License Server Administration for CCS
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Introduction
This page is intended for network adminstrators or Code Composer Studio users that have a multi-user floating license and need to setup the license server host PC in a network.
Note: if your Code Composer Studio license is for a single-user mode, this page is not for you.
Floating Licenses
In the node locked single-user scenario, the license file (.lic) is stored on the machine running Code Composer Studio (one .lic file per machine). In the floating license scenario, a host PC is setup as a license server and each of the client machines are configured to "check-out" a license as needed.
CCSv4 makes use of FlexNet license server manager for product licensing, an industry-standard licensing technology from Flexera Software.
This page outlines administration details specific to Code Composer Studio and should not be used as a generic guide for FlexNet license server managers. A more generic guide is shown in the References section.
References
- Support page for FlexNet license server manager, which contains downloads, documentation and utilities:
- License Administration Guide from Flexera Software:
Requirements
1. Preconfigured license server host PC. Operating systems currently supported are Windows, Solaris® for SPARC™ and Linux.
- See License Administration Guide Chapter 8 "Selecting a License Server Machine" for details and requirements
2. The following utilities from the support page for FlexNet license server manager:
- lmadmin if graphical installation is desired
- lmgrd and lmtools for command-line installation. Windows also has an additional utility called lmutils.
- Texas Instruments’ vendor daemon tidspssw
- Note: Code Composer Studio and the tidspssw vendor daemon were built with FLEXnet publisher v11.4.1
3. Floating License File (extension .lic)) for Code Composer Studio.
- Register online at http://www.ti.com/activatesoftware with your activation code to get your license file.
- Note: You will need the Host ID to be assigned to the license file. It is usually the MAC address of your license server host PC. This information can be obtained in different ways as shown in the procedures listed at the end of this section.
License server setup
Windows: graphical setup
1. Download the graphical utility <lmadmin-i86_n3-11_9_0_0.exe> and save it to any directory in your system:
2. Download the license server utilities <lmutil>, <lmgrd> and <lmtools> and save them to the same directory as above
3. Download the TI daemon server <tidspssw.zip> and save it to the same directory as above:
4. Run the <lmadmin-i86_n3-11_9_0_0.exe> installer and follow the on-screen instructions:
- In the step Important information select Install Visual C++ SP1 Redistributable Package if you do not have it installed in your system. If in doubt, check it anyways.
- Note: If preferred, this package can be downloaded separately from this link.
- In the step Service Configuration check the box Run as a service to guarantee the license server will be active even if nobody is logged to the host PC.
- In the step Start the Server check the box Start server now. A browser window will open with the main license manager GUI. Leave it open for now.
5. Open a Windows Explorer window and unzip the utilities downloaded in step 2 above to the directory where <lmadmin.exe> is installed. The default installation directory is
- C:\Program Files\FLEXnet Publisher License Server Manager
6. At last, unzip the TI daemon server to the installation directory
- Note: on a Microsoft Windows system, the files <tidspssw.exe> and <.manifest> should be placed in the same directory as <lmadmin.exe>.
7. Go back to the browser window opened in step 4 and click on Administration at the top right corner. The default username/password is admin/admin and the first run a window will open to perform a mandatory change to the password.
8. In the main administration view click on Vendor Daemon Configuration and click on the Import License icon. Browse to where the .lic file is located and click on Import license. A message will be displayed saying the license was successfully imported. Click OK.
9. The Vendor Daemon Configuration screen should now show a tidspssw daemon. Click on Sign Out and close the browser window.
- IMPORTANT! Aditional usage and configuration details are located in Chapter 8 of the License Administration Guide (see references above)
10. The license server is now configured and running. Check the topic Configuring Code Composer Studio below to learn how to configure each CCSv4 client.
UNIX: command line setup
The license server can be installed in a host PC with UNIX operating systems. FlexNet supports several types of UNIX systems and platforms, including all Linux releases that are LSB-compliant. However, TI daemon servers are only available for Linux and Solaris® for SPARC™. The procedure below was tested in Ubuntu 10.4 LTS 32 and 64-bits.
The command-line setup is convenient for license servers as it allows remote management via a simple telnet or SSH terminal.
The procedure below creates a directory structure to help keep things organized and allow multiple licenses to be used by the server.
/opt
|--> license_server
|--> bin
|--> licenses
|--> logs
1. Open a terminal or console and create the directory structure below to accomodate the license server files:
- host$ cd /opt
- host$ sudo mkdir license_server
- host$ cd ./license_server
- host$ sudo mkdir bin
- host$ sudo mkdir licenses
- host$ sudo mkdir logs
- host$ sudo chmod 777 *
- Note: the last step is required to allow user access to the license file and the utilities.
2. Download the license server utilities <lmutil> and <lmgrd> and save them to the directory bin created above. Be sure to download the correct version: Linux 32-bit/64-bit (LSB Certified™) for x86/x64 platform or Solaris™ 32-bit/64-bit for SPARC® 32-bit/64-bit platform.
- http://www.globes.com/support/fnp_utilities_download.htm
- Note: Depending on your Linux distribution you might need to install the packages lsb-core and lsb-base to properly run the <lmgrd> utility. Refer to your linux distribution documentation to learn how to properly install these packages.
3. Download the TI daemon server <tidspssw> and save it to the directory bin created above:
Linux:
Solaris:
- http://software-dl.ti.com/dsps/dsps_registered_sw/sdo_ccstudio/CCSv4/tidspssw/sun_u8/tidspssw.tar.gz
4. Go to the directory bin and extract the command-line utilities:
- Linux 32-bit:
- host$ cd bin
- host$ tar xvf lmgrd_i86_lsb.tar.gz
- host$ tar xvf lmutil_i86_lsb.tar.gz
- Linux 64-bit:
- host$ cd bin
- host$ tar xvf lmgrd_x64_lsb.tar.gz
- host$ tar xvf lmutil_x64_lsb.tar.gz
- Solaris™ 32-bit:
- host$ cd bin
- host$ tar xvf lmgrd_x64_lsb.tar.gz
- host$ tar xvf lmutil_x64_lsb.tar.gz
- host$ tar xvf tidspssw.tar.gz
- Solaris™ 64-bit:
- host$ cd bin
- host$ tar xvf lmgrd_x64_lsb.tar.gz
- host$ tar xvf lmutil_x64_lsb.tar.gz
- host$ tar xvf tidspssw.tar.gz
5. The command-line utilities and the TI daemon server are supplied as read-only, therefore it is necessary to change their permissions:
- host$ chmod 555 lmgrd
- host$ chmod 555 lmutil
- host$ chmod 555 tidspssw
6. Save the TI license file (extension .lic) received from the e-mail to the directory licenses created above. If already saved in your host PC, copy the file to the directory licenses.
- host$ cp <location_of_license_file>/TMDSCCS-ALLF05-v4.0.lic /opt/license_server/licenses
7. Create an empty file in the directory logs created above that will log all license server activity
- host$ touch /opt/license_server/logs/tidspssw.log
8. Run the license server manager <lmgrd>. It will point to the license directory and the log file created before:
- host$ cd /opt/license_server/bin
- host$ ./lmgrd -c /opt/license_server/licenses -l /opt/license_server/logs/tidspssw.log
9. To test if the license server is running and properly loaded the TI daemon <tidspssw> simply type:
- host$ ./lmutil lmstat -a
10. The license server is now configured and running. Check the topic Configuring Code Composer Studio below to learn how to configure each CCSv4 client.
11. In order to automatically start the license server manager, simply edit the local initialization file and add the license server command with complete paths:
- /opt/license_server/bin/lmgrd -c /opt/license_server/licenses -l /opt/license_server/logs/tidspssw.log
Optional. If you prefer to log the initialization at boot time, include the following snippet of commands in your <rc.local> file:
echo starting lmgrd > /opt/license_server/logs/boot.log umask 022; /opt/license_server/bin/lmgrd -c /opt/license_server/licenses/TMDSCCS-ALLF05-v4.0.lic -l /opt/license_server/logs/tidspssw.log >> /opt/license_server/logs/boot.log /opt/license_server/bin/lmutil lmdiag >> /opt/license_server/logs/boot.log /opt/license_server/bin/lmutil lmstat -a >> /opt/license_server/logs/boot.log echo exiting lmgrd >> /opt/license_server/logs/boot.log
- Note: Depending on the UNIX distribution the location and name of this file can change. For example, in Ubuntu it is /etc/rc.local, in RedHat it is /etc/rc.d/rc.local and in Solaris™ is /etc/rc.3/S99local. If in doubt, refer to your UNIX distribution documentation for details.
- Note: Although Solaris 10 and newer uses SMF to enable and disable services, customized scripts should still be configured using the method above. Refer to Solaris SMF quick start guide at:
- http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/content/selfheal/smf-quickstart.jsp
- Note: when editing the initalization file make sure to run the editor using superuser (root) privileges.
- host $ sudo vim /etc/rc.local
- IMPORTANT! Aditional usage and configuration details are located in Chapter 11 of the License Administration Guide (see references above)
UNIX: graphical setup
The license server can be installed in a host PC with UNIX operating systems. FlexNet supports several types of UNIX systems and platforms, including all Linux releases that are LSB-compliant. However, TI daemon servers are only available for Linux and Solaris® for SPARC™. The procedure below was tested in Ubuntu 10.4 LTS 32 and 64-bits.
1. Follow the steps 1 through 6 of the Command-line setup for UNIX, but extract the command-line utilities and the TI server daemon to the parent directory /opt/license_server and not /opt/license_server/bin.
2. Download the graphical utility <lmadmin> and save it to the directory /opt/license_server/bin
- http://www.globes.com/support/fnp_utilities_download.htm
- Note: the graphical utility requires a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to run. Although it is included in several UNIX distributions, certain popular distributions require it to be installed separately. Refer to the documentation of your distribution for additional details.
3. The graphical utility is supplied as read-only, therefore it is necessary to change its permissions:
- Linux:
- host$ chmod 555 lmadmin-i86_lsb-11_9_0_0.bin
- Solaris™:
- host$ chmod 555 lmadmin-sun4_u9-11_9_0_0.bin
4. Run the graphical utility installer with user (non-root) privileges
- Linux:
- host$ ./lmadmin-i86_lsb-11_9_0_0.bin
- Solaris™:
- host$ ./lmadmin-sun4_u9-11_9_0_0.bin
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.
- In the step Choose Install Folder point to the directory: /opt/license_server
- In the step Launch Configuration the default values can be used
- In the step Start the Server check the box Start server now. A browser window will open with the main license manager GUI. Leave it open for now.
6. Go to the browser window opened in step 5 and click on Administration at the top right corner. The default username/password is admin/admin and the first run a window will open to perform a mandatory change to the password.
7. In the main administration view click on Vendor Daemon Configuration and click on the Import License icon. Browse to where the .lic file is located and click on Import license. A message will be displayed saying the license was successfully imported. Click OK.
8. The Vendor Daemon Configuration screen should now show a tidspssw daemon. Click on Sign Out and close the browser window.
- IMPORTANT! Aditional usage and configuration details are located in Chapter 8 of the License Administration Guide (see references above)
9. The license server is now configured and running. Check the topic Configuring Code Composer Studio below to learn how to configure each CCSv4 client.
10. To run the license server as a system module, the script <lmadmin> located in the directory /opt/license_server/examples/service must run at system initialization. The supplied script contains instructions to be configured in RedHat Linux and Solaris®.
- The script can be modified to use it with Ubuntu. An alternative is to simply add the line below to the file <rc.local> located in the directory /etc:
- su user -c "/opt/license_server/lmadmin -root /opt/license_server" > "/opt/license_server/logs/boot.log"
- Note: replace user above with a regular user name (non-root) of your server, as lmadmin does not run in superuser mode.
- Note: when editing the initalization file make sure to run the editor using superuser (root) privileges.
- host $ sudo vim /etc/rc.local
Configuring Code Composer Studio
Once the license server is running it is required to configure CCSv4 to properly recognize it.
Using the graphical license manager (recommended)
The recommended option is to configure CCSv4 using the graphical license manager. Please refer to the topic Floating License of the section GSG:CCSv4 Running for the first time for details.
Advanced license configurations
The options below are useful if deploying CCSv4 in a large organization that requires either scripting the installation or if CCSv4 is bundled with an OS installation image.
The <licenselocation.txt> file:
The <licenselocation.txt> file holds the location of licenses in a CCSv4 installation, and is typically located at ccsv4\DebugServer\license\licenselocation.txt (in CCSv4.2.x and newer this location will be in the user temp area). This text file contains a single location entry per line, and they are searched in order they appear (first line takes precedence over subsequent lines).
Location entries are one of the following:
- port@host where port is the port number and host is the host name of a license server system.
- @host where host is the host name of a license server system. Since no port number is specified, a default port number between 27000 and 27009 is used. @localhost always works if the server is running on the same system as the application
- A comma separated list of three port@host entries denoting a three-server redundant configuration. For example, port1@host1,port2@host2,port3@host3 specifies the three-server redundant configuration composed of host1, host2 and host3.
- The actual text of the license file, with START_LICENSE\n as a prefix, and \nEND_LICENSE as suffix, where the embedded newlines (\n) are required.
- IMPORTANT! If the license server setup procedure above was followed use the second option above, which only specifies the host.
Environment variables:
It is possible to specify the license locations using environment variables. If these environment variables exist, they take precedence over the licenses specified in <licenselocation.txt> or located at the ccsv4\DebugServer\license folder.
Two environment variables can be set:
- TIDSPSSW_LICENSE_FILE overrides the application defined license location for Code Composer Studio ONLY.
- LM_LICENSE_FILE overrides the application defined license location for all FlexNet-enabled applications. If you use multiple FlexNet-enabled applications, with a single license server serving all of them, this variable is useful as a quick way to tell all the applications where to search for licenses.
Locations are specified similar to the entries of <licenselocation.txt> but with complete paths to the location of license files. On Windows, multiple entries are separated by a semicolon (;).
Deployment of CCS with pre-configured license server configurations:
If your organization requires the installation of several copies of CCSv4, the license server configuration can be integrated as part of the installer.
- 1. Download and decompress a CCSv4 install image from the downloads page:
- http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/Download_CCS
- 2. Create a directory called license under the CCSv4 install_image installer directory:
- 3. Create a <licenselocation.txt> file that has the parameters for the license server host PC (i.e. 9900@myserver.mycompany.com) and copy it to the directory license created above.
- \install_images\ccscore\license\licenselocation.txt
- This file will automatically get installed into ccsv4\DebugServer\license folder during product installation. Users within the organization will never need to setup licensing and will never be asked to register the copy.
Re-hosting the floating license
If for any reason the license server host PC needs to be replaced by a different PC, the MAC address of the new host PC is different therefore requiring the license to be re-hosted.
- 1. Visit the page http://www.ti.com/activatesoftware (my.ti.com login is required) and click on the tab Manage Activated Software.
- 2. Locate the license and click on Manage.
- 3. The license information will be shown. Clicking on Re-host a license will open the page to do the re-hosting.
- 4. Review the terms and conditions.
- 5. Enter the hostID of the new server. Provide a host name and a hostID for the new server. Click Next.
- 6. Provide an e-mail address for the license file to be submitted. Click E-mail license.
- 7. Look in your inbox for two e-mails: myTI_license and myregistered_software in the subject.
- The myTI_License e-mail contains the license file. Save this file and unzip it.
Additional Topics
Now that you have finished configuring the license server host PC, you can check other Advanced Topics of the CCSv4 Getting Started Guide.
FAQ
Q: Where are the instructions to setup a license server?
See the License Server Administration for CCS topic.
Q: What does the error "No socket connection to license server manager" mean?
In this case CCS was able to connect to the license server but there is an issue with the daemon that is running. One thing to check is to ensure that the manifest file that is included inside the zip file with the daemon executable was also extracted. If this was not done you will see "unlicensed" in the CCS title bar and if you go to Help -> Licensing Options you will get a dialog box with the error message.
Q: What OS can the license server run on?
Windows, Linux and Solaris are supported.
Q: Can we use a single license server to handle multiple geographic locations?
Yes you could use a single license server to distribute licenses to different locations as long as all locations are on the same network. CCS performs a limited number of license checks and thus does not significant network bandwidth.
Q: Can I run CCS on the same machine that is running the license server?
Yes
Q: How do I get the license server to start when the machine boots?
If you are finding that on a windows license server the license server is only starting when you are logged in and shuts down when you log out there could be a problem with your settings in LMTOOLS. Run LMTOOLS, go to the "Config Services" tab and make sure that the two check boxes at the bottom are checked.
Q: I keep getting "CreateProcess error code: 0x36b1 File=tidspssw.exe", why is this?
If this is a Windows machine running the license server the cause could be that you do not have the required version of some Microsoft runtime libraries installed. They can be obtained here. Specifically we need version 8.0.50727.762 of msvcrt80.dll
CN License Server Administration for CCS
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