How to install/check if my floating license file is running ?
+ Known issues for CW for PA V10.4, CW for MCU V10.6, CW for HC12 V5.1, ...
Most of the time the “Product Licenses” is working fine but there are some cases where the information provided in the Product Licenses dialog are wrong.
This is the case for:
- USBdongle license file is used for NL,
- Floating license file.
What’s about the Floating License file ?
A Floating license requires a PC defined as server (which can be a client too) and other PC(s) defined as client(s).
How to install a floating license file ?
A client has 3 ways to contact the server (in fact the service running on server):
- Using license.dat file – same file used by server and client
- Using Environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE= port@host (METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE=port@host)
- Using Environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE= port-daemon@host (METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE=port-daemon@host)
On server side
On server you must have a service managing the floating license file.
You must download the Flexlm tool available on web site:
http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overview.jsp?code=CW_LICENSE_FXDL_LMI
Please have a look to the documentation for more details:
http://cache.freescale.com/files/soft_dev_tools/doc/brochure/FLTLICINSTWINBR.pdf
The license must be locked on the Server DiskID (vol C:) or HostID.
You can check if the license is running by:
- Server Status + Perform Status Enquiry,
- Server Diags + Perform Diagnostics
On Client side
The client has 3 ways to contact the server but only 1 of these ways must be used.
Sometimes the 3 ways are running and sometimes only the port@host or port-daemon@host can be used.
This is directly linked to your LAN structure.
How the tool is checking the license ?
Case A:
By default the tool tries to find the license.dat in the installation folder.
It could be C:\Freescale\CW_PA_v10.4.0\PA\license.dat
-> this is the first way
Else if a LM_LICENSE_FILE or METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE environment variable is defined, the system will check all variables defined in this environment variables.
Here there are 2 ways to define the license.dat.
Case B:
If the license.dat is not placed in the default folder (Case A).
You must set the environment variable.
For instance the license.dat is placed in C:\Freescale\license_all\license.dat
You should have:
LM_LICENSE_FILE=C:\Freescale\license_all\license.dat
or METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE=C:\Freescale\license_all\license.dat
Case A and B required than the same license file used by the server is used on the client.
Case C:
No license.dat file is used on client.
Using LM_LICENSE_FILE or METROWERKS_LICENSE_FILE environment variables allow you to define a server and a port.
This information must be compliant with the license file defined on server.
Example of license file: SERVER My_server_name 00123456789A 1710
Server Name: My_server_name
Port: 1710
To access this server you must use:
LM_LICENSE_FILE=1710@My_server_name
or METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE=1710@My_server_name
Case D:
Now depending of your LAN, this is the case for complex architecture (different subnets, access via VPN, etc),the Case C (as case A & B) could not work.
The solution is to define a port on the daemon.
Extract of new license file:
SERVER My_server_name 00123456789A 1710
VENDOR metrowks port=27000
To access the license file you can use port-daemon@host
LM_LICENSE_FILE=27000@My_server_name
or METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE=27000@My_server_name
Most of the time we recommend to check floating license in order:
- Case A,
- Case B,
if it's not working then you can try
- Case C,
- Case D.
How to check if a license file is running ?
For floating license, the info provided in the License details could be corrupted.
You can have a message saying the license file is not found or not running whereas the tool is working fine.
The information is not really relevant for Floating license.
The right way to check if the license is running is to:
- open/create a project,
- build the project.
On the server, the log file captures all accesses done to the service
If there is an issue, the problem will be captured in the log file.
The log file contains lot of information to understand what is the problem (If there is one).
To generate this file, on the server, launch lmtools and select Config Services tab.
Inside "Path to the debug log file" field define a file as - for instance CW for PA v10.4:
If the C:\FSL_FlexLM\license_PA_10_4.log is already generated, I recommend you to:
- stop the service,
- delete the log file via explorer,
- re-start the service,
- reproduce the problem on client,
- try with an example project requiring a license file,
- stop the service.
Open the log file to check how the floating license file is used.
Specific trouble for CW for PA V10.4 & CW for MCU V10.6
Under PA V10.4 for instance when the port@host environment variable is used and the service is running on server, when we launch Eclipse we get a wrong license information:
According to the message the license file is not found.
For MCU V10.6, the Help + Freescale Licenses menu is not available.
PA v10.4 and MCU V10.6 using port@host protocol gives you the same message than if no license file was used/defined.
It seems the Product is not detect when the LM_LICENSE_FILE Environment variable is using port@host.
Most of the time the license file is running fine.
Is there a way to check it ?
……….. YES, generate the log file as explained above.
You can use the project examples for CW for MCU V10.6 and CW for PA V10.4 provided in the
https://community.freescale.com/docs/DOC-105542
Attached a video showing the behavior when port@host is used with CW for MCU V10.6
Specific trouble for CW for HC12 V5.1
As explained above a client has 3 ways to contact the server:
- Using license.dat file – same file used by server and client
- Using Environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE= port@host (METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE=port@host)
- Using Environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE= port-daemon@host (METROWKS_LICENSE_FILE=port-daemon@host)
We used the following configuration:
Server: Win 7 64 bit
Client: Win XP 32 bit
CodeWarrior for HC12 v5.1 using a project requiring a suite Basic or higher (attached license_test_project.zip - using the simulator)
Description
Using the license.dat or the LM_LICENSE_FILE= port@host, we can build the project but not debug it:
- When the IDE is launched, we got a message “This is the last day …”
- We can build the project without problem. The license file is reconized
- When we launch the debugger we got an error saying the debugger is running at demo mode.
If we check the log file generated by the server, we see the client is asking for compiler and linker keys but no entries for the debugger key.
If the Server and Client is the same PC, the license is working as expected.
The problem occurs only when the server and client are different PCs
Solution:
We found the LM_LICENSE_FILE= port-daemon@host is working.
The IDE is launched without message (This is the last day …) and we can build and debug an application without problem.
