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IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool (ART) and Administration Agent Refresh Pack 5 (8.1.6.5) for Version 8.1.6

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Abstract

Refresh Pack 5 for Version 8.1.6 is generally available and contains improvements and enhancements with version 8.1.6.5

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Table of Contents
Sections Description

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.

The Impact assessment section provides information related to the impact of this release to allow you to assess how your environment might be affected.

The Prerequisites section provides important information to review before the installation of this release.

The Download package section provides the direct link to obtain the download package for installation in your environment.

The Installation instructions section provides the installation instructions necessary to apply this release into your environment.

The Known limitations section contains a link to the known problems (open defects) identified at the time of this release.

Supporting Documentation
Document Description

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.

IBM Knowledge Center provides an entry point to product documentation. You can view, browse, and search online information related to the product.

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.

Prerequisites

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:

Version of IBM Installation Manager required: IBM Installation Manager 1.9.1.1 or higher.

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.
For more information about operating systems supported, see Operating systems for a specific product.

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.

For more information about operating systems supported, see Operating systems for a specific product.

Other

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 will no longer be supported as of September 2020
  • The following platforms will be dropped in September 2021:
    • AIX 5
    • Solaris 10
    • HP-UX 11i

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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Installation Instructions

Important must-follow instructions if data prior to IBM License Key Server 8.1.6 is not needed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. Uninstall any previous version of Reporting Tool and Agent.
  2. Install the Reporting Tool and Agent as described below.
  3. 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'
  4. Install the Reporting Tool and Agent as described below.
  5. Agent must be configured to use Hook Logs and not traditional Debug logs.
  6. Start Reporting Tool and configure the database.
  7. Re-start the Reporting Tool.
  8. Start the Agent.
  9. Add this Agent in the Reporting Tool. Reporting is automatically turned on as soon as the Agent is successfully added.

Important must-follow instructions if data prior to IBM License Key Server 8.1.6 is needed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. Perform Stop Reporting on existing Agent, then wait for 5 minutes.
  2. Stop the existing Agent.
  3. Install the Administration and Reporting Tool version 8.1.6.5 as described below.
  4. Install Agent version 8.1.6.5 as described below.
  5. Agent must be configured to use Hook Logs and not traditional Debug logs.
  6. Start the Reporting Tool.
  7. Start the Agent.
  8. Add this Agent in the Reporting Tool. Reporting is automatically turned on as soon as the Agent is successfully added.
  9. Use a previous version of the Agent for generating reports for the time period prior to the first run of LKS 816.
  10. Use Agent 8.1.6.5 for generating reports for time period after the first run of LKS 8.1.6.

Instructions for installing IBM License Key Server Administration Agent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. Download the IBM_LKS_Administration_Agent_8165.zip media file from the IBM Fix Central.
  2. Create a temporary directory (for example, ../agent-installer/8165/) and extract the downloaded .zip file into this directory.
  3. Install the IBM Installation Manager V1.9.1.1 for installing License Key Server Administration Agent 8.1.6.5.
    • Update the Installation Manager if the installed version is V1.8.5 or earlier.

       The Installation Manager restarts after you complete the installation process.

  4. Open the Installation Manager, click File > Preferences > Repositories, add extracted location of downloaded media file, and click OK.

  5. From the main Installation Manager window, click Install.

  6. In Install Packages window, select the IBM License Key Server Administration Agent > Version 8.1.6.5 package and click Next.
  7. Accept the license agreement and click Next.
  8. 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\ICL\LKSAdminAgent
    • UNIX: /opt/IBM/ICL/LKSAdminAgent

    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.

  9. Select IBM License Key Server Administration Agent feature to proceed with agent installation and click Next.
  10. Use the applicable table in Agent configuration to determine the server type, server location, license server log file, and license files.
    • Specify a HTTP and a HTTPS 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 pre-populated 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 (:).
  11. Click Next.
  12. Review the installation summary and then click Install. A summary list of installed packages displays.
  13. 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.
  14. 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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1. Download the IBM_LKS_Administration_And_Reporting_Tool_8165.zip media file from the IBM Fix Central.
  2. Create a temporary directory (for example, ../ART-installer/8165/) and extract the downloaded .zip file into this directory.
  3. Install the IBM Installation Manager V1.9.1.1 for installing License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool 8.1.6.5.
    • Update the Installation Manager if the installed version is V1.8.5 or earlier.

  4. Open the Installation Manager, add extracted location of downloaded media file, File > Preferences > Repositories, and click Ok.

  5. From the main Installation Manager window, click Install.

  6. In Install Packages window, select the IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool > Version 8.1.6.5 package and click Next.
  7. Accept the license agreement and click Next.
  8. 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\ICL\LKSAdmin
    • UNIX: /opt/IBM/ICL/LKSAdmin
  9. Select IBM License Key Server Administration and Reporting Tool feature to proceed with reporting tool installation and click Next.

  10. Review the installation summary and then click Install. A summary list of installed packages displays.

  11. After the installation process completes, click Finish to close the Installation Manager.
  12. 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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Download Package

The following sections provide detailed information that is related to this release.

Click here to obtain the release from Fix Central.

How critical is this fix?

Impact Assessment
Impact Description

Corrective

This release is a service release of IBM License Key Server. It contains new features and fixes for client-reported and internally found defects.

Test Results

Close [x]

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

There are no known regressions to report.

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Problems Solved

Defects resolved

Click the Fix List link in the table of contents above to review a list of the problems solved in this release.

Known Side Effects

The following are known limitations in this release:
  1. On the Live Reports page, if a user name contains multiple words, only the first word is displayed.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.

  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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 part of the IBM Engineering portfolio and a user re-attempts the login after a web session timeout.

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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Change History

What's New
 
  1. The Agent is restored to improve its accuracy, performance, scalability, security, and availability. The new Agent enhances many operations while simplifying them at the same time.
  2. This change addresses the issues where Reporting Data suddenly stops computing.
  3. The new Agent follows an altogether new paradigm for storing all its metadata and computed data. Thus, the chances of data corruption are minimized.
  4. The Reporting operations are managed internally by the Agent and do not require any user involvement. This new scheme takes away the hassles of manually starting or managing the Reporting-related functions.
  5. Several new products from the Maximo portfolio are included in ART and are now available for report generation.

Here is a list of IBM Knowledge Center topics created/updated for 8.1.6.5 fix pack release:

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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.
  • The IBM License Key Server and related components for Version 8.1.4 have reached end of service. Please plan your upgrade to the latest versions of the software.

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On
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[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU053","label":"Cloud & Data Platform"},"Product":{"code":"SSTMW6","label":"Rational License Key Server"},"ARM Category":[{"code":"a8m0z000000cvSXAAY","label":"Rational licensing"}],"ARM Case Number":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF002","label":"AIX"},{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"8.1.6","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
13 July 2020

UID

ibm16202749

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