Activating License Rights on the Server
Once the FlexNet Embedded local license server is installed and running, it needs to obtain the pool of licenses from which it then serves licenses as needed to client devices in your enterprise. To obtain this license pool, you perform an activation process, in which a capability request, containing one or more license activation IDs and their counts, used to specify the desired licenses, is sent to the back-office server (FlexNet Operations). The back office then fulfills the request by sending a response, which the license server, in turn, processes to activate the licenses. After the initial activation, you can perform additional activations as needed.
Note:If the software producer has preregistered your license server with the back office, licenses are automatically activated when the server is first started.
To perform an activation process, you need to obtain your activation IDs from the software producer. Each activation ID identifies a set of licenses to which you have rights. The software producer should provide you with a description of the licenses and counts defined for a given activation ID and the number of activation ID copies you are allowed to install. The traditional activation method is to use internet access to exchange information with the back office so that the license server is updated with the licenses without manual intervention. However, the FlexNet License Server Administrator command-line tool also supports an offline activation process, in which files are exchanged between the license server and back office by another means of communication.
Refer to the appropriate section:
| • | Online Activation |
| • | Offline Activation |
If administrative security is enabled on the license server, you might need to provide authorization credentials to perform operations described in this section. For more information, see Use Credentials to Access Operations.
Important:If the license server has not been provisioned with any features, it responds to client requests with a 503 error with the error message "Server instance <instanceID> is not ready". This is expected behavior because the server is not ready in this state.