LICENSE LINUX & UNIX

Gridgen uses the FLEXlm and Native CAD Reader (NCR) license managers to manage Gridgen processes at
your site. Our floating license model means that you install a license server on only one workstation on
your network, and Gridgen can be run on any workstation on the same network. FLEXlm and the NCR
license manager controls your Gridgen licenses by metering six parameters:
1. the version number of concurrent Gridgen processes
2. the total number of concurrent Gridgen processes
3. the calendar date on which your Gridgen licenses will expire
4. the number of optional modules
5. the type of optional modules
6. the optional module port number
There are several basic concepts that you must understand regarding FLEXlm.
1. The Gridgen license file provided to you (pointwise_flexnet.lic) combines information about
your Gridgen license and information about your FLEXlm server (via the host ID). If you have licensed
a Native CAD Reader, your Gridgen license file will also contain information, such as the port number,
linking it to the Native CAD Reader license file (pointwise_ncr.dat) you will also receive. If
information about your server changes, your license file(s) may become invalid.
2. In order for Gridgen to run it must be able to contact the FLEXlm server and the Native CAD Reader
server (for licensed NCR processes only). The implication is that the workstation on which you run
Gridgen must be on the same network as the license server(s).
3. If Gridgen loses contact with the FLEXlm server while it is running, its license will be lost, and Gridgen
will terminate. However, Gridgen will automatically export the current grid and database to Gridgen
and composite files, respectively, before terminating.
The remaining subsections in this section address specific tasks.
3.1 Installing New License Files
Periodically you will have to install a new license file or files (for NCR processes) for an existing server.
Perhaps your license term has expired and you require a new license file to reflect the term of your renewed
license. Or perhaps a hardware change has invalidated your license. Regardless of the reason you will need
a new license file or files.
First you must determine whether your host ID or host name have changed. The host ID is the numeric
string that identifies the workstation on which the license server is running. It was generated during your
First Time Installation and your license file was generated for that host ID. The host name is simply the
name of your workstation. If these aspects of your license server workstation have not changed, we can reuse
the host ID and host name reported to us during your First Time Installation to generate your new license
file.
If you have licensed an NCR process, you will also need to determine whether your NCR host ID has
changed. If it has not changed, we can re-use it to generate your new NCR license file.
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3.1.1 Obtaining Your Host ID and Host Name
There are two ways in which you can find out your machine’s host name and host ID.
For the first method, login to your license server, cd to the gridgen_home_path/hw/flexlm directory
(where hw is your hardware type) and then type:
./lmutil hostid
You will need to report the host ID and host name displayed by this command via email to licenses@pointwise.
com or to your local Gridgen distributor. We will reply with a license file
(pointwise_flexnet.lic) that you should put in the gridgen_home_path/licenses directory.
The second method involves using the Gridgen license control script that was extracted to your
gridgen_home_path directory during installation. You will need to cd to the gridgen_home_path directory
and then type:
./LICENSE_CONTROL.SH
This will bring up the following display where your host name and host ID are listed in the fields Hostname
and Gridgen license host ID respectively:
You will need to report the Hostname and Gridgen license host ID via email to licenses@pointwise.com or to
your local Gridgen distributor. We will reply with a license file (pointwise_flexnet.lic) that you
should put in the gridgen_home_path/licenses directory.
Please note that if you have licensed an NCR process, you will send additional information to
licenses@pointwise.com or your local Gridgen Distributor. See Section 3.1.2 for further details.
3.1.2 Obtaining Your NCR Host ID
If you have licensed an NCR process, you will need to report your Hostname, Gridgen license host ID, and
Native CAD Reader license host ID via email to licenses@pointwise.com or to your local Gridgen Distributor.
Your NCR host ID can be obtained from the field labeled Native CAD Reader license host ID in the
Gridgen license control menu displayed in Section 3.1.1. We will reply with your Gridgen and NCR license
files, pointwise_flexnet.lic and pointwise_ncr.dat respectively, which should be placed in
the gridgen_home_path/licenses directory.
Importing the Gridgen License File
Obtaining Your NCR Host ID
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3.2 Importing the Gridgen License File
Once you have received your new Gridgen license file, you will need to import it via option ‘f’ in the Gridgen
license control menu. You will be prompted to enter the current directory and filename of your license
file. The license file will then be copied to gridgen_home_path/licenses/
pointwise_flexnet.lic.
3.3 Importing the Native CAD Reader License File
If you have licensed an NCR process, you will also receive an NCR license file in addition to your Gridgen
license file. You will need to import your NCR license file via option ‘j’ in the Gridgen license control
menu. You will be prompted to enter the current directory and filename of your license file. The license file
will then be copied to gridgen_home_path/licenses/pointwise_ncr.dat.
3.4 Gridgen License Server Update
If your license server is running when you import your new Gridgen license file (see Section 3.2), you will
need to have the server reread the license file. This is the only way (besides stopping and restarting the
server) to ensure that the server is properly reading the new license file. A license file reread can be executed
by running the following command from the gridgen_home_path/hw/flexlm directory:
./lmutil lmreread -c my_license file
An example usage of the command is as follows:
./lmutil lmreread -c /usr/local/gridgen/licenses/pointwise_flexnet.lic
3.5 Native CAD Reader License Server Update
Currently, the only way to have the NCR license server use a new NCR license file is by stopping and restarting
the NCR server. To stop the NCR license server you will need to select option ‘h’ from the Gridgen
license control menu. To indicate that the server has been stopped, the following message should be displayed
by the script:
Please note that stopping the NCR server will only impact your ability to import Native CAD files into Gridgen.
It will not affect your ability to actually run Gridgen. For instructions on starting the NCR license
server manually, please see Section 3.7.
3.6 Starting the Gridgen License Server Manually
The Gridgen license server can only be started once you have obtained and imported the Gridgen license file
but can be stopped or killed for any of several reasons, the most likely being a system reboot.
Before starting a new license daemon first check to be sure that one is not running by issuing the commands
ps -leaf | grep lmgrd
ps -leaf | grep pwid
It is possible to have multiple lmgrd’s running, however there should be only one pwid daemon. Once you
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are sure that a license server is not already running you need to locate the license server executable (lmgrd)
installed during your First Time Installation. Usually this file is located in gridgen_home_path/hw/
flexlm.
There are two different ways to start the Gridgen license server.
For the first method, you will need to open a window on the machine on which the license server is to be run.
Then cd to the gridgen_home_path/hw/flexlm directory and type:
./lmgrd -c license_file -l log_file
where the arguments are as follows.
license_file is the FLEXlm license file, gridgen_home_path/licenses/pointwise_flexnet.lic
log_file is the file into which the FLEXlm daemon will write messages, gridgen_home_path/licenses/
pointwise_flexnet.log
The lmgrd daemon spawns pwid which is the Pointwise vendor daemon that allows you to run Gridgen.
The second method involves using the Gridgen license control script that was extracted to your
gridgen_home_path directory during installation. You will need to cd to the gridgen_home_path directory
and then type:
./LICENSE_CONTROL.SH
Select option ‘c’. You will be prompted to enter the desired location and filename for your Gridgen log
file. We recommend gridgen_home_path/licenses/pointwise_flexnet.log.
3.7 Starting the Native CAD Reader License Server Manually
The NCR license server can only be started once you have obtained and imported the NCR license file (see
Section 3.3). To start the server, you will need to run the Gridgen license control script. To start the script,
cd to the gridgen_home_path directory and type:
./LICENSE_CONTROL.SH
Select option ‘g’. You will be prompted to enter the desired location and filename for your NCR log file.
We recommend gridgen_home_path/licenses/pointwise_ncr.log.
The display will then indicate that the license server has been started successfully and list the command used
to do so.
3.8 Querying the Gridgen License Server
Occasionally, you will need to check the status of your Gridgen license server and daemon to see if they are
currently running or stopped. To query the Gridgen license server, you will need to run the Gridgen license
control script. To start the script, cd to the gridgen_home_path directory and type:
./LICENSE_CONTROL.SH
Select option ‘e’. You will see a display similar to the following which indicates the location of the GridQuerying
the Native CAD Reader License Server
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gen license file on the server machine, the status of the Gridgen license server (lmgrd), and the status of the
Gridgen daemon (pwid).
3.9 Querying the Native CAD Reader License Server
To check the status of your NCR license server to see if it is running, stopped, or how many NCR processes
you have available, you will need to run the Gridgen license control script. To start the script, cd to the
gridgen_home_path directory and type:
./LICENSE_CONTROL.SH
Select option ‘i’. You will see a display similar to the following which shows the number of available
accesses (available NCR processes), how many are currently being used, the expiration date of your NCR
license file, and the status of the NCR license server.
3.10 Stopping the Gridgen License Server
Periodically, you may need to stop your Gridgen license server for upgrades to the license management software.
To do so, run the LICENSE_CONTROL.SH script (Section 3.1.1) and select option ‘d’.
3.11 Stopping the Native CAD Reader License Server
Periodically, you may need to stop your Native CAD Reader license serverfor upgrades to the license management
software. To do so, run the LICENSE_CONTROL.SH script (Section 3.1.1) and select option ‘h’.
Dependent on the machine, the NCR server can take up to two minutes to stop.
3.12 Troubleshooting
3.12.1 Distant License Server
If Gridgen is unable to find a license when launched, try setting the environment variable
PWID_LICENSE_FILE to the host name of the workstation running the license server preceeded by an
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‘@’: for example,
setenv PWID_LICENSE_FILE @hostname
The environment variable PWID_LICENSE_FILE can also be set to the full path and filename of the Gridgen
license file: for example,
setenv PWID_LICENSE_FILE /usr/local/gridgen/licenses/
pointwise_flexnet.lic.