Home → More on Networks → Servers (6.x/7.x/8.x) → Operating 6.x/7.x Network Licenses without Server Manager
Applies to: Palisade Concurrent Network and Enterprise Network software, releases 6.x/7.x
Please note: These instruction have been tested successfully both here and at a customer site. However, our supported configuration is Palisade Server Manager. If you have difficulties with these instructions, and we can't help you relatively quickly, you may need to use Server Manger as the most efficient route to a solution.
I have numerous network products with FLEXnet licenses, and I manage them all with LMTools or another product. Can I use that same license manager with the Palisade licenses, or must I use Server Manager?
If you currently have 5.x licenses, and no 6.x or later licenses, please don't use this article but see the attached file, KB543_WithTransitionFromV5.docx.
We strongly recommend Palisade Server Manager for initial setup, creating and configuring the license service. With 7.5.2 or newer, you must install Palisade Server Manager to get the right version of FLEXnet licensing software. After the install, Palisade Server Manager is optional for all functions except activating or deactivating activatable (Trusted Storage) licenses. Please see Choose Network License Type for the differences between activatable and certificate licenses. If you wish, Palisade Technical Support can exchange an activatable license for a certificate license on request.
Install Palisade Server Manager
This sets up the 7.x Palisade license service, which uses FLEXnet Publisher 11.10. The 7.x service can serve all 5.x–7.x licenses.
Run the server installer, from the link provided by Palisade in your email.
On the "Finish" screen of the installer, there will be a check box to launch Server Manager. Verify that the box contains a check mark, and click Finish.
When Server Manager launches, click Options and configure port number(s) and borrowing. Click OK.
If you choose to allow borrowing, it will apply only to 6.x/7.x licenses. End user instructions are at Borrowing a Concurrent Network License for Use off Network.
If you have an activatable license, click Activate and follow the instructions on screen to activate it. When prompted to create a Palisade_NetworkClient.ini file, create the file because you will need it for client installs.
If you have a certificate license, click the license in the bottom half of the Server Manager window and then click Create Client.ini. You will need this file for client installs.
Click Start Service. If you wish, click Status to verify that the licenses have been found.
Close Server Manager.
Ongoing License Management with LMTools
From here on, you can use LMTools exclusively for the 6.x/7.x licenses, except when activating or deactivating an activatable license.
The Palisade 7.x service name is "Palisade License Service".
The license files (Server.lic and PalisadeNetwork.lic) and options file (Palisade.opt) are located in the same folder where you installed Palisade Server Manager. You can rename them, if you wish. If you move the license files, move the Palisade.opt file to the same folder or specify a path on the VENDOR line of Server.lic. After a rename or move, edit the "Palisade License Service" service in LMTools.
Port numbers: If you change port numbers, make the same changes in Server.lic and PalisadeNetwork.lic. If you change the lmgrd port number, change it in Palisade_NetworkClient.ini also, for the benefit of any new client installs you may do later.
Borrowing: Palisade's vendor daemon reads the Palisade.opt file to determine whether to allow 6.x/7.x network clients to borrow a license for off-network use, and for how long. For any 6.x/7.x feature where you want to disallow borrowing, set MAX_BORROW_HOURS to 0. For any feature where you want to allow borrowing, MAX_BORROW_HOURS must be a multiple of 24, specifically 24×(1+maximum days to borrow). For example, to allow borrowing for up to a week at a time, compute 24×(1+7) = 24×8 = 192 and place that on the MAX_BORROW_HOURS line. MAX_BORROW_HOURS for 5.x features is ignored because your 5.x license does not support borrowing. (This use of MAX_BORROW_HOURS is not standard FLEXnet usage.)
The borrowing options can be changed while the license service is running. To make the change effective after editing the Palisade.opt file, run LMTools and on the Start/Stop/Reread tab click ReRead License File.
The debug log may contain one or more messages "Feature ... does not support borrowing, MAX_BORROW_HOURS ignored". You can ignore this message.
Client Installs
The client installer (link provided to you in email) requires a Palisade_NetworkClient.ini file at install time. The client installer stores information from this file into the System Registry on the client, which will tell the application software how to find your license server.
The Palisade_NetworkClient.ini file doesn't need to change when you install a new certificate license or activate a new activatable license, only when you change servers or port numbers.
Last edited: 2018-10-09