Refresh Pack 4 for Version 8.1.6 has been made generally available and contains improvements/enhancements to version 8.1.6.4
Table of Contents
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Description |
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The What's new section provides an overview on what is new in this release with a description of any new functions or enhancements when applicable.
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The Impact assessment section provides information related to the impact of this release to allow you to assess how your environment might be affected.
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The Prerequisites section provides important information to review before the installation of this release.
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The Download package section provides the direct link to obtain the download package for installation in your environment.
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The Installation instructions section provides the installation instructions necessary to apply this release into your environment.
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The Known limitations section contains a link to the known problems (open defects) identified at the time of this release.
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Supporting Documentation
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Description |
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Click to review the detailed system requirements information for a complete list of hardware requirements, supported operating systems, prerequisites, and optional supported software, with component-level details and operating system restrictions.
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IBM Knowledge Center provides an entry point to product documentation. You can view, browse, and search online information related to the product.
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Click to review a complete list of the defects (APARs) resolved in this release, including a list of resolved defects for the entire version family.
For fixes for security vulnerabilities, see Security Bulletin.
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Attention: IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool (ART) and IBM License Key Server Administration Agent MUST BE CONFIGURED according to the following hardware and software specifications. Otherwise, failure might occur during license administration and usage reporting.
Prerequisites include:
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Version of IBM Installation Manager required: IBM Installation Manager 1.8.6 or higher.
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Hardware requirements
IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Disk space: 100 GB
IBM License Key Server Administration Agent
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Disk space: 50 GB
Software requirements
Web browser requirement for IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool
- Mozilla Firefox: 50 ESR and future fix packs
- Microsoft Internet Explorer version 11 and above Important: Switch to Standard View by clicking Tools > Developer tools to work with ART. Internet Explorer does not render ART properly in Compatibility View.
IBM License Key Server
- Operating systems: ONLY 64-BIT ARCHITECTURE OF AIX, LINUX AND WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE SUPPORTED.
IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool
- Operating systems: ONLY 64-BIT ARCHITECTURE OF AIX, LINUX AND WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE SUPPORTED.
IBM License Key Server Administration Agent
- Installation prerequisite: The Server Administration Agent MUST BE COLLOCATED with the IBM License Key Server.
- Operating Systems: Both 32-BIT and 64-BIT ARCHITECTURE OF AIX, LINUX AND WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE SUPPORTED.
Other
Special characters supported by reports
- For a list of special characters that are supported by report definitions and reports in ART, see the technical document.
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Important must-follow instructions if data prior to IBM License Key Server 8.1.6 is not needed
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- Uninstall any previous version of Reporting Tool and Agent.
- Install the Reporting Tool and Agent as described below.
- Open Db2 Admin command prompt. Execute the following commands one by one.
- db2 drop database artdata
- db2stop
- db2start
- db2 create database artdata using codeset UTF-8 TERRITORY DEFAULT with 'RLKS Administration/Usage Data'
- Install the Reporting Tool and Agent as described below.
- Agent must be configured to use Hook Logs and not traditional Debug logs.
- Start Reporting Tool and configure the database.
- Re-start the Reporting Tool.
- Start the Agent.
- Add this Agent in the Reporting Tool and perform Start Reporting.
Important must-follow instructions if data prior to IBM License Key Server 8.1.6 is needed
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- Perform Stop Reporting on existing Agent, then wait for 5 minutes.
- Stop the existing Agent.
- Upgrade the Reporting Tool to version 8.1.6.4 as described below.
- Install Agent version 8.1.6.4 as described below.
- Agent must be configured to use Hook Logs and not traditional Debug logs.
- Start Reporting Tool.
- Start the Agent.
- Add this Agent in the Reporting Tool and perform Start Reporting.
- Use older Agent for generating reports for the time period prior to the first run of LKS 816.
- Use Agent 8.1.6.4 for generating reports for time period after the first run of LKS 816.
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Instructions for installing IBM License Key Server Administration Agent
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- Download the IBM_LKS_Administration_Agent_8164.zip media file from the IBM Fix Central.
- Create a temporary directory (for example, ../agent-installer/8164/) and extract the downloaded .zip file into this directory.
- Complete one of these steps:
- Install the Installation Manager Version 1.8.6 or later if it is not installed.
- Update the Installation Manager if the installed version is Installation Manager V1.8.5 or earlier.
The Installation Manager restarts after you complete the installation process.
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Open the Installation Manager, click File > Preferences > Repositories, add extracted location of downloaded media file, and click OK.
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From the main Installation Manager window, click Install.
- In Install Packages window, select the IBM License Key Server Administration Agent > Version 8.1.6.4 package and click Next.
- Accept the license agreement and click Next.
- Select Create a new package group to create a package group to install the agent into and click Next.
The agent is supported on 32-bit and 64-bit computers. By default, the package is installed in this directory location:
- Windows: C:\Program Files\IBM\RCL\RLKSAdminAgent
- UNIX: /opt/IBM/RCL/RLKSAdminAgent
Note: Because multiple installations of the agent can be installed on one machine, the installer installs each agent with a profile name that reflects the order of its installation. For example, if two agents are installed on one machine, the profile name of the first agent installation is IBM RLKS Administration Agent. The profile name of the second agent installation is IBM RLKS Administration Agent_1.
- Select IBM License Key Server Administration Agent feature to proceed with agent installation and click Next.
- Use the applicable table in Agent configuration to determine the server type, server location, license server log file, and license files.
- Specify the port number that the agent will run on. You must install an agent for each license server on the computer. If you select a port number that is already in use, Installation Manager alerts you with an error message. If you receive this error, select another port number.
- Select the license server type:
- IBM License Key Server
- ELM server - Floating licenses
- ELM server - Authorized user licenses
- Perform one of the following actions:
- Windows platform with License server type selected as RLKS: Select a Windows service name from the list of the Rational License Key Server license server services that are installed on the machine. Selecting a service displays the corresponding location of RLKS, location of the lmgrd.log file, and location of license files as read only information. If you do not want to use this service, or if you want to manually provide user input, from the list, select --Configure manually--.
- For platforms other than Windows, with License server type selected as RLKS: Select a Rational License Key Server installation location from the list of servers that are installed on the machine. Selecting an installation location populates these corresponding input fields: Location of RLKS, Location of the lmgrd.log file, and location of license files.
- If you are not using the prepopulated values, you must enter the location of the IBM License Key Server (lmgrd application) that you want to administer with the IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool. You can either browse for the license server location or enter the location. By default, Rational License Key Server is installed in one of these directories:
- Windows: C:\Program Files\IBM\RationalRLKS\common
- Linux:/opt/IBM/RationalRLKS/bin
- If you are not using the prepopulated values, you must enter the location of the license server Hook log file. The agent uses the log file to gather license usage data. You can either browse for the license server log file or enter the location.
- Specify the license key file that is configured with the selected Rational License Key Server. You can select multiple files. For Windows operating systems, separate multiple license files with semicolons (;). For Linux operating systems, separate the names with colons (:).
- Click Next.
- Review the installation summary and then click Install. A summary list of installed packages displays.
- Select IBM License Key Server Administration Agent to start the application. The agent is installed by default as a Windows service and can be configured as a service on UNIX platforms. If you select None in this step, you can start the application manually as a Windows or UNIX service. See Starting License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool on system startup.
- After the installation process completes, click Finish to close the Installation Manager.
Instructions for installing/upgrading the IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool
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- Download the IBM_LKS_Administration_And_Reporting_Tool_8164.zip media file from the IBM Fix Central.
- Create a temporary directory (for example, ../ART-installer/8164/) and extract the downloaded .zip file into this directory.
- Complete one of these steps:
- Install the Installation Manager Version 1.8.6 or later if it is not installed.
- Update the Installation Manager if the installed version is Installation Manager V1.8.5 or earlier.
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Open the Installation Manager, add extracted location of downloaded media file, File > Preferences > Repositories, and click Ok.
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From the main Installation Manager window, click Install/Update as required.
- In Install Packages window, select the IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool > Version 8.1.6.4 package and click Next.
- Accept the license agreement and click Next.
- Select Create a new package group to create a package group to install the reporting tool into and click Next.
Note: IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool and IBM License Key Server Administration Agent cannot be installed in the same directory. By default, the package is installed in this directory location:
- Windows: C:\Program Files\IBM\RCL\RLKSAdmin
- UNIX: /opt/IBM/RCL/RLKSAdmin
- Select IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool feature to proceed with reporting tool installation and click Next.
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Review the installation summary and then click Install. A summary list of installed packages displays.
- After the installation process completes, click Finish to close the Installation Manager.
- Select IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool to start the application. The reporting tool is installed by default as a Windows service and can be configured as a service on UNIX platforms. If you select None in this step, you can start the application manually as a Windows or UNIX service. See Starting License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool on system startup.
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Back to top
The following sections provide detailed information that is related to this release.
Click here to obtain the release from Fix Central.
Impact Assessment
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Description |
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Corrective
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This release is a service release of IBM License Key Server. It contains new features and fixes for client-reported and internally found defects.
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Definitions
Regression: An error in the Maintenance Delivery Vehicle (MDV) that produces incorrect or unexpected behavior causing a supported feature to stop functioning as designed.
This includes:
- Coding errors that cause a regression
- Documentation or packaging problems that cause a regression
- Errors reported in a new function delivered in a MDV that cause a regression
Incomplete: An error in the MDV has not regressed, but does not work as designed.
This includes:
- Fixed APARs which did not solve the original problem but did not break anything new
- APARs reporting documentation errors, such as readme errors, that cause problems applying an MDV but do not lead to a regression
Notes:
- Regression and incomplete APARs are considered fix-in-error or MDV-in-error
- Definitions above apply only to valid APARs that result in product fixes (APARs returned as working-as-designed are not assessed for being fix-in-error)
- Issues in major releases due to new functionality do not apply in this definition
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There are no known regressions to report.
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Defects resolved
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Click the Fix List link in the table of contents above to review a list of the problems solved in this release.
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The following are known limitations in this release:
- On the Live Reports page, if a user name contains multiple words, only the first word is displayed.
- On the Live Reports page, the ELM products usage records do not consider the Role information. The highest Token count among the Token counts for each Role of the respective products is displayed under the "Tokens per license" column.
- If the license server has more than a thousand check-outs and the IBM License Key Administration Agent is processing them as part of the conversion cycle, the Live Reports page might not show any information. You can refresh the page after few minutes.
- If same license definitions are present in more than one license files that are used by the license server, the quantity of license, as shown in the License Details report, might be more than the actual available quantity of license.
- When you start or stop the server from a redundant server triad and if the network connectivity is poor, the license server status and therefore the reporting operation might be incorrect.
- When you save and run a report on the create report definition page, the report definition name does not appear in the exported parameters file.
- In the Linux operating system, when you import the license and restart the license server, IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool displays the following error:
Could not start license server.
You must start the server manually after some time by clicking Actions > Start Server.
- For the scenarios with a charge back group where duplicate users have different cases. If you generate a group-based charge back report with this group and the user name case sensitivity is Off, the information in the report for such duplicate users generates incorrectly.
- For " IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody Architect for Software" and "IBM Engineering Systems Design Rhapsody Tool & Utilities Add On" products, you might see a difference of token counts between the token value and the user-based reports. Because of this difference, the license hours in user-based report cannot be matched with the product usage hours in the token value report.
- The data displayed in "License Hours" column for user-based report and "Product Usage Hours" column for token value report for the same set of parameters might be inaccurate. This inaccuracy arises when the products are ELMs and a user reattempts the login after a web session timeout.
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Open defects
Review the following list of open defects for License Key Server on the IBM Support Portal.
Review technote 1461170: Open APARs for Rational products available on the Web for information on how to configure your MyNotifications subscription account and subscribe to the APARs you are interested in following.
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What's New
- Agent has addressed many unexpected license usage patterns. The usage computation logic has been changed in order to achieve this. The reporting data computed by the Agent has been improved for greater accuracy. Some of these license usage patterns and issues are described below.
- Multi-threaded products like ClearCase and DOORS can issue check-out/check-in commands from multiple threads. Since the LKS does not capture any thread-specific information, it is not possible to confirm the usage of one from the other. Thus, for the same license usage there can be interleaved sequences of check-outs/check-ins causing computational inconsistencies.
- In some products like ELO- Publishing (formerly RPE), the check-outs can have more than one DUP Group criteria which confuses the Agent computation.
- Products whose licenses are PACKAGE based, e.g. Rhapsody, issue check-outs for both the Parent and Component features. The Agent was unable to consolidate the usage together and counted them separately.
- Products can change the DUP group criterion that is used for check-outs from one version to the other. For example, Maximo switched from User-Host to just User DUP group settings. Agent keeps a written record of the DUP group used by each product. If it does not address the new settings, the computed usage will be incorrect.
- Several check-outs/check-ins occurring at the same time were not processed in the exact order of occurrence resulting in inaccurate Peak usage computations.
- Agent can now ignore the diagnostic check-outs that are performed by the lmdiag utility as they are not actual check-outs.
- Agent performance has been improved by not processing the redundant lines in the Hook Logs.
- As a result of the computation logic changes, the data computed from the existing Agents is not compatible with the latest Agent. Hence, it is necessary to uninstall the previous version and install the latest version of Agent, and then do a Start Reporting.
- The reports generated for ELM Floating and AU logs will now show new product names.
- The IBM Common Licensing Client has extended coverage to HPUX Itanium 64 bit, Solaris x86 32 & 64 bit and Solaris SPARC 32 & 64 bit architectures.
Important Note: Agent does not support reporting based on the traditional LKS Debug logs anymore. The new computational logic is not compatible with the previous version. You must follow the directions provided in order to preserve historical data. Review the instructions given in the Installation Instructions (Important must-follow instructions if data prior to IBM License Key Server 8.1.6 is needed) section to understand how to go about retaining the existing data.
Here is a list of IBM Knowledge Center topics created/updated for 8.1.6.4 fix pack release:
Deprecated items
- Concurrent Peak denial metric has been removed. You cannot generate reports for this metric anymore.
- Agent does not support reporting based on the traditional LKS Debug logs anymore since it is known to be error-prone and the new computational logic is not compatible with them.
- The IBM Common Licensing Client is no longer available on MAC platforms.
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On
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