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Client/server setup... One FNL License -- Posible?

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It appears that running 'comsol server' on my server, and setting up a client comsol installation and having that work with one FNL license is not possible. Can someone confirm? Why is this? 'comsol server' takes up a network license, so I can't start the client, and starting the client first, the server wont start. This seems odd why they apply a FNL to the server, but then also require the client to have a different license.

6 Replies Last Post Sep 9, 2010, 7:51 p.m. EDT
Sven Friedel COMSOL Employee

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Posted: 1 decade ago Jul 27, 2010, 3:40 a.m. EDT
Hi Mike,

I cannot confirm this. For client / server operation with COMSOL you need exactly FNL only. Try to search the problem elsewhere, e.g. can your client ping your server? Are the prots open and nbot blocked by firewall etc.

See also: www.ch.comsol.com/support/knowledgebase/960/

Sven
Hi Mike, I cannot confirm this. For client / server operation with COMSOL you need exactly FNL only. Try to search the problem elsewhere, e.g. can your client ping your server? Are the prots open and nbot blocked by firewall etc. See also: http://www.ch.comsol.com/support/knowledgebase/960/ Sven

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Posted: 1 decade ago Jul 27, 2010, 8:33 a.m. EDT
Its definitely not a connection problem. The client computer's comsol is able to pick up a license, however after picking up a license 'comsol server' on the server computer complains about not having a license. If I shut down the clients comsol client, then 'comsol server' on the server works, but then the client can't start back up saying it can't get a license.

The required ports are open, and I even disabled the firewall completely.
Its definitely not a connection problem. The client computer's comsol is able to pick up a license, however after picking up a license 'comsol server' on the server computer complains about not having a license. If I shut down the clients comsol client, then 'comsol server' on the server works, but then the client can't start back up saying it can't get a license. The required ports are open, and I even disabled the firewall completely.

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Posted: 1 decade ago Aug 27, 2010, 5:04 p.m. EDT
I don't have the proper setup to test what you are talking about, but a couple of things to try/think about.

1.) Have you looked at the "Perform Status Inquiry" results from lmtools? From there you can check what parts of the license are in use from each part of the process (you may want to post this on the forum)

2.) I tried out running client/server on a single computer and it worked out fine. But I did note when running the client command that COMSOL switches to normal mode if it fails to connect to the server. Also, you may have considered this already, but note that the ports used for the client/server connection are different than the ports used for the license server.

What version of COMSOL are you using?



I don't have the proper setup to test what you are talking about, but a couple of things to try/think about. 1.) Have you looked at the "Perform Status Inquiry" results from lmtools? From there you can check what parts of the license are in use from each part of the process (you may want to post this on the forum) 2.) I tried out running client/server on a single computer and it worked out fine. But I did note when running the client command that COMSOL switches to normal mode if it fails to connect to the server. Also, you may have considered this already, but note that the ports used for the client/server connection are different than the ports used for the license server. What version of COMSOL are you using?

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Posted: 1 decade ago Aug 27, 2010, 9:54 p.m. EDT
I am running into the same problem. The server/client license management in 3.5 was fine but 4.0 is broken. If the client grabs a license then the calculation runs on the client machine (not what you want). From the Client GUI I tried running the Connect to server command and it produced a long list of Java NullPointerException errors. Very Buggy.

Can you please test that this works and then tell me how to fix it? I am running the maci64 version of the program. It is a mac client and mac server setup.

--Steve Penn
I am running into the same problem. The server/client license management in 3.5 was fine but 4.0 is broken. If the client grabs a license then the calculation runs on the client machine (not what you want). From the Client GUI I tried running the Connect to server command and it produced a long list of Java NullPointerException errors. Very Buggy. Can you please test that this works and then tell me how to fix it? I am running the maci64 version of the program. It is a mac client and mac server setup. --Steve Penn

Ivar KJELBERG COMSOL Multiphysics(r) fan, retired, former "Senior Expert" at CSEM SA (CH)

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Posted: 1 decade ago Aug 28, 2010, 5:14 a.m. EDT
Hi

flexlm and licence debugging is always delicate, often you have several OS and heterous network and each software deamon behavees differently. I can only suggest to try the "debug mode" of flexlm (set by an OS environmental variable, see the flexlm doc, or bya flag in the startup), this will give you a rather large logfile, but so long you do it over a short time it's ok, it often helps to find out if you are hooking up correctly, and if the relase command was sent and acnowledged, if you see nothing it's often due to firewall blockings.

I'm not equipped with a FNL for Comsol, but for many other softwares that also use Flexlm, and I have noticed that they behave often somewhat differently, depending on the options enables in the specific client software demon

normally "support" is there too for these kind of issues, if it's not 100% linked to your specific network

--
Good luck
Ivar
Hi flexlm and licence debugging is always delicate, often you have several OS and heterous network and each software deamon behavees differently. I can only suggest to try the "debug mode" of flexlm (set by an OS environmental variable, see the flexlm doc, or bya flag in the startup), this will give you a rather large logfile, but so long you do it over a short time it's ok, it often helps to find out if you are hooking up correctly, and if the relase command was sent and acnowledged, if you see nothing it's often due to firewall blockings. I'm not equipped with a FNL for Comsol, but for many other softwares that also use Flexlm, and I have noticed that they behave often somewhat differently, depending on the options enables in the specific client software demon normally "support" is there too for these kind of issues, if it's not 100% linked to your specific network -- Good luck Ivar

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Posted: 1 decade ago Sep 9, 2010, 7:51 p.m. EDT
I was seeing the same thing when running 4.0. I upgraded my both systems to 4.0a and it worked. I'm still looking at what went wrong, but with 4.0 it both the client and the server had taken a license. When I moved to 4.0a it seems to work out better (I'm not sure yet if it still grabs 2 licenses until I connect to the server).
I was seeing the same thing when running 4.0. I upgraded my both systems to 4.0a and it worked. I'm still looking at what went wrong, but with 4.0 it both the client and the server had taken a license. When I moved to 4.0a it seems to work out better (I'm not sure yet if it still grabs 2 licenses until I connect to the server).

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