This option validates a user-specified license file and, if the license file is found to be valid, installs it into the license_files directory. After installing the license file, this option communicates the new license file's information to the Ansys License Manager either by starting /restarting the license manager or by rereading the license manager's settings.

If a vendor license file is already installed for the vendor contained in the license file you are installing, the previously-installed license file will be renamed to have the form license_<vendor>_<timestamp>.lic and moved to the backup subdirectory in the license_files directory.

You must perform this process, using the same license file, on each license server machine.

To add a license file:

Special Considerations for Three Server (Redundant Triad) Environments

You must perform this process, using the same license file, on each license server machine.

In order for client machines to run licensed Ansys products, the Ansys License Manager must be running on the license server.

To use the Ansys License Management Center to start the license manager, Ansys License Management Center (including the Ansys Licensing Tomcat Server and the license manager) must be installed on the same computer. Additionally, a valid license file must be installed prior to starting the license manager.

To start the Ansys License Manager:

The ansyslmd.lic and/or ansoft.lic file is provided by an Ansys sales representative and contains licensing for all the Ansys, Inc. products that you are entitled to use.

Special Considerations for Three Server (Redundant Triad) Environments

The Ansys License Manager must be running on at least two of the three servers before an Ansys product can be run.

In a three-server environment, you may see a delay in starting the Ansys License Manager until two of the three servers are running.

The following procedure should be used to shut down the Ansys License Manager on all machines listed in the license file.

To stop the Ansys License Manager:

Before shutting down the Ansys License Manager, check that no products that use it are currently running.

Special Considerations for Three Server (Redundant Triad) Environments

In a three-server environment, you may see a delay in stopping the license manager until two of the three servers are stopped.

Use this option to reread the license manager settings. This option should be used when you have made changes that will affect the license manager and want to incorporate these changes without stopping and restarting the license manager.

This option:

Be aware that if you change the Licensing Interconnect port number, you will need to restart the license manager; a reread will not update the port number.

To reread the License Manager:

Use this option to obtain and display the FlexNet hostid of the machine you wish to create licenses for and set up as a license server.

If you wish to use a FLEXID9 dongle as the hostid, make sure the device is inserted and the correct device driver is installed. For more information, see Using Dongles with the Ansys License Manager. Dongles are only available for those sites that require the ability to run Ansys products on an isolated network.

Accessing the Hostid

Use this option to view the FlexNet license files. You can view license files that are in use (or will be in use) in the Ansys License Manager.

Use this option to view the Licensing Interconnect log file (named ansysli_server.log by default). The Licensing Interconnect log file contains all of the actions that the Ansys license server has taken since startup.

Accessing the Licensing Interconnect Log

The Licensing Interconnect log file (ansysli_server.log) can be found in the "licensing" directory. To manually access this file, go to the following locations (by default):

Windows:

\Program Files\Ansys Inc\Shared Files\Licensing\ansysli_server.log

Linux:

/ansys_inc/shared_files/licensing/ansysli_server.log

Use this option to view the FlexNet license log file (named license.log by default). The FlexNet debug log includes the following message types:

Accessing the FlexNet Debug Log

The FlexNet debug log (license.log) can be found within the "licensing" directory structure by default. To manually access this file, go to the following location:

Windows:

\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\Shared Files\Licensing\license.log

Linux:

/ansys_inc/shared_files/licensing/license.log

Use this option to view the Ansys License Management Center log (named ansyslmcenter.log by default).

Accessing the Ansys License Management Center Log

The Ansys License Management Center log (ansyslmcenter.log) can be found within the "licensing" directory structure. To manually access this file, go to the following location:

Windows:

\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\Shared Files\Licensing\tools\lmcenter\logs\ansyslmcenter.log

Linux:

/ansys_inc/shared_files/licensing/tools/lmcenter/logs/ansyslmcenter.log

This option extracts data from your license manager to produce a live current license usage report. This report displays the number of feature licenses used by each user in a bar chart format. Additionally, a tabular chart displays maximum licenses available, user count, user names, host IDs and usage start date for each feature license.

Viewing the Current License Usage

Use this option to extract data directly from your FlexNet debug log file and backup log files to produce a line chart displaying historical license usage for a specific product.

Viewing the License Usage History

This option extracts raw data from the FlexNet debug log file and backup log files to produce a graphical display of peak usage for a selected license feature for the duration you select.

Viewing the Peak License Usage

This option extracts raw data from the FlexNet debug log file and backup log files to produce a license denial report. This report displays the number of license denials that occurred for a feature on a specified day in a graphical format.

Viewing License Denials

Use this option to display the FlexNet licensing activity (lmstat). The license server information, vendor daemon status and license usage information are displayed in the status window, along with the users of those features.

Viewing the FlexNet License Status

This option gathers various licensing-related files, logs and information about your license server system and places them in a single compressed file. This information is useful when requesting support for the Ansys License Manager.

Using the Gather Diagnostic Information option:

\Program Files\Ansys Inc\Shared Files\Licensing\

/ansys_inc/shared_files/licensing/

Use this option to see a list of license features that are queued and awaiting availability, and the applicable licenses that are being used. The report will have the following format:

FEATURE       TIMESTAMP              TYPE           NAME           COUNT     HOST                STATUS
Feature1      YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS    USER           User1          1         HostMachine1        IN USE
              YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS    USER           User2          1         HostMachine2        QUEUED 
              YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS    USER           User2          1         HostMachine2        QUEUED        
              N/A                    HOST_GROUP     HPC_CLUSTER    1                             RESERVED         
              

Where the first line shows information for the requesting user, and subsequent lines under that license feature show information for the users who are currently using the licenses for each of the licensed products that satisfy the requested license feature.

Column Content Descriptions:

FEATURE: The license feature that is being used to satisfy the requested capability.

TIMESTAMP: The date and time that the current license was requested.

TYPE: The type of user. Typically USER but can also be the reserve type from the FlexNet Publisher options file RESERVE lines for the FEATURE.

NAME: The network username that requested the license. This column could also contain the name of the RESERVE option from the FlexNet Publisher options file.

COUNT: The number of license(s) requested by the user.

HOST: The host computer requesting the license(s).

STATUS: The current status of the license request. The status can be:

Displaying Queued Licenses

This option specifies how the Ansys Licensing Interconnect is administered in conjunction with FlexNet. In addition to the default configuration (Run the Ansys Licensing Interconnect with FlexNet) which should satisfy most users, Ansys, Inc. offers two advanced licensing configuration "modes":

Run the Ansys Licensing Interconnect without FlexNet –Use this option if you want to run a local copy of the Ansys Licensing Interconnect on another machine in addition to the Licensing Interconnect being run on the license server machine. Your site must still have the Licensing Interconnect and FlexNet running on the license server machine. With this option, FlexNet licenses will be taken from another server machine. Note that this is not the default way to set up an Ansys license server machine and should be done only if it has been determined that you need this special type of setup. Examples of when this special type of setup might be used include increasing performance if your server machine is in a remote location or managing the server load better if your license server machine serves many users.

Run the Ansys Licensing Interconnect and FlexNet independently –Use this option if you want to manage FlexNet Licensing independently of the Ansys Licensing Interconnect. In this option, you would continue to manage the Ansys Licensing Interconnect via the Ansys License Management Center and FlexNet Licensing would be managed via another tool, such as Flexera Software's FlexNet Manager. Note that this is not the default way to set up an Ansys license server machine and should be done only by experienced users with well-established licensing procedures.

These options are available for license server machines via the Ansys License Management Center’s Specify License Manager Run Mode option only after an Ansys License Manager installation has been run on this machine.

Specifying the Ansys License Manager run mode:

The Ansys License Management Center "Help" options give you access to documentation and related product information.

The Help options are: