Process Systems Enterprise Limited
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Licence management for gPROMS family products

The licences offered by PSE for gPROMS family products can either be based within TCP/IP network environments or be standalone.

Network licensing

Within TCP/IP network environments, PSE's products are licenced using a floating licence model. This allows you a number of simultaneous runs of the product on workstations within your local network up to the maximum number of users stated in the licence. Both Microsoft Windows and LINUX workstations may be used to run gPROMS within the same network.

PSE's products use a licence management component based on a client/server model. That is, you have a licence server running on one workstation known as the licence server host and the product running on one or more clients. The licence server host and client may be the same machine, or they may be different machines within the same network.

The licences which a licence server can grant are controlled by the licence files installed on it. These licence files are delivered by PSE and are specific to your licence server host. They are installed by you using utilities provided with the licence management software.

A licence is identified by two items of information:

  • the host name of the licence server machine
  • the physical address of the licence server machine

In order to obtain a licence, you need to determine this information as described below and provide it to PSE.

Finding the licence server host name and physical address

You can determine the licence server host name and physical address in two different ways:

  • On Microsoft Windows machines,
    • from the Start menu, select "Run" and type "cmd" to create a DOS command window
    • type "cd C:\Windows\System32"
    • type "ipconfig /all"
    • in the output produced,
      • read the host name under "Windows IP Configuration"
      • read the physical address (usually a sequence of six 2-character groups) under "Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection"
  • on all machines, run the FLEXlm utility which you can download. The information that you require appears on the second tab ("System Settings"):
    • the host name is shown as "Computer/Hostname"
    • the physical address is shown as "Ethernet address"

In choosing your licence server host, you should take the following points into consideration:

  • If the licence server host is not an IBM-PC Compatible, then it must have a constant IP address, that is, it should not be receiving its IP address dynamically via DHCP. This IP address cannot be 127.0.0.1
  • The licence server host should be reliable. If it is not working, then it will be unable to serve licenses and you will be unable to run gPROMS on any of the client workstations.
  • Changing the processor, hard-drive or network card of your licence server host may result in its licence host id changing. If this happens, then all the licence files that PSE have delivered for that licence server host will be made invalid and PSE will have to issue you with new licence files which will incur additional cost.

Standalone licensing

It is also possible to run gPROMS on workstations that are not attached to a TCP/IP network. The licence management software is still used with the licence server host and client being the same workstation. When applying for a standalone licence, you should take the following additional points into consideration:

  • A separate licence application must be made for each standalone workstation.
  • If the standalone machine is not an IBM-PC Compatible, then it must still be set up with a non-dynamic IP address which must not be 127.0.0.1.
  • It is possible to create a standalone licence only if the machine has an ethernet card or CPU id.
  • You can use the FLEXlm utility to determine the ethernet card or CPU id of the machine, as described above.

If there is anything you do not understand or if you require additional information about academic licensing, then please contact us.