subdirectory. If the client license file does use the machine name, then just edit it and replace the name with the full numeric IP address (e.g. 192.168.1.1) and use that.

If you don't yet have a license for SYMMIC, run the utility "rlmutil" as follows and send the result (rlmhostid.out) to SYMMIC_support@capesym.com.

$ rlmutil rlmhostid > rlmhostid.out

A license file (capesym.lic) will be created for this machine and sent to you. You will need to place the license file in the SYMMIC installation /bin subdirectory if you have a node-locked license. If you are installing a floating license you will need to copy the license file to the directory that contains the RLM sever executable. A copy of the RLM server executable is typically installed in the SYMMIC /bin subdirectory, but if the RLM server was installed directly then you will need to copy the license file that directory instead (e.g. /opt/rlm/.).

A convenient way to update the license file while the RLM license server is running is to use the following command.

$ rlmutil rlmreread

There is no need to run the license server for a node-locked license. The RLM server is only required for floating licenses. Its usage can be seen with the following command.

$ ./rlm -?

For example, the RLM server could be run by placing the following command in a startup script.

$ /opt/rlm/rlm -c capesym.lic -dlog symmic_rlm_log.txt &

For Linux with systemd start-up, a script similar to the following could be copied to /etc/systemd/system/rlm.service.

[Unit]
Description=RLM License Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
WorkingDirectory=/opt/rlm
ExecStart=/opt/rlm/rlm -c capesym.lic -dlog +/home/username/rlm.log
User=username
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

The RLM service could then be started by:

$ systemctl enable rlm.service

$ systemctl start rlm.service

As before, the status of the RLM server can be seen using a web browser to access port 5054 on the server machine. This web server can be disabled by using the -nows flag on the rlm command line. For more information on the rlm command options please see the RLM Adminstrators guide at: http://www.reprisesoftware.com/admin/software-licensing.php.