Installing and Configuring Flexlm on Windows

Artwork uses Flexera's (previously known as Globetrotter) software licensing system called Flexlm. Flexlm is used by virtually every EDA company to license their offerings.


We recommend you view this 5 minutes video that shows a flexlm installation on Windows:




Frequently Asked Questions


Q. Where can I download the flexlm license server installation package for Artwork products?

A. It's on our server. You will need a login/password to access the file. Send an email to Artwork to get the download credentials. (This download is only for Artwork customers. If you are not a customer, you will not be provided download credentials.)

artwork_flexlm_license_pkg.v11.17.exe     6/1/2023 64 bit 24 MBytes




Q. How to I get the hostid of the license server?

A. Use either the ipconfig /all command (on Windows) or the lmtools.exe utility. Details ...




Q. How do I install a flexlm license manager on Windows (first time install)?

A.View the video at the top of this page or if you prefer follow these instructions




Q. I plan to use a USB key to lock the flexlm license server. Where can I get the Flexera Type 9 key driver?

A.Download Flexera Type 9 key drivers for Windows Download Drivers




Q. I already have a flexlm server running for another company's product. Can I piggy back on that existing service?

A. Generally, Yes. However there are different versions in use and if the versions are different they may not be compatible. follow these instructions




Q. I got a strange log file error when installing a flex license server on Windows:

(lmgrd) license manager: can't initialize:No SERVER lines in license file.

But I have a perfectly valid SERVER line in my file.

A. We tracked this down to the fact that after editing the license file (license.dat) with Notepad.exe the administrator saved the file with Unicode encoding. This prevented lmgrd.exe from reading the file though one could not see anything unusual when viewing the text. Re-saving the file with ANSI encoding solved the problem.




Q. How can I check the status of my flexlm server?

A. Use the LMTOOLs utility. Details.




Q. I already have flexlm installed for another CAD program (i.e. Cadence, Mentor, Ansys) Can I add Artwork's license codes to the existing flexlm setup?

A. Yes, assuming there are not conflicts with versions. You will need to copy Artwork's daemon to the directory where the other service has been installed and then add a VENDOR line and license codes. Details.




Q. How do I set the ARTWORK_LICENSE_FILE Environment Variable on my client computer?

A. This variable tells the application from where to request a license. It consists of a port number and a machine name (or IP address). Details.




Q. I have a firewall between my computer and the license server. What settings do I need to insure the computer can see and talk to the license server?

A. You need to allow TCP/IP to pass in both directions between the client and the license server on the port you set the license server to listen on. You also need to allow the license server's daemon to respond on a different port. The second condition is normally allowed but if it is not then we recommend fixing the daemon port and opening that port to TCP/IP in both directions.




Q. What is lmutil.exe and how do I use it?

A. This is the command line equivalent of LMTOOLS.exe. You might want to use lmutil.exe as part of a script that performs certain operations unattended. lmutil details




Q. Where is there a list of flexlm error codes and their meaning?

A. You can find a list here.




Q. Why won't my artwork.exe daemon start up? Everything seems to be in order.

A. It turns out one cannot use the name "artwork" in the directory path for the Artwork daemon.

Details 11-11-2003




Q.I am getting: Flexnet Licensing error:-1,359. System Error. Why?

A. Checking out a license failed. A number of possible reasons. Details. 5-21-2009




Q. What is the error: Non-activation-capable daemon I see in the lmgrd log file?

A. Seems to be a benign error. You can safely ignore it.




Q. The artwork daemon won't start up. Why?

A. If the path in the VENDOR line in the license file has spaces then it must be quoted. Failure to do so will confuse the lmgrd parser as it uses spaces as delimiters between arguments.

Wrong

VENDOR artwork C:\Program Files\ACS Inc\Shared Files\Licensing\artwork.exe

Right

VENDOR artwork "C:\Program Files\ACS Inc\Shared Files\Licensing\artwork.exe"




Q. I get the error message in the lmgrd log: Failed to open any default TCP port. Why?

A. In the case reported we found that the localhost entry was missing in /etc/hosts.

# /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 localhost < missing entry
195.166.0.122 blade1500 solaris



Q. How do I control the ports used by the flexlm license server?

A. Ports are assigned in the license file. Details.



lmhostid and hostinfo return incorrect hostid 04-25-2012




Q. What is the Flexlm options file?

A. This file gives the license administrator more granular control over who can get licenses. Details. 1-7-2014



Q. I am getting the error: TCP Node Delay. Why?

A. The TCP/IP kernel delays small packets (like the ones flexlm uses) to increase efficiency. However this can result in the license server and client not communicating quickly enough to successfully check-out or check-in a license. It can be fixed using this approach. 1-30-2018




Q. How to Configure hosts file to get faster name resolution

A. Assuming your license server has a fixed IP address, entering the name/IP address in the hosts file will enable the client to access the server more quickly than if it has to depend on DNS resolution - particularly on networks that are a bit wonky. Details. 5-31-2017




Q. What are possible causes for flexlm error -5 and error -83

A. A common cause for these errors is due to a version mismatch between the lmgrd executable and the license daemon executable. Details. 5-31-2017




Q. Why I am getting Flexlm error: (-96)?

A. While there can be different reasons, one possible cause (based on the problem report) is that a firewall is blocking the connection between client and server. Details. 8-10-2017




Q. Why I am getting Flexlm error: (-97)?

A. While there can be different reasons, one possible solution is to install the Redistributable 2015 Libraries from Microsoft. Details. 8-20-2020




Q. Why am I getting the error: FlexNet Licensing error:-15 , WinSock: Connection refused?

A. There are a number of reasons: the license manager is not running, the wrong port/machine has been specified. However in this case we found that lmgrd.exe on the server had to be configured so that it ran as a LOCAL SERVICE instead of a SYSTEM SERVICE. 6-11-2018




Q. Why am I getting the error: Windows preferred path ... is not set. VD is starting, please check vendor daemon's status in debug log?

A. While there can be different reasons, recent changes to the LMTOOLS permissions when creating the service have attributed to this error. Details. 1-27-2020




Q. Why am I getting the error: artwork daemon exited with status 53 (this status is reserved but will never be generated)?

A.This error occurs on Windows license servers running Flexlm 11.14 and up with missing 2015 Microsoft Redistributables. Install 2015 Microsoft Redistributables. 1-27-2020