Managing LSF licenses is described in Administering Platform LSF. This chapter includes additional information that is necessary to license a cluster that includes Windows hosts. You must have a valid license to run LSF.
If you install a permanent license using the LSF installer, and you do not already use FlexNet software, you must install and configure FlexNet before running the LSF installer.
If you have not yet purchased LSF, get a demo license key. Typically, a demo license licenses all LSF products and expires after 30 days. If you purchase LSF during this time, you can switch to a permanent license with no interruption in service.
A permanent license restricts the total number of hosts in the cluster and defines which LSF products will be used. It defines which hosts in your network will run LSF, and how they are arranged into clusters. This type of license does not expire, but has to be updated if you add more hosts or add another LSF product.
Platform LSF uses the FlexNet license management software from Acresso Software.
LSF is compatible with FlexNet version 10.8.5.0 or later. If you run an older version, you must upgrade FlexNet before you can use LSF.
A FlexNet license server is required for permanent licenses only. Permanent LSF licenses are managed by the FlexNet license server daemon (lmgrd) running on one or three hosts in your network.
If you install a permanent license using the LSF installer, and you do not already use FlexNet software, you must install and configure FlexNet before running the LSF installer.
To get a permanent license, you must provide information about the license server host. Platform Computing requires the hardware host name and host identifier for each license server host at your site.
Choose a reliable host as the FlexNet license server to ensure that the LSF licenses are always available. In many installations, the license server runs on the host that is the dedicated file server for the Platform LSF software. This permits the licenses to be available whenever LSF is available.
You can specify 3 hosts to be license servers instead of just one.
By default, there are two copies of your permanent license file. The installer copies your LSF license to the LSF directory, but you must update the FlexNet directory manually. After the permanent LSF license is installed, you have to update both copies when you make changes to your LSF licensing.
LSF uses the file specified by LSF_LICENSE_FILE in lsf.conf. By default, the file is license.dat in LSF_CONFDIR. For example, if your LSF installation directory is lsfshare\lsf on HostA, your lsf.conf file might include the following line:
The FlexNet license manager uses the file in the FlexNet installation directory on the host that is the FlexNet license server. By default, the file is license.dat in C:\flexlm. For example, your license server might include the following file:
If you use FlexNet to manage other software, the license.dat file used by FlexNet contains information that is not related to LSF, but the license.dat file used by LSF only contains LSF information. Even if the files in both locations are not identical, the lines relating to LSF must be exactly the same.
If you have a demo license, you must update it to a permanent license when you finish the evaluation and purchase LSF. LSF permanent licenses use FlexNet license management software.
When you have a permanent LSF license, the number of hosts and selection of LSF products and features is controlled by licensing.
To expand the size of the cluster by adding hosts, you probably need to purchase additional licenses for the additional hosts.
To enable new LSF products or features such as LSF MultiCluster, you need to purchase additional licenses. Sometimes you also need to install additional software. Update your license before you update the PRODUCTS line in the Parameters section of LSF_CONFDIR\lsf.cluster.cluster_name.
To make a change that involves additional licensing, the first step is to manually update your existing license files. In the license file used by FlexNet, the lines related to LSF must be identical to the contents of the license file used by LSF.
If you are using a permanent LSF license, you must run installs.exe to install or remove the FlexNet license manager as a Windows Service. installs.exe is located under LSF_TOP\8.0\etc.
installs -c license_file_path -e path_to_lmgrd.exe -l log_file_path -n service_name [-k lmgrd_parameters]
If -n is not specified, FlexNet License Manager is used as the service name.
The -k switch is optional and is used to pass one or more startup command-line parameters (-local, -x lmdown, and -x lmremove) to lmgrd.
You must use -l log_file_path to specify the path to the lmgrd.log file.
See the FlexNet Reference Manual for more information about the installs command.