SUMMARY: using different versions of FlexLM license servers

From: Geert Jan de Groot (geertj@ica.philips.nl)
Date: Mon Jan 18 1993 - 21:39:58 CST


[I didn't ask sun-managers, but spent quite some time and quite some
knowledgable people on this. I think this information is nice-to-have
when you get into the FlexLM license server business, so I hope some
will profit from the effort I made]

As we all know and complain about, SUN has unbundled its C-compiler in
solaris 2.x. The compiler is now sold separately, and is protected
with a floating license server.

The license server stuff they use is not made by SUN, but by Highland
Digital, and is called 'FlexLM'. It consists of a generic server
(called lmgrd) and vendor-specific license servers, i.e. multiple
vendors can use this license-server independently.
At least, that is what the glossies say. But it isn't that easy!

We already had an lmgrd running. It was used for ABEL by data-io.
The license software provided was version 1.50.
The sunpro-compilers now also have this software. It is version 2.26d.

I merged this software with the (older) ABEL license stuff, but the
result didn't work: If I used the new (sun) lmgrd, the ABEL license
would not come up, if I used the old (data-io) lmgrd, the SUN licenses
would not come up.

The solution was quite simple after all:
1. Use the new software, except the vendor-specific daemon (for which
   no new version exists)
2. Add an (undocumented!) -b flag at the end of the lmgrd command line.
   This enables backward-compatibility.
   Note that there is no mention of this flag in the sparcworks installation
   manual!
3. The licenses now should come up. You cannot check the 'old' daemons with
   the new 'lmstat' command; use the old 'lmstat' for that.
   I.e.: use the NEW lmgrd, but the OLD utilities!
4. Complain to the vendor why they have not upgraded their stuff yet.
   Ver 1.5 seems to be 3 years old..

Phone numbers of Highland Digital: tech support +1 408 255 0274,
sales etc +1 415 493 8550.

I would like to thank Guido Raymakers and Jo Meier of Sun Netherlands,
Jack Peeters of SIMAC, and Highland tech support for their joined effort
to make this work.
I spent all weekend on this, so I hope this does help some other people.

Geert Jan

BTW:I received a postscript manual for this software. Ask if you want a copy.



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