Configure, Install, and Start on Windows
Use this procedure to install and start the FlexNet Embedded local license server as a service on a Windows platform.
Important:When upgrading your license server, uninstall the old license server service before installing and starting the service for the new license server. For instructions on uninstalling the license server service on Windows, see Uninstall on Windows.
To install and start the license server as a Windows service
| 1. | Unpack the files received from the software producer into an installation directory. |
Note:Make sure that the “producer-settings.xml” file is located in the same directory as “flexnetls.bat”.
| 2. | Open the flexnetls.settings file (located in the installation directory) in a text editor, and update it with your local environment information; or leave the file as is to accept the default settings. (For example, you might want to change the JAVA_HOME value or uncomment and provide a value for the PORT setting.) When you update any setting, these rules apply: |
| • | Any setting value that uses a space must be enclosed in quotations |
| • | Insert no spaces before or after the equal sign (=) in the setting syntax (for example, PORT=7071). |
Refer to the following for a description of each setting:
|
Setting |
Description |
|
Required Settings |
|
|
FLEXNETJAR |
The Java executable file for FlexNet Embedded local license server (default is flexnetls.jar). |
|
PUBSETTINGS |
The license server configuration file generated by the producer (default is producer-settings.xml). |
|
JAVA_HOME (or JRE_HOME) |
The path for JDK or JRE installation that the license server should use. The flexnetls batch file uses this location to find the necessary java.exe and jvm.dll files. By default, the license server uses the value of your JAVA_HOME (or JRE_HOME) system environment variable to determine the Java installation location, as indicated by the "%JAVA_HOME:"=%" (or "%JRE_HOME:"=%") value for this local setting. However, if you want the license server to use a different Java installation on your system, edit this local setting to override the server’s use of the environment variable. (This override pertains to the license server only; your system continues to use the Java installation defined by the system environment variable.) To perform the override, replace the default value (for example, "%JAVA_HOME:"=%") with the path for the desired Java installation. Note:The “flexnetls.settings” file includes both a JAVA_HOME and a JRE_HOME setting. If both values are set, JAVA_HOME is used. |
|
Optional Settings |
|
|
PORT |
The listening port used by the license server. (If no value is specified here, the server uses 7070 by default.) If the machine on which the license server is running uses multiple network interfaces, you can use the PORT option to specify the interface that you want the license server to use. Simply include the IP address for the interface in square brackets, as shown in this example: PORT=[127.0.0.1].1443 |
|
ACTIVE_HOSTID |
The hostid to use for the license server. The hostid can only be set using a configuration file if no hostid has yet been specified for the license server. Once a hostid has been set, it can only be changed using the FlexNet License Server Administrator or the FlexNet License Server Manager. The syntax is value/type (for example, 7200014f5df0/Ethernet). If no value is specified for this setting and no active hostid has yet been set for the license server, the license server uses, by default, the first available Ethernet address on the machine. If using a dongle ID or a hostid other than the first available Ethernet address, specify it here. For more information about hostids, see Understanding Hostids. Important:It is not recommended to change the hostid of a license server that has licenses mapped in the back office (FlexNet Operations). If the hostid is changed to a value that is different to that specified for the license server in the back office, any existing licenses mapped to the license server that is locked to the old hostid in the back office will be orphaned. To prevent this from happening, it is best practice to return the license server in the back office. During the return operation, the producer can transfer the licenses to a different device; this can be the same machine with the desired hostid. After the transfer, wait for the license server to synchronize with the back office (server synchronization occurs based on synchronization policies or on-demand). |
|
HTTPS_SERVER_CONFIG |
The path to the HTTPS “server” configuration file used to support incoming HTTPS from client devices. Note:The “server” configuration file is being deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Instead of the “server” configuration file, specify parameters to access the truststore file in the https-in setting in local-configuration.yaml. For more information about HTTPS setup on the license server, see Incoming HTTPS in the More About License Server Functionality |
|
HTTPS_CLIENT_CONFIG |
The path to the HTTPS “client” configuration file used to support outgoing HTTPS communication to FlexNet Operations. Note:The “client” configuration file is being deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Instead of the “client” configuration file, specify parameters to access the truststore file in the https-out setting in local-configuration.yaml. For more information about HTTPS setup on the license server, see Outgoing HTTPS in the More About License Server Functionality |
|
SERVER_ALIAS |
A user-defined name (sometimes called host name) for the license server. This name is added to server’s capability requests to the back office, where it is then saved and used to identify the license server in the FlexNet Operations Producer and End User portals. One important use for this setting is that the alias can be included in the initial capability request sent at server registration, providing a helpful name by which users can identify the new server in the portals. If no alias is sent at registration, the server is identified by its hostid. For more information about hostids, see Understanding Hostids. |
|
EXTENDED_SUFFIX |
The suffix used for the Extended Host ID feature. Contact the software producer for details. |
|
EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES |
One or more system properties (each in -Dkey=value format) that are passed to the Java Runtime system. The license server depends on the Java Runtime Environment to support certain network functionality such as specifying the HTTP proxy. For example, if you plan to have the license server communicate with the back office through an HTTP proxy, use this setting to identify the proxy parameters needed to configure the server. (For details, see Proxy Support for Communication with the Back Office in the More About License Server Functionality EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES="-Dhttp.proxyHost=10.90.3.133 The entire set of parameters must be enclosed in double quotations, even if you specify only a single parameter, such as EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES="-Dhttp.proxyHost=10.90.3.133". |
|
BACKUP_SERVER_HOSTID |
The hostid of the back-up license server in a failover configuration with the current license server (as the main server), if the back-up server is “unknown”—that is, not registered—in FlexNet Operations. This setting adds the back-up server’s hostid to the capability request sent by the current license server to the back office. The back office then automatically registers the back-up server in a failover configuration with the main server. This process saves the extra step of having to manually register the failover pair in FlexNet Operations. For more information, see License Server Failover in the More About License Server Functionality Make sure the back-up server’s hostid is the same type (for example, “ethernet”) as the hostid type of the current (main) license server. You might need to add this setting manually if it is not included as an available option in the settings file. For more information about hostids, see Understanding Hostids. |
Important:Another file, “flexnetlsw.xml” file, also contains settings used to run the Windows service. However, do not edit this file. All information in this file is generated and maintained internally and should never be updated through an external means. To update service settings, edit only the “flexnetls.settings” file.
| 3. | Open a command window as the Administrator, and navigate to the installation directory. |
| 4. | Execute flexnetls.bat -install to install the license server as a service. |
| 5. | Execute flexnetls.bat -start to start the service. |
Note:Depending on the security policies defined on your device, a warning message might be displayed, warning you to only run scripts that you trust. If such as warning is displayed, confirm that you want to allow each script to be executed.
| 6. | Confirm that the service is running by doing one of the following: |
| • | Execute flexnetls.bat -status. (The output should be Service running.) |
| • | In the Windows Services window (services.msc), check that the service FlexNet License Server - producer_name has started. (Note that in the Services tab of the Task Manager, the service’s display name is FNLS-producer_name.) |
(If you want to stop the service, run flexnetls.bat -stop.)
| 7. | To view the license server log, navigate to the server’s logging directory (by default, C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\flexnetls\producer_name\logs), and review the contents of the appropriate .log file. |
Note:Once you install the license server as service, you cannot use any of the “flexnetls” non-service command-line options, such as “console” or “install”.