OpenLM floating license monitoring tool

The OpenLM Floating license monitoring and Usage optimization tool interfaces an ever growing variety of license managers, such as Flexera FlexLM (Flexnet publisher), Beta LM, IBM LUM, DSLS, Sentinel HASP, Sentinel RMS, Reprise RLM, MathLM, EasyCopy, ProgeCAD and LM-X.

The OpenLM system consists of a number of modules. An overview of these modules’ function is found here. This document presents a screenshot appearance of the main OpenLM modules.

EasyAdmin

The EasyAdmin user interface is accessible from any standard internet browser, e.g.:

Mozilla FireFox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Opera, Apple Safari & Google Chrome.

EasyAdmin Control Panel

The control panel allows users to get system status information in a single glance:

• License server status.

• OpenLM Broker status on each license server.

• General statistics on license on daily and weekly license usage.

• One-glance status of critical feature over multiple license servers.

• Alerts system messages.

The control panel features a Windows-like interface that allows easy access and management of Windows on a standard browser interface.

 

EasyAdmin – Widgets – License Servers

License servers’ information includes the license manager status and the status of the OpenLM broker installed on the license server machine.

 

EasyAdmin – Widgets – Host availability

Host availability indication diagram provides the full information regarding the server’s activity over time.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Widgets – Selected features statistics

 

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Widgets – Feature usage status

This window allows you to easily see the number of licenses used, the number of licenses borrowed, and the license-usage percentage. It’s easy to add features by using the filter.

EasyAdmin – Widgets – Alerts

The alerts window sends notifications if any problems occur with the OpenLM server.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Management -Licenses window

The licenses window lists available licenses, and allows easy management of the organizational assets. A sophisticated sliding filter enables users to filter long lists easily.

OpenLM EasyAdmin supports advanced features like Flexnet packages (As used by Autodesk that produce Autocad). License Packages appear as boxed items.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Management -License Procurement table

Shows comprehensive license information, as appears in the license file: Licensed packages and their member features, issuing and expiration dates, Asset info etc. (shown in the picture for Flexnet product)

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Management – Licenses not in use

Single out licenses that have not been used for a predefined period of time.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Management – License utilization

This bar chart represents a histogram of license usage, i.e. each column ‘x’ answers the question: “what is the percentage of usage time that x licenses have been in use”. This form of presentation ignores momentary usage peaks, and provides a vivid realization of the true license consumption pattern. It clearly depicts the number of licenses that are actually required in the organization.

 

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Operational – Currently Consumed Licenses window

License managers may sometimes label licenses as occupied, when in fact they are idle and wasting your limited resources.

OpenLM EasyAdmin identifies these conditions, and resolves the problem of idle licenses.

The Active Products window lists all active users. It also serves as an interface for authorized system managers to retrieve a license from any user when necessary.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Operational – Released Licenses window

The Released Licenses window reports license release (check-ins).

This functionality is only relevant for applications with supported extensions such as ESRI Desktop ArcGIS and Autodesk.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Reports – License Activity

The License Activity window is a very powerful tool that enables system administrators and managers to produce sophisticated reports, and track license activity of individual users. This window facilitates license statistics report generation according to Workstations, Features, Users, Groups, and Projects.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Reports – Denials window

OpenLM accumulates reports of license request denials. Thus it provides the comprehensive exact information, which is required for establishing a correct license purchasing policy.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Recent features denials

This window provides preliminary statistic processing of license denials per feature: It presents the number of denied license requests in long term and short term period.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Reports – License usage

The license usage reports allows system administrators to compare the actual license usage to the number of available licenses.

The smart Filter enables users to build a customized list of licenses and get the total usage on those licenses.

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Reports – Groups and Projects Usage

OpenLM enables organization to manage users according to groups and projects, and obtain the total usage time for these groups very easily.

This could be done either manually, or by synchronizing the OpenLM database with the organization’s Active directory. This functionality is often applied in order to implement license charge back policy (license usage billing).

Project Report

Project reporting enables project-oriented companies to get license usage time according to the active project, as reported by the end user.

Group Report

Group reporting allows managers and system administrators to obtain license usage statistics according to groups.

 

EasyAdmin – Administration

The configuration screens allows users to set their preferences. The choice of working hours effects the statistical information which is calculated shown to all system users.

EasyAdmin – User Settings

The configured preferences in the “User settings” window effect the format of information as it is presented to the User.

 

OpenLM EasyAdmin – Users and Permissions – Workstations window

The Workstations window provides all the information a system administrator needs in order to manage workstations that are accessing licenses.

This information includes:

• Hostname

• Agent version (if applicable)

• Online (Workstation is online or offline)

• Idle time (User idle time)

• Controlled (for supported systems)

OpenLM Server

The OpenLM Server is the hub component of the OpenLM Utilizer system.

It collects license usage information from various sources and stores it in a relational database.

The OpenLM Server is a Windows service that can manage and monitor multiple license servers such as Flexera FlexLM (Flexnet publisher), Beta LM, IBM LUM, DSLS, Sentinel HASP, Sentinel RMS, Reprise RLM, MathLM, and LM-X, located in different time zones and running on different operating systems (UNIX, Linux, or Windows).

For more information please refer to:

Application Note 2001a: Basic OpenLM Server configuration for FlexLM

OpenLM Server Configuration Form – License Servers Tab

This tab enables system administrators to effectively configure and manage license servers such as Flexera FlexLM (Flexnet publisher), Beta LM, IBM LUM, DSLS, Sentinel HASP, Sentinel RMS, Reprise RLM, MathLM, and LM-X via the OpenLM Server.

The OpenLM server supports world-wide license server monitoring; It is important to specify the timezone of each server.

After introducing new license servers, it is recommended to click the “Check” button to verify that the OpenLM server is able to connect to the license server.

Free text display names are attached to each server for better identification.

Fail safe server (Triad configuration) may also be configured on this tab.

OpenLM Server Configuration Form – Advanced Tab

Advanced OpenLM Server settings include:

• Option file management

• Translate workstation names to IPs

• Enable the OpenLM Role based permissions system

• Logging level etc.

 

OpenLM Server Configuration Form – Port settings Tab

The Openlm Server interfaces all other OpenLM peripheral modules via ports, which numbers are defined in this form.

 

OpenLM Server Configuration – Active Directory Tab

The OpenLM server can synchronize users and user groups with organizations’ LDAP Database (Microsoft Active Directory). OpenLM provides multiple policies for Group synchronizations.

OpenLM Server Configuration Form – Notifications Tab

These settings allow OpenLM to send error notifications, updates on new releases, and other important messages aimed at improving the license usage.

 

OpenLM Server Configuration Form – LM tools Tab

The LM tools tab holds the directories in which every license manager commands are located.

 

OpenLM Agent

The end user tool of OpenLM system improves license availability, empowers the user and provides advanced functionality.

OpenLM Agent functionality:

1. Query  license manager status (and check who is using the license).

2. Open documents that were closed by OpenLM.

3. Allows the user to set the active project.

4. Allows the user to set the license level.

5. Provides license availability notifications.

OpenLM Agent is shown as an icon on the Windows system tray:

The blue and white icon indicates connectivity to OpenLM Server.

The grey icon indicates no connectivity to OpenLM Server.

OpenLM Agent – License Usage Information

The License Usage Information window is available to the end user.

The ability to query license availability from the end user workstation is a very important step towards improving license usability.

The license usage window displays the total number of used, borrowed, and available licenses.

Click on a row to get the complete list of active users who are currently drawing on that license.

 

The OpenLM Agent enables users to identify who is currently running a certain floating license on which station. This is an important and useful feature for any system that incorporates floating licenses such as: Autocad, Matlab, ESRI, AVEVA, Cadence, IntelliCAD, MathCAD, Pro-Engineer, Solidworks, and Synopsys.

A click on the any of the users displays the users details as stored in OpenLM Users table. These tables can be synchronized with an organization’s LDAP database: e.g.: Microsoft Active Directory.

OpenLM Agent – License available notification

When a user is denied a specific license, the OpenLM Server sends a notification to the user once the specific license becomes available again:

 

OpenLM Agent – Project selection

Projects can be introduced by end-users via the OpenLM Agent (once permission is set by the administrator in the EasyAdmin interface). Just click the “Create New Project” menu item in the OpenLM Agent interface:

The “Create new Project” window opens. Users can then create new projects and associate their working hours to these projects.

For more information please refer to this document:

Application Note 2030: OpenLM license usage monitoring according to projects – v1.8.

OpenLM Agent – Set ArcGIS license level

ArcGIS end users can set the licensing level before activating the software. If such a license is available, the software will start.

OpenLM Agent Configuration Form

The OpenLM Agent Configuration form sets and tests the connection to an OpenLM server.

Note – this is the OpenLM server, NOT a license (e.g.: Flexera FLEXnet) server.

The Agent’s logging level may also be set here.

A “Silent Install” option is available for automatic distribution of the OpenLM Agent to all workstations in the network.

 

OpenLM Active Agent

The OpenLM Active agent boosts organizations’ license usage by actively retrieving idle licenses.

The Active Agent supports many different software products from various vendors.These include: Autodesk software – Autocad, Revit, Electrical, Architecture, Mechanical, Map 3D, MEP, Navisworks and more…

ESRI –  ArcGIS  Desktop products: ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo, Network Analyst, 3d Analyst, ArcGIS Data Interoperability, ArcGIS Data Reviewer, ArcGIS Spatial Analyst and more…

The Extension provides additional functions, such as:

1. Closing idle sessions when licenses are no longer in use.

2. One-click reopening of closed projects.

When OpenLM saves and closes an idle session of ArcGIS, it alerts the user with a notification message. Right clicking the Active Agent icon, and selecting “Recently Closed Documents” displays all recently closed documents:

 

Click on one of the recently closed documents to reopen it.