6.2.1.2 License Server Startup Processing

License servers use The License Environment to find their license file. In addition, any file whose name ends in .lic in the current directory when the rlm server is started (or when the rlmreread command is issued) is implicitly added to the end of the license file path. Finally, a file whose name ends in .lic in the directory where the rlm binary resides is added to the list of license files processed. (Note: license files in the isv server's binary directory are not processed, only the rlm binary directory is searched.)

License servers ignore port@host specifications in the License Environment. Once the list of license files is created, the license servers process all the resulting license files. The rlm server starts all ISV servers in all license files, the ISV servers process and support all licenses in all license files with valid hostids.

When the rlm server starts, it uses the port # from the first file with the hostname on which it is running. The rlm server will attempt to use all the port #s in all the license files. It must be able to bind the port # in the first file. Once this is done, it attempts to use the port number from each additional file, logging either success or failure in the debug log. This means that when you receive a new product or license file, it can be installed in the application and rlm server directories without changing the port number in that file, which simplifies license administration.

ISV servers process all licenses in all files that have a valid hostid (by this we mean a hostid that corresponds to the computer on which the license server is running). The ISV servers attempt to combine licenses whenever possible - see the next section - and when combined the license counts add to create a single pool of licenses. ISV servers log (in the debug log) licenses with invalid signatures and licenses that will expire within 14 days. ISV servers do not process single-use (count==single) licenses.

ISV servers will detect that they are running on a virtual machine, and by default will refuse to run. See Installing License Server on a Virtual Machine to know how to run RLM server for microchip ISV on a virtual machine.