Setting up redundant license servers

You can set up multiple, redundant license servers that support the same users. Redundant servers can help prevent any interruption that may occur when a server crashes. Another redundant server can take over the management of the license when the first server crashes.

You will need a special license code to enable the redundancy feature, as described in the following steps. For assistance with creating a redundant license key or any other licensing issue, contact IBM Support by phone or e-mail. You can find contact information at http://www.ibm.com/planetwide.

There must be an odd number of servers (at least three of them), and a majority must be running at the same time. For example, if there are three redundant license servers, two of them must be running.

To prepare each redundant license server

  1. Install the license manager. See the topic Installing the concurrent license manager for more information.
  2. Using a command prompt, change to the directory in which you installed the license manager.
  3. Get the lock code for each server machine. At the command prompt, type echoid (Windows) or ./echoid (other operating systems).
  4. Write down the lock code. You will need the lock code for the next steps.
  5. Repeat these steps for each redundant license server.

To activate the redundant licenses

  1. Go to the IBM SPSS License Key Center (https://spss.subscribenet.com/control/ibmp/login).
  2. Create a concurrent authorization code.
  3. After the concurrent authorization code is created, click the code and then scroll down until you see the fields for Lock Code. You will now have the ability to add multiple lock codes to the license key.
  4. Using the lock codes from the previous steps, enter the lock codes into the appropriate fields.
  5. Click Submit.

To set up the redundant license server pool

  1. If a license manager is running on any of the redundant license servers, stop the license manager on each computer.
  2. From the WlmAdmin application menus, choose:

    Edit > Redundant License File

    This action opens the WrlfTool application.

  3. From the WrlfTool application menus, choose:

    File > New

  4. For each redundant license server, click Add to specify the hostname and IP address of each server.
  5. Change the order of the servers to indicate the order in which the redundant license servers are used. The first one in the list is the primary server.
  6. Click Add License to add the license(s) that you received from Customer Service or your local office. If you received multiple licenses, be sure to add every one.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Click Done when you are finished.

To save the redundant license file

  1. From the WrlfTool application menus, choose:

    File > Save As

  2. Save the redundant license file (lservrlf) to an easily accessible location. You will need to copy the file in the next steps.

To configure the redundant license servers

  1. Copy the redundant license file (lservrlf) to the winnt subfolder of the license manager installation directory on Windows. If you accepted the default location, check the C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\SafeNet Sentinel\Sentinel RMS License Manager folder. On other operating systems, copy the file directly to the license manager installation directory. There must be at least three redundant license servers.
  2. Start the license manager on each redundant license server.

To configure end-user computers

When the end user installs the product, the user specifies all redundant servers, with the server names or IP addresses separated by a tilde (for example, server1~server2~server3). The setup program then adds the necessary configuration information to the end user's computer. If the product is already installed on the desktop computers, you can perform the following manual steps to add the configuration information. You can also push an uninstall followed by a new install that defines all the servers. Refer to Pushing an installation to Windows computers for information about pushing installations.

  1. Using a text editor, open spssprod.inf. On Windows, this file is located in the product installation directory on the desktop computer.
  2. Change the value of DAEMONHOST to the server names or IP addresses separated by a tilde (~). For example: 
    DAEMONHOST=server1~server2~server3
  3. Save spssprod.inf.