Setup Guide

v6.4.0

License Manager
Installation and maintenance
 Table of Contents

SECTION 0. QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE ............................................................................................................... 2

0.1. QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE ..................................................................................................................................... 2
SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION TO BETA_LM_TOOLS .................................................................................................. 3
1.1. BASIC COMPONENTS ............................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. OVERVIEW OF FEATURES .......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.3. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 3
SECTION 2. INSTALLING BETA_LM_TOOLS.............................................................................................................. 4
2.1. OVERVIEW OF ACTIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2. INSTALLATION PROCEDURE ....................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2.1. Select a suitable license server scheme..................................................................................................... 4
2.2.2. Download beta_lm_tools .......................................................................................................................... 4
2.2.3. Verification of the download using Message Digest-5 (MD5) hash function ............................................ 5
2.2.4. Unpack beta_lm_tools package ................................................................................................................ 5
2.2.5. Information required to build a valid license file ...................................................................................... 6
2.2.6. Receive a valid license file ......................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.7. Launching the beta_lm license manager .................................................................................................. 7
2.3. SUPPORTED BETA_LM FEATURES ............................................................................................................................... 9
2.4. MORE ON FEATURES, CREDITS AND PACKAGES .................................................................................................... 10
2.4.1. FEATUREs and their important keywords (WEIGHT, CREDIT and OPTIONS)............................................ 10
2.4.2. PACKAGE ................................................................................................................................................. 11
2.5. NOTES ON LICENSING POLICY .................................................................................................................................. 13
SECTION 3. OPTIONS AND USAGE OF LICENSE ADMINISTRATION TOOLS ..............................................................15
3.1. THE BETA_LM OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 15
3.1.1. Terminating beta_lm............................................................................................................................... 15
3.2. THE BETA_LM_STAT OPTIONS ................................................................................................................................. 15
3.2.1. Monitoring license usage ........................................................................................................................ 16
3.2.2 Current licensing status............................................................................................................................ 16
3.3. THE BETA_LM_KILL_USER OPTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 18
SECTION 4. THE LICENSE.DAT FILE .........................................................................................................................19
4.1. THE LICENSE.DAT FILE............................................................................................................................................ 19
4.2. ADDITIONAL SHORT TERM LICENSES & LICENSE EXTENSIONS.......................................................................................... 20
SECTION 5. RUNNING A LICENSED APPLICATION ..................................................................................................21
5.1. SEARCHING FOR A VALID LICENSE ............................................................................................................................. 21
5.2.1. Single server scheme ............................................................................................................................... 21
5.2.2. Redundant server scheme ....................................................................................................................... 21
SECTION 6. BETA_LM ON THE GO .........................................................................................................................23
6.0. INTRODUCTION TO BETA_LM ON THE GO ................................................................................................................. 23
6.0.1. What is beta_lm On The Go .................................................................................................................... 23
6.1. BASIC COMPONENTS & REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................... 23
6.1.1. What is a USB Ethernet/WiFi card .......................................................................................................... 23
6.1.2. Scheme & Hardware requirements ......................................................................................................... 23
 6.2. PROCEDURE & APPLICATION .................................................................................................................................. 24
6.2.1. Overview of actions ................................................................................................................................ 24
6.2.2. Installation procedure ............................................................................................................................. 24
SECTION 7. REGARDING VIRTUAL MACHINES .......................................................................................................25
7.1. BETA_LM_TOOLS ON VIRTUAL MACHINE .................................................................................................................. 25
7.2. LICENSED APPLICATION ON VIRTUAL MACHINE........................................................................................................... 25
SECTION 8. TROUBLESHOOTING BETA_LM ...........................................................................................................26
8.1. TROUBLESHOOTING BETA_LM ................................................................................................................................. 26
BETA LM Setup Guide

Section 0.
Quick Installation Guide
0.1. Quick installation guide
Users familiar with license management software can quickly browse through the following steps in order
to download & install beta_lm_tools. Numbers in the third column indicate the corresponding paragraphs
where detailed information on each specific step is given.
Action Paragraph
1. Decide on the machine that will be used as license server. If a server redundancy scheme is to be used, 1.2
decide on its type and on the machines that will be used as license servers. & 2.2.1

2. Log on to BETA CAE Systems server and download beta_lm_tools for each machine and platform that will 2.2.2
be used as a server.

3. On each of these servers, unpack beta_lm_tools and execute the command: 2.2.5
beta_lm -host_key
Store the outcome of the above command, which consists of the machine's ethernet card MAC address
and a string of forty (40) characters, like:
MAC = 00:0f:b0:43:34:9a
BETA LM Host Key = 200a025ec00b5f5e0f1b2e1b3d5e020bd04e5144
On WINDOWS systems only, the administrator has the option to derive the above key based on another
network interface, namely USB or WiFi. To produce such a key, use the command:
beta_lm -host_key -ni [network interface, e.g. USB | WiFi]
4. Provide the above to BETA CAE Systems, including the hostname(s) of the server(s). Using these data, 2.2.6
BETA CAE Systems will generate the corresponding license file, usually called license.dat & 4.1

5. Copy the license.dat file on each server and install the beta_lm license daemon using the commands: 2.2.7
Linux Systems:
beta_lm -f [full_path_to]license.dat -L <[full_path_to]log_file>
Windows Systems:
beta_lm -install -f [full_path_to]license.dat -L <[full_path_to]log_file>
If the administrator used a USB or a WiFi network interface to derive the server host key, then this
interface should also be declared during installation:
beta_lm -install -ni [USB | WiFi] -f [full_path_to]license.dat -L <[full_path_to]log_file>
Start the "BETA LM Service" from Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services

6. Verify that beta_lm is up and running on each server, using the command: 2.2.7
beta_lm_stat -h server_name
The outcome of the above command will display the features available within the license.dat file.
Note that in the "hardware failover" redundant server scheme, only the server that is currently the
"master" will respond.

7. Modify the ANSA_SRV environment variable to match the server settings. For example, in the three 5.2
server "hardware failover" scheme, use
Linux Systems:
setenv ANSA_SRV port@server1,port@server2,port@server3
Windows Systems:
set ANSA_SRV = port@server1,port@server2,port@server3

Action Paragraph
8. Launch a licensed application (eg. ANSA, μETA) using the provided execution scripts. 5.1
For troubleshooting actions please refer to section 8

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Section 1.
Introduction to beta_lm_tools
1.1. Basic components
beta_lm_tools is the license manager package for use with all products licensed by BETA CAE Systems
and should be downloaded and installed on all machines that are designated as license servers. The
package contains the following:
 beta_lm: license daemon that handles the initial contact and communication with the licensed
application through a TCP/IP network protocol. The communication itself is machine independent,
so the licensed application and the license daemon can be running on different platforms and
different operating systems.
 beta_lm_stat: a reporting tool that provides information on license usage
 beta_lm_kill_user: tool to terminate process of specific users
 an optional administration options file (usually called license.opt) that can be used by the
license administrator to control various operating parameters of beta_lm. All configurable
parameters that appear in the administration options file remain within the license rights granted
by BETA CAE Systems.
 related documentation on the installation and maintenance of beta_lm_tools
Upon installation, the beta_lm license daemon searches for and reads the license file, usually called
license.dat. This is a standard ASCII file storing all licensing information necessary for the proper and
uninterrupted use of the licensed application. This information is related to the license servers and the
respective communication ports, the licensed software packages and features that the customer can use
etc. The license file is created by BETA CAE Systems in accordance to the requirements set by the
customer and is installed by the license administrator.

1.2. Overview of features

The main features of the beta_lm licensing system are the following:
 License server redundancy: two redundancy schemes are currently available - one for load
distribution using more than one servers and one for hardware failover protection
 Flexible short term licensing
 Group licensing: where a group of specific software products or software features can be set to
hold a specific amount of the total available licenses
 Shared licensing: multiple executions of the same application by the same user on the same
machine / console will occupy a single license
 Idle User timeout and Kill User functionality
 On-Line statistics and Logging

1.3. Hardware requirements

Minimum hardware requirements for the installation of beta_lm_tools package are given below:
Note: These requirements refer to a Hardware that is physical, not virtual. For more details regarding
beta_lm_tools in compliance with virtual machines, you may refer to Section 7.

MacOS 32bit OS Version 64bit OS Version

MacOS Darwin 8.7.3 or later
LINUX
AMD Athlon, glibc 2.2 AMD Athlon 64, glibc 2.3.2
INTEL Pentium IV, glibc 2.2 AMD Athlon 64FX, glibc 2.3.2
AMD Opteron, glibc 2.3.2
INTEL Xeon EM64T, glibc 2.3.2
WINDOWS
AMD Athlon, Win2K SP3, WinXP SP1 AMD Athlon, WinXP Pro x64, SP1
INTEL Pentium IV, Win2K SP3, WinXP SP1 INTEL Pentium IV, WinXP Pro x64, SP1
Windows Server 2003/2008 Windows Server 2003/2008

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BETA LM Setup Guide

Section 2.
Installing beta_lm_tools
2.1. Overview of actions
The license administrator should take the following actions prior to installing the license management
package:
 Select a suitable license server scheme and decide on the platforms to be used as servers
 Download beta_lm_tools package for the above platforms
 Provide to BETA CAE Systems all information needed to generate a valid license file
 Receive a valid license file
Once the license file is received, then
 beta_lm license daemon must be launched on all license servers
Details on these actions are given below.

2.2. Installation procedure

2.2.1. Select a suitable license server scheme

The beta_lm license management system supports a stand-alone scheme and two server redundancy
schemes:
 Stand-alone Scheme: In this case beta_lm is installed in a single machine that is designated by
the customer as the license server. The server responds to all requests for license and serves the
total number of available licenses. The stand-alone scheme is considered the default, unless a
redundancy scheme is explicitly specified by the customer.
 Hardware Failover Scheme: This is a quorum scheme, i.e. a scheme of three license servers
where if any two of the three machines are up and running, the system is functional and serves
the total number of licenses. This scheme is commonly known as two-over-three scheme and is
designed to provide hardware failover protection.
 Multiple Servers Scheme: The total number of licenses can be distributed (equally or not) to any
number of machines that will be used as alternate license servers. Under this scheme, each time
a license is requested, the client will try to engage this license from the first server. Upon denial,
the client will automatically request license from the next available server and so on, until it
succeeds or reaches the end. This type of redundancy is best suited for distributing license
requests, but has the disadvantage that if one server becomes unavailable, the corresponding
licenses that this server distributes become unavailable as well.

2.2.2. Download beta_lm_tools

In order to get the beta_lm_tools license management package follow these steps:
 Decide on the machine(s) that will be used as license server(s)
 Visit http://www.beta-cae.com and login to BETA CAE Systems secure site
 Switch to the [PublicDir] folder, located at the top of the screen
 Locate the latest version of BETA_LM_TOOLS package and switch into the respective folder
 Download the compressed files that represent the hardware platforms to be used as license
servers:
MacOS / LINUX Platforms Win2K, WinXP Platforms
beta_lm_tools_[version]_[platform].tar.gz beta_lm_tools_[version]_[platform].zip

For example,
- to install beta_lm_tools v6.4 on a Linux 32bit machine, you need to download the
beta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz file

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- to install it on a 64bit WinXP platform, you need to download the

beta_lm_tools_v6.4_win64.zip file.
 Optionally, download the license administration options file, license.opt

2.2.3. Verification of the download using Message Digest-5 (MD5) hash function

A. MacOS / LINUX Platforms

On the download list of beta_lm_tools you will notice that each compressed file has a respective
md5sum file. This can be used to verify that the compressed file was downloaded correctly using the
standardized MD5 checksums.

For example, imagine that you need to verify the correctness of beta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz. To
do so, download the beta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz_md5sum file and place in the same location as
beta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz:

PlatformFiles
Linux, 32bitbeta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz
beta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz_md5sum

Then open a command shell, switch into this location where these files reside and type the command:
md5sum -c beta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz_md5sum
If the outcome of the above command is OK, then the compressed file was downloaded correctly; if
not, you need to download it again.

B. WINDOWS Platforms
If the Windows version of the beta_lm_tools package is downloaded on a LINUX machine, then its
correctness can be verified as above, by downloading the respective md5sum file and using the built-
in md5sum command. For example:

PlatformFiles
WindowsXP,
32bitbeta_lm_tools_v6.4_win32.zip
beta_lm_tools_v6.4_win32.zip_md5sum

Then open a command shell, switch into the location where the above files reside and type the
command:
md5sum -c beta_lm_tools_v6.4_win32.zip_md5sum
If the outcome of the above command is OK, then the compressed file was downloaded correctly; if
not, you need to download it again.

However, if the Windows version of beta_lm_tools package is downloaded on a Windows machine,

then a third party tool should be used for the verification, since Windows may not have a built-in
md5sum utility. Please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Md5sum

2.2.4. Unpack beta_lm_tools package

A. MacOS / LINUX Platforms

 open a command shell and switch into the location where the beta_lm_tools package files reside
 unpack the package:
tar -zxvf beta_lm_tools_v6.4_linux.tar.gz
 when unpacked, the following directory structure will be created:
directory structure notes
/beta_lm_tools  root-folder of beta_lm_tools
package
/linux  sub-folder indicating the
current platform
beta_lm
beta_lm_stat contents of beta_lm_tools
beta_lm_kill_user package

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 Optionally, if you have downloaded the license administration options file license.opt, copy this
file to the location of the beta_lm_tools files, so the contents of the beta_lm_tools package now
become:
directory structure notes
/beta_lm_tools  root-folder of beta_lm_tools
package
/linux  sub-folder indicating the
current platform
beta_lm
beta_lm_stat contents of beta_lm_tools
beta_lm_kill_user package
license.opt

B. WINDOWS Platforms
 open a file explorer and double click on the beta_lm_tools compressed zip file. A currently
installed archive package (like WinZIP, WinRAR) or the Windows built-in tool will be launched
 Select a suitable location to unpack beta_lm_tools
 when unpacked, the following directory structure will be created:
directory structure notes
\beta_lm_tools  root-folder of
beta_lm_tools package
\win32  sub-folder indicating the
current platform
beta_lm.exe
beta_lm_stat.exe contents of
beta_lm_kill_user.exe beta_lm_tools package

 Optionally, if you have downloaded the license administration options file license.opt, copy this
file to the location of the beta_lm_tools files. So, the contents of the beta_lm_tools package now
become:
directory structure notes
\beta_lm_tools  root-folder of
beta_lm_tools
package
\win32  sub-folder indicating
the current platform
beta_lm.exe
beta_lm_stat.exe contents of
beta_lm_kill_user.exe beta_lm_tools
license.opt package

2.2.5. Information required to build a valid license file

In order to build a valid license for the selected license scheme, BETA CAE Systems requires three
pieces of information for all machines that will be used as license servers. This information, its description
as well as the respective command that should be used to obtain it is given in the table below:
item description command (all platforms)
name by which this machine is
1 hostname identified within the customer's hostname
network
2 MAC address media access control address beta_lm -host_key
3 host key beta_lm alphanumeric string

Important in WINDOWS platforms only: By default, beta_lm targets the ethernet card in order to
generate the required host key. However, in Windows platforms only, the user can explicitly ask to
generate a host key based on an existing USB or WiFi installed network adapter. To do so, the -ni
(standing for network interface) flag should be used, followed by an argument pointing to the desired
network interface:
Item description command (WINDOWS only)
name by which this machine is identified within the hostname
1 hostname
customer's network
2 MAC address media access control address
beta_lm -host_key -ni
3a host key from USB beta_lm alphanumeric string based on a USB USB
network interface
3b host key from WiFi beta_lm alphanumeric string based on a wireless beta_lm -host_key -ni
interface WiFi

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The process above should be followed on all machines that are designated as license servers. For
example, for a three server hardware failover scheme the customer should provide three sets of
information, one for each server:
server1 command response
1 hostname hostname Gauss
2 MAC 00-11-D8-AA-5C-3C
beta_lm -host_key
3 host key 200a025ec00b5f5e0f1b2e1b3d5e020bd04e5144
server2 command response
1 hostname hostname Riemann
2 MAC 00-11-D8-AA-5B-FD
beta_lm -host_key
3 host key 200a025ec00be1b3d5e020bd04e51445f5e0f1b2
server3 command response
1 hostname hostname Hilbert
2 MAC 00-14-22-DC-C6-EC
beta_lm -host_key
3 host key 200a025ab5f5e0f1b2e1bec003d5ebd04e510203

2.2.6. Receive a valid license file

Upon acceptance of the above information, BETA CAE Systems will proceed to the generation of a valid
license file, usually called license.dat. This file should be placed to all license server machines,
preferably at the same location where beta_lm_tools files reside. Thus, the contents of the beta_lm_tools
for a 32bit windows will become:
directory structure notes
\beta_lm_tools  root-folder of beta_lm_tools
package
\win32  sub-folder indicating the
current platform
beta_lm.exe
beta_lm_stat.exe
beta_lm_kill_user.exe contents of beta_lm_tools
license.opt package
license.dat

Details on the contents of the license file are given in a dedicated paragraph later.

2.2.7. Launching the beta_lm license manager

The license manager is installed by the license administrator using the beta_lm command with the
appropriate options. When this command is invoked, beta_lm will look for a valid license file at the
location indicated by the administrator. The described process must be followed for all machines that
will be used as license servers.

A. MacOS / LINUX Platforms

 open a command prompt and switch into the folder containing the beta_lm_tools files, for
example:
cd ~/beta_lm_tools/linux
 issue the command:
beta_lm -f ~/beta_lm_tools/linux/license.dat -L
[full_path_to]license.log
The above command will launch the beta_lm license daemon, read the license file (license.dat)
and write any related messages into a log file (license.log).
Note: The full path must be given for the license.dat file.
 verify that beta_lm is installed and that the total number of available licenses is correct using the
command:
beta_lm_stat -h server_name
the result should, for example, look like:
Trying 6007@server_name ....

Found License deamon on server_name

STATUS REPORT
PACKAGE | ISSUED | EXPIRE | CREDIT first section
PRE_POST | Wed Sep 10 2015 | Mon Oct 25 2016 | 5000
NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5 | Wed Sep 10 2015 | Mon Oct 25 2016 | 300

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PACKAGE:FEATURE | MAX CREDIT | CREDIT USED | USED PERCENTAGE | USAGE

PRE_POST:ANSA | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
second section
PRE_POST:ANSA_BATCH | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:META_POST | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_CATIA_V4 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0

At the first section we get information on the currently licensed packages along with the duration
and the corresponding credits of each package.
At the second section we get information about the usage of each feature, i.e. of each licensed
application that is currently running, in this case none.

In addition, the contents of the license.log file should look like:

NEW LOG AT Tue Jan 03 08:12:33 2017
FEATURE | USER NAME@HOST | PID | START | END

B. WINDOWS Platforms
 open a command prompt and switch into the folder containing the beta_lm_tools files, for
example:
cd c:\beta_lm_tools\win32
 by default beta_lm considers that the host key used to produce the license.dat file is based on the
ethernet card of the server machine. In this default case, the beta_lm installation command
should be:
beta_lm -install -f C:\beta_lm_tools\win32\license.dat -L
[full_path_to]license.log
However, if a USB or WiFi network interface was used to build the host key, then the same
network interface must be declared at the installation command. For example, in the USB case
the installation command will be:
beta_lm -install -ni USB -f C:\beta_lm_tools\win32\license.dat -L
[full_path_to]license.log
Note: The full path must be given for the license.dat file
The above commands will install a SERVICE for the beta_lm license daemon. At this stage,
licenses are still not available for use, since the SERVICE is not yet "Started".
 Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools and double-click on Services. This action
will display a list with all services installed in the machine.
 Locate the BETA LM Service and verify that is has a Stopped status.
 Right-click on the BETA LM Service and ask to Start it. During initiation of the BETA LM Service,
the beta_lm license daemon is activated, it reads the license file (license.dat) and writes any
related messages into the log file (license.log).
 Right-click again on the BETA LM Service, go to Properties and, under the General tab, change
the Startup Type to Automatic. This will force the beta_lm license daemon to start after each
reboot.
 verify that beta_lm is properly installed and that the total number of available licenses is correct
using the command:
beta_lm_stat -h server_name
the result should, for example, look like:
Trying 6007@server_name ....

Found License deamon on server_name

STATUS REPORT
PACKAGE | ISSUED | EXPIRE | CREDIT first section
PRE_POST | Wed Sep 10 2015 | Mon Oct 25 2016 | 5000
NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5 | Wed Sep 10 2015 | Mon Oct 25 2016 | 300

PACKAGE:FEATURE | MAX CREDIT | CREDIT USED | USED PERCENTAGE | USAGE

PRE_POST:ANSA | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
second section
PRE_POST:ANSA_BATCH | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:META_POST | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_CATIA_V4 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0

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At the first section we get information on the currently licensed packages along with the duration
and the corresponding credits of each package.
At the second section we get information about the usage of each feature, i.e. of each licensed
application that is currently running, in this case none.

In addition, the contents of the license.log file should look like:

NEW LOG AT Tue Jan 03 08:12:33 2017
FEATURE | USER NAME@HOST | PID | START | END

Troubleshooting actions for installation problems are given at the end of this document.

2.3. Supported beta_lm features

A short description of the available features of the beta_lm license management system is summarized in
the following table:

feature description available

through
The total number of licenses can be distributed (equally or
not) to a number of machines that will be used as alternate
1 Server
license servers. Two redundancy schemes are available: a license.dat
Redundancy
hardware failover and a license distribution scheme through
multiple servers
Any number of additional short term licenses that will cover
2 Flexible Short peak workload will be provided upon request. These will be
license.dat
Term Licensing integrated into the existing licensing file of the customer and
will expire on prescribed dates.
Combinations of specific software products as well as
3 Group software features can be set to hold a specific amount of the
license.dat
Licensing total available credits provided by the standard license
system (e.g. metapost, ansa-catia).

No extra licenses will be held for multiple software

4 Shared executions provided that these are requested from the same license.dat
Licensing user and on the same machine/console.

If a user remains idle within a specific time interval, then the

current session will be considered as disconnected and the
licence.opt
corresponding licenses will become available to other users.
5 Disconnect Idle Note that the idle session will not be lost, but any attempt to and
Users resume working will subject to current license availability. If
license.dat
no licenses are available, then the user will have the option
to save the current working session and exit.

The Administrator has the option to terminate the processes

6 "Kill" Selected of a specific user, or to terminate specific processes on beta_lm_kill
Users specific machines.

A general log-file records all activities related to license beta_lm -f

7 Statistics & requests, denials due to saturation, license usage, server
Logging changes etc.
Also, on-line statistics will report the current licensing status. beta_lm_stat

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2.4. More on FEATUREs, CREDITs and PACKAGEs

There are some important keywords used in every portion of the license file that control the way that
licenses are distributed among the licensed applications. These keywords are:

 FEATURE: It represents any application or procedure that is asking for a license. For example,
ANSA or META constitute FEATURES. In addition, procedures like ANSA_BATCH meshing,
META_POST_BATCH post-processing, ANSA_CATIA_V4 translation etc. are FEATURES as
well. FEATURES can be stand-alone or can belong to a PACKAGE
 PACKAGE: This defines a group of FEATURES, i.e. a group of licensed applications or proce-
dures (as defined above). FEATURES that belong to the same PACKAGE draw credits from the
pool of credits that is assigned to this PACKAGE
 CREDIT: It is the currency of the transaction between the license server and the licensed
FEATURE. It represents the total amount of credits that become available through the license file
as well as the amount of credits necessary to launch a specific application or procedure

2.4.1. FEATUREs and their important keywords (WEIGHT, CREDIT and OPTIONS)

The stand-alone applications that our licensing system, beta_lm, is called to manage are:

 ANSA pre-processor
 mETA post-processor
 CAD-data to ANSA Translators
 …and others…

In addition to the above, there exist features (i.e. aspects of functionality or procedures) embedded in
these applications that are also licensed when used, for example:

 special “operation modes” of an application (e.g. running an automatic, unsupervised instance of

the application without any user interface, for example ANSA Batch Mesh)
 the conversion of a CAD-data file (e.g. conversion of a CATIA V4 or V5 file into ANSA format)
 the communication with a third-party tool (e.g. the topology optimizer TOSCA)
 …and others…

In our licensing system language, all above are called FEATURES:

 FEATURE=ANSA
 FEATURE=META_POST
 FEATURE=NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5
 FEATURE=ANSA_BATCH
 FEATURE=ANSA_TOSCA
 ... … …

In essence, a FEATURE can represent either a stand-alone application or an aspect of its functionality.
When an instance of a FEATURE is called to run it will need to engage a specific number of credits. This
number is determined by the keyword WEIGHT:

 FEATURE=ANSA, WEIGHT=100 (ANSA needs 100 credits to launch)

 FEATURE=META_POST, WEIGHT=33 (mETA needs 33 credits to launch)
 FEATURE=NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5, WEIGHT=25 (a CATIA V5 to ANSA translation needs 25
credits)
 FEATURE=ANSA_TOSCA, WEIGHT=30 (the interaction with TOSCA needs 30 credits)
 ... … …

There is also one more important keyword, the CREDIT, which determines the maximum number of
credits that a FEATURE is allowed to engage:

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 FEATURE=ANSA, WEIGHT=100, CREDIT=2300 (total ANSA credits cannot exceed 2300)

 FEATURE=META_POST, WEIGHT=33, CREDIT=100 (total mETA credits cannot exceed 100)
 ………

In other words, the CREDIT keyword assigns an individual pool of credits that can be used by this
FEATURE only.
Finally, the OPTIONS keyword determines whether a new instance of the FEATURE will engage
additional credits or not, if launched by the same user on the same machine. The ‘shared’ OPTIONS
implies no extra credits whereas the ‘blank’ OPTIONS implies additional credits:

 FEATURE=ANSA, WEIGHT=100, … … …, OPTIONS=’shared’ (no extra credits for new ANSA

instances)
 FEATURE= NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5,WEIGHT=25,… … …, OPTIONS=’ ‘ (a new CATIA V5
translation would need another 25 credits)

2.4.2. PACKAGE

The PACKAGE is a collection of FEATURES. The most frequently used PACKAGE is the PRE_POST:

 PACKAGE=PRE_POST

Each PACKAGE contains a CREDIT keyword to designate a pool of credits that becomes available to its
members:

 PACKAGE=PRE_POST, CREDIT=2300

In essence, each FEATURE within a license file can exist either independently or as a member of a
PACKAGE:

 When a FEATURE is standing independently within a license file, then this FEATURE occupies
credits from its own, individual, pool of credits that is defined in the CREDIT= value of the FEA-
TURE
 When a FEATURE becomes a member of a PACKAGE, then the number of credits stated in the
CREDIT= value of the FEATURE represent the maximum number of credits that this FEATURE
is allowed to engage from the total number of credits that this PACKAGE can deliver.

By default, the FEATUREs within the PRE_POST PACKAGE are:

 FEATURE=ANSA, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=ANSA_BATCH, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=ANSA_CATIA_V4, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=ANSA_OLD, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=ANSA_TOSCA, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=ANSA_UG, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=META_POST, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=META_POST_BATCH, PACKAGE=PRE_POST
 FEATURE=META_POST_OLD, PACKAGE=PRE_POST

Again by default, FEATUREs that cannot be included in a PACKAGE (and therefore maintain their own,
individual, pool of credits) are:

 FEATURE=NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5
 FEATURE=ANSA_PROE
 FEATURE=ANSA_JT
rd
This restriction is imposed by 3 -party Royalty reasons and therefore BETA CAE Systems needs to

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explicitly monitor the usage of these FEATUREs.

A license file may contain more than one PRE_POST PACKAGE, each distributing a different pool of
credits to its contents (FEATUREs)

Now, let’s try to interpret some sections of the license file in order to gain a better understanding of these
keywords, their interaction and how they control licensing:

21 SN=1,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,CREDIT=2432,ISU=10-oct-2014,EXP=31-jan-2015,SIGNATURE=1e\

 PACKAGE=PRE_POST: A package called PRE_POST is defined

 CREDIT=2342: This package can serve a total of 2432 credits to its FEATURES
(see below)
 The package was issued on 10-oct-2014 and will expire on 31-jan-2015

24 SN=1,FEATURE=ANSA,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,WEIGHT=100,CREDIT=2300,OPTIONS='shared',SIG\

 FEATURE=ANSA: A licensed application called ANSA is defined as a FEATURE

 PACKAGE=PRE_POST: This FEATURE (i.e. ANSA) belongs to a PACKAGE,
namely the PRE_POST package
 WEIGHT=100: The WEIGHT of ANSA is 100 credits; so when ANSA is called to
launch, the license server will have to engage 100 credits; these will have to be
deducted from the total of 2432 credits that the PRE_POST package can serve
(line 21)
 CREDIT=2300: There is an upper limit on the total number of credits that a FEA-
TURE can occupy within a PACKAGE. In this example, this limit for ANSA is set by
CREDIT=2300. So, although the PRE_POST package can serve a total of 2432
credits (as seen in line 21), ANSA can utilize only 2300 credits; in other words,
there can be no more than 23 individual ANSA instances running at the same time.
It will be seen later that the remainder 132 credits of the package are utilized by
META
 OPTIONS=’shared’: FEATURES having the ‘shared’ option will not engage addi-
tional credits if launched by the same user on the same machine. We have seen in
this example that the first instance of ANSA will need 100 credits to launch; but,
since ANSA is ‘shared’, any additional instance launched by the same user on the
same machine will continue to use the same 100 credits engaged by the first AN-
SA instance

30 SN=1,FEATURE=ANSA_CATIA_V4,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,WEIGHT=25,CREDIT=2300,OPTIONS=' ',\

 FEATURE=ANSA_CATIA_V4: A licensed procedure, the conversion of CATIA_V4

files into ANSA native format, is defined as a FEATURE
 PACKAGE=PRE_POST: This procedure belongs to the PRE_POST package; it

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will therefore engage credits from the same pool of credits that is made available
to all applications that belong to PRE_POST
 WEIGHT=25: When the CATIA_V4 to ANSA conversion procedure is launched, it
will ask for and engage 25 credits
 CREDIT=2300: The maximum number of the total PRE_POST credits that can be
engaged by this feature is limited to 2300
 OPTION=’ ‘: Unlike ANSA in line 24, this feature is not ‘shared’. This effectively
means that each of the CATIA_V4 to ANSA instances will ask for and will have to
engage 25 credits (regardless if launched by the same user on the same ma-
chine). In other words, 2 instances will need 50 credits, 3 will need 75 and so on.

42 SN=1,FEATURE=META_POST,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,WEIGHT=33,CREDIT=2432,OPTIONS='shared'\

 In this line, an application called META_POST is defined, that belongs to the

PRE_POST package. Its WEIGHT is 33 credits so, if called to launch, ME-
TA_POST will ask for and engage 33 credits. It is also seen that META_POST is
‘shared’, so additional instances by the same user on the same machine will still
use the already engaged 33 credits
 What is important in line 42 is that the maximum number of credits that ME-
TA_POST can use is 2432. This effectively means that (unlike the rest of the li-
censed FEATURES) META_POST can use all the credits that PRE_POST pack-
age can deliver.

52 SN=1,FEATURE=NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5,WEIGHT=25,CREDIT=25,ISU=10-oct-2014,EXP=31-jan-\
53 2015,OPTIONS=' ',SIGNATURE=f7f5776ba498a9730fe1ddfdbde52acbde76432ec0ef5809147\

 This is an example of a stand-alone FEATURE. As such, the

NEW_ANSA_CATIA_V5 does not belong to any PACKAGE, it has its own validity
period (ISU and EXP) and it will use its own pool of credits (CREDITS=25). Each
instance of this feature will engage 25 credits (WEIGHT=25), so effectively there
can be only 1 instance running at any given time. Notice also that the FEATURE is
not ‘shared’, meaning that if additional instances were to be launched, each would
have to engage 25 credits.

2.5. Notes on licensing policy

A customer cannot purchase perpetual licenses to be used indefinitely. Rather, the customer is granted
the right to use the software for a specific period in time (lease).
The minimum lease for a new customer involves a standard pool of 100 PRE_POST credits for a period
of 12 months. The FEATURES that are packaged and can be served by this standard pool are (in valid
combinations, as long as the total credits are not exceeded):

 Pre-processing Software System ANSA, (100 credits/user)

 ANSA Batch Mode (100 credits/session)
 ANSA CAD-data Translation for CATIA V4 (25 credits/user)
 ANSA CAD-data Translation for UG/NX (25 credits/user)
 ANSA-TOSCA feature for optimization (30 credits/user)
 Post-processing Software System MΕΤΑ, (33 credits/user)
 MΕΤΑ Batch Mode (33 credits/session)

Additional FEATURES not included in the standard PRE_POST package are:

 ANSA CAD-data Translation for CATIA V5 (25 credits/user)

 ANSA CAD-data Translation for Pro Engineer (100 credits/user)
 ANSA CAD-data Translation for JT Open (25 credits/user)
 SPDRM / Simulation Process, Data and Resources Management (follows separate licensing
scheme)

Customers who have already leased the standard pool of 100 credits over 12 months, are eligible for

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leasing additional credits for short-term periods in order to cover peak workload (e.g.+200 credits for just
1 month).

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Section 3.
Options and usage of
License Administration Tools
3.1. The beta_lm options
As discussed in earlier paragraphs the beta_lm command initiates the license daemon. The
corresponding usage is:
beta_lm -f [full_path_to_the_license_file]
and additional flags are:
-L [ful_path_to_the_log_file] : write report log information to this file (recommended)
-h [hostname or ip_address] : specify the license server machine
-p [portnumber] : specify the communication port
-install : installation option (Windows only)
-debug : run in interactive mode for debugging (Windows only)
-remove : remove the beta_lm service (Windows only)
-host_key : generate a license key based on ethernet adapter
-ni [USB, WiFi] : generate a license key based on USB or WiFi adapter
In its simplest form, the "-f" for Linux and "-install -f" flags for Windows would suffice to initiate the license
daemon. However, it is suggested that the "-L" flag followed by a log filename is also used:
beta_lm -f [full_path_to]/license.dat -L <[full_path_to]license.log>
beta_lm -install -f [full_path_to]\license.dat -L
<[full_path_to]license.log>
In this way the license daemon is able to communicate any messages to the license.log file for installation
debugging or license monitoring reasons.

3.1.1. Terminating beta_lm

A. LINUX Platforms
 open a command prompt and terminate beta_lm by issuing a "kill" command followed by any
signal - except "-9" - and the PID of the parent beta_lm process. It is recommended to use the
"-3" (QUIT) "-15" (TERMINATE) or signal for this action.
Note: Killing beta_lm using the "-9" signal will cause abnormal termination and the licensing
system will not function correctly, especially in cases where a server redundancy scheme is used.

B. WINDOWS Platforms
 In order to terminate beta_lm in WINDOWS systems, the administrator should access the "BETA
LM Service" from Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services and "stop" the service.

3.2. The beta_lm_stat options

beta_lm_stat is used to provide information about the current licensing status. The corresponding
command is:
beta_lm_stat -options
with options:
-h [server hostname] : specify the server you require information from
-a : request information about all users
-u [username] : request information about a specific user
-u [username@hostname] : to request information about a specific user at a
specific host.

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3.2.1. Monitoring license usage

When the beta_lm license manager is installed using the "-L" flag, the license log file records all licensing
actions. The content of this log file looks like:

FEATURE USERNAME@HOST PID START STOP

ANSA user1@host1(:0) 2467 Wed Mar 23 21:23:14 2016 Wed Mar 23 21:24:47 2016
ANSA_OLD user2@host2(:0.0) 1554 Wed Mar 23 21:32:10 2016 Wed Mar 23 21:38:02 2016
META_POST user1@host1(:0) 0 Wed Mar 23 21:33:52 2016 Wed Mar 23 21:40:24 2016
---- ------- ---- ---------- ----------
---- ------- ---- ---------- ----------

where: FEATURE : corresponds to the running licensed application (e.g. ANSA),

USERNAME@HOST : indicates the user, machine and display console where the
application is running,
PID : the corresponding Process ID (Zero PID indicates a shared feature)
START / STOP : starting time and termination time of the application.
The global log file also records license request denials due to saturation.

3.2.2 Current licensing status

This is obtained by issuing the command:
beta_lm_stat -options
with options -h, -a and -u as explained before. Depending on the option used, the following information is
acquired:

(a) using the -h [server hostname] flag. For example, if we want to see the status of a specific
license server called server1, we type:
beta_lm_stat -h server1
and the result looks like:
Trying server1.localdomain ....

Found License deamon on server1.localdomain

STATUS REPORT
PACKAGE | ISSUED | EXPIRE | CREDIT first section
PRE_POST | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 5000
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 300

PACKAGE:FEATURE | MAX CREDIT | CREDIT USED | USED PERCENTAGE | USAGE

PRE_POST:ANSA | 5000 | 1100 | 22(%) | 11
second section
PRE_POST:META_POST | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_OLD | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_CATIA_V4 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | 300 | 0 | 0(%) | 0

- At the first section we get information on the currently licensed packages along with the duration
and the corresponding credits of each package.
- At the second section we get information about the usage of each feature, i.e. of each licensed
application that is currently running.
Note: Both the above sections are repeated when using the -a and -u flags.

(b) using the -a flag returns information about all currently active users:
beta_lm_stat -a
and the result looks like:
Trying server1.localdomain ....

Found License deamon on server1.localdomain

Usage Report for users: all
USER NAME@HOST | FEATURE | PID | START
user1@host1(:0) | ANSA | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:00:17 2004
user2@host2(:0) | ANSA | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:00:17 2004 logged users
user3@host4(:0) | ANSA | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:00:17 2004
user4@host3(:0) | ANSA | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:00:17 2004
user2@host1(:0) | META_POST | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:06:26 2004

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STATUS REPORT
PACKAGE | ISSUED | EXPIRE | CREDIT
PRE_POST | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 5000 first section (as before)
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 300

PACKAGE:FEATURE | MAX CREDIT | CREDIT USED | USED PERCENTAGE | USAGE

PRE_POST:ANSA | 5000 | 1100 | 22(%) | 11
PRE_POST:META_POST | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
second section (as before)
PRE_POST:ANSA_OLD | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_CATIA_V4 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | 300 | 0 | 0(%) | 0

Note: A zero PID indicates a shared process.

(c) using the -u [username] flag returns information about a specific user. For example, if we
type:
beta_lm_stat -u user2
we will get information about user2 on all machines:

Trying server1.localdomain ....

Found License deamon on server1.localdomain

Usage Report for users: user2
USER NAME@HOST | FEATURE | PID | START
user2@host2(:0) | ANSA | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:00:17 2004
user2@host1(:0) | META_POST | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:06:26 2004

STATUS REPORT
PACKAGE | ISSUED | EXPIRE | CREDIT
PRE_POST | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 5000
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 300

PACKAGE:FEATURE | MAX CREDIT | CREDIT USED | USED PERCENTAGE | USAGE

PRE_POST:ANSA | 5000 | 1100 | 22(%) | 11
PRE_POST:META_POST | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_OLD | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_CATIA_V4 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | 300 | 0 | 0(%) | 0

(d) We can restrict information by indicating the hostname where a user is logged by typing:
beta_lm_stat -u user2@host1
and the result will be:

Trying server1.localdomain ....

Found License deamon on server1.localdomain

Usage Report for users: user2@host1
USER NAME@HOST | FEATURE | PID | START
user2@host1(:0) | META_POST | 0 | Mon Apr 5 15:06:26 2004

STATUS REPORT
PACKAGE | ISSUED | EXPIRE | CREDIT
PRE_POST | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 5000
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | Wed Sep 10 2003 | Mon Oct 25 2004 | 300

PACKAGE:FEATURE | MAX CREDIT | CREDIT USED | USED PERCENTAGE | USAGE

PRE_POST:ANSA | 5000 | 1100 | 22(%) | 11
PRE_POST:META_POST | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_OLD | 5000 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
PRE_POST:ANSA_CATIA_V4 | 250 | 0 | 0(%) | 0
ANSA_CATIA_V5 | 300 | 0 | 0(%) | 0

All information acquired either from the global log file or through the current licensing status is suitable for
input to standard spreadsheet tools (e.g. EXCEL, OpenOffice etc.) for further statistical processing.

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3.3. The beta_lm_kill_user options

This tool is used in order to terminate the processes of a specific user. The usage is:
beta_lm_kill_user -options
with options:
-u [username@hostname] : kill all processes of a specific user at a specific host
-i [proc_id] : kill a specific process-id
-n [hostname] : kill all processes of a specific host
An example of killing a user could be:
beta_lm_kill_user -u user2@host1(:0)
which will kill all processes of user2 who is running an application on host1 using the default display
(:0).
Note:
- The beta_lm_kill_user command can be issued only from the user that initiated the beta_lm
daemon (i.e. the administrator). On WINDOWS systems, the administrator should be logged in as Root,
as Administrator or as a user with administrative privileges.

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Section 4.
The License.dat File
4.1. The license.dat file
The license file license.dat holds all information that is necessary for the proper and uninterrupted use of
the licensed application. This file is unique and is created for use with the customer's designated license
servers and respective license scheme. Moreover, since it is a file required by the beta_lm to manage all
licensed applications, it should be installed to every server that is running a beta_lm daemon.

A typical license file contains:

1. An editable section for the optional administration options file (to be discussed later)
2. License server names and host-ids and corresponding communication ports
3. A not-editable section with the licensing specifications and any possible features of the
licensed applications (any unauthorized modifications of this section will result in license
termination)
and has the following structure:

Line Typical License File

1 #
2 # This file is a license file for use with beta_lm License Manager
3 # Run as Administrator : beta_lm -f full_path_to_this_file
4 #
5
6 ################ START OF EDITABLE SECTION
7
8 # Replace FULL_PATH_TO in the next line with the full path of the directory
9 # where license.opt file resides.
10 OPTIONS=FULL_PATH_TO
11
12 # Replace SERVER_NAME in the next line with the hostname of your server
13 SERVER=SERVER_NAME,PORT=6007
14
15 ################ END OF EDITABLE SECTION
16
17 SN=1,HOSTID=200a025ec00b5f5e0f1b2e1b3d5e020bd04e5144,ISU=08-jul-2003,EXP=25-s\
18 ep2004,OPTIONS='COMPANY="yourcompany_name",Tn=10,Tm=40,Ts=20,WCL=60,nodebug,\
19 ACD=10,ART=5,FRC=15,SSC=3,SIGNATURE=07ab9e1920137cb1f0137cb07ab9e19207ab9e192\
20 0137cb1f0137cb07ab9e192cb011d719207ab9e192019e1920137cb1f0137c9e1920137c07ab9\
21 e1920137cb1f0137cb07ab1f01e4432d2f3dd7c9e1920137cb1f0137c
22 SN=1,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,CREDIT=3000,SIGNATURE=9e1920137c07ab9e1920137cb1f0137c7\
23 cdb1f013719207ab9e192019e1920137cb1f0137c9e1920137c07ab9e1920137cb1f0137cb07a\
24 b1f0137c21e2d401cb9e1920137cb1f0137cb07a
25 SN=1,FEATURE=ANSA,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,WEIGHT=100,CREDIT=3000,ISU=08-jul-2003,EXP\
26 =25-sep-2004,OPTIONS='shared',SIGNATURE=90a137c07ab9e1920137cb1f0137cb07acdb1\
27 7137cb07aecd2d223419207ab9e192019e1920137cb1f0137c9e1920137c07ab9e1920137cb1f\
28 0137cb07ab1f0137
29 SN=1,FEATURE=ANSA_CATIA,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,WEIGHT=25,CREDIT=200,ISU=08-jul-20-0\
30 3,EXP=25-sep-2004,OPTIONS=' ',SIGNATURE=9e19d12037c07ab9e1920137cb1f0137cb07a\
31 1f013712da37c\aecd2211ceab9e12019e1920137cb1f0137c9e1920137c07ab9e1920137cb1f\
32 0137cb07ab1f0137c201cb
33 SN=1,FEATURE=META_POST,PACKAGE=PRE_POST,WEIGHT=33,CREDIT=300,ISU=08-jul-2003,\
34 EXP=25-sep-2004,OPTIONS=' ',SIGNATURE=9e19d201317c07ab9e1920137cb1f0137cb07ae\
35 b1f0137137cb07332c37137cb07332caecd223407ab9e1920137cb1f0137cb07aecdb1f013713\
36 7cb01f0137

- Lines 1-4 contain information about the license daemon installation.

- Lines 6-15 represent the editable section of the license file. In line 10 the administrator may
optionally provide the location of the "administration options file", which contains all configurable
parameters of the licensing system. Such a parameter can be the maximum time (in minutes) that
a user may remain idle, before the corresponding reserved licenses are released. Thus, if the
administrator wants to set this limit to 30 minutes, he/she may:
(a) create a standard ASCII text file, i.e. license.opt that contains the parameter:
IDLE_USER_TIMEOUT=30

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(b) point to this file using the corresponding full path into line 10.
If the IDLE_USER_TIMEOUT parameter is missing or is set to zero, then no limitations apply.
Note that the minimum idle time setting is 20 minutes.
- Line 13 holds information about the license server machine and communication port, so the
administrator should fill in the corresponding values. Note that the default communication port is
6007. Normally, a license file has one SERVER line. If more SERVER lines appear it means that a
license scheme with redundant servers is used.
- Whatever follows below line 15 belongs to the not-editable section and any modifications will
result in license termination. This not-editable section contains all licensing specifications (such as
software groups, total number of credits and duration of each group etc) and is created by BETA
CAE Systems based on a unique key that is supplied by the customer.

The licensing specifications are divided into sections which in turn are characterized by a serial
number, an identification, the duration and an encrypted digital signature key. A brief description of
the corresponding flags used in these sections is given below:

Flag Description
SN= This is the serial number of the current section of the license file.
HOSTID= This is the host-id of the License Server. It corresponds to the server_name
given in line 13. See next paragraph on how to obtain a valid host-id.
ISU= & EXP= Line 17: Duration of the license file.
Lines 25, 29 and 33: Duration of the current section of the license file. Can
be different from the total duration that is set for the license file but cannot
exceed the duration set for the license file.
OPTIONS= Line 17: This is the company name for which the license file is prepared for
and installed.
Lines 26, 30 and 34: Additional options related to the current section.
'shared' Note that in line 26, the 'shared' option specifies that the current licensed
application (ANSA) will reserve a single license if it is requested by the
same user for the same machine/console.
Tn= , Tm= , Ts= , Reserved Flags.
WCL= , ACD= ,
FRC= ,
SSC=
SIGNATURE= Encrypted digital key of the current section.
PACKAGE= This flag is used in order to define a licensed application “group”. For
example, in line 22 a group called “PRE_POST” is defined and 3000 credits
are assigned to this group.
CREDIT= Total credits available for this section. If this section belongs to a PACKAGE
or FEATURE, then these are the total credits for this package or feature.
FEATURE= A "feature" can be either a specific licensed application (like ANSA in line
25), or a specific software-feature that consumes a different number of
credits (like the ANSA_CATIA translation in line 29).
Such FEATUREs can either belong to a software PACKAGE or can be
stand-alone.
WEIGHT= This is the "weight" of a FEATURE, i.e. the number of credits that are
reserved by one instance of the FEATURE. The weight of all currently
running FEATUREs cannot exceed the corresponding number of CREDITS
assigned to this FEATURE. For example, in line 29, it is apparent that up to
a total of 8 ANSA_CATIA instances are allowed to run, since the weight of
each one is 25 and the total credits are 200.

4.2. Additional short term licenses & license extensions

When a license.dat file is created for the very first time by BETA CAE Systems the serial numbers of all
packages / features are set to SN=1. If an additional short term license is requested by the customer for
one or more of packages / features, then BETA CAE Systems will issue a new license file having a higher
SN for the respective packages / features. In order beta_lm to realize such changes, the administrator
should:
 stop the beta_lm service
 append the contents of the non-editable section of the newly issued license.dat file to the
end of the existing license.dat file
 restart the beta_lm service

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Section 5.
Running a Licensed Application
5.1. Searching for a valid license
When the end-user launches an application, this application will search through the network for available
floating licenses. To do so, the licensed application must contact the license server which is indicated at
the SERVER line of the license file. If this fails, then the application will continue to search in an orderly
fashion at the following locations:

#Location Notes
1.BETA_LIC_FILE Environment Setting
2.ANSA_HOME (or META_HOME) Environment Setting
3.current directory
4.BETA_LIC_SRV Environment Setting
5.ANSA_SRV Environment Setting
6.host with alias
BETA_LIC_SRV
7.host with alias ANSA_SRV
8.localhost

If the search fails in all above locations, the application will not start.

The end-user has alternatively the option to declare a specific license server by its name or IP-address,
using the -h flag:
application -h port@server or
for example:
ansa -h port@server
When a redundancy scheme is used, the above command should be like:
ansa -h port@server1,port@server2,port@server3
In its simplest form, a licensed application needs to know where in the network, does the ANSA_SRV
environment variable points to. In turn, ANSA_SRV should point to the server or servers (single server or
redundant servers), as these are listed in the corresponding license.dat file.

Related examples are given in the following paragraphs.

5.2.1. Single server scheme

In a single server scheme the SERVER= line of the license.dat file indicates the server and port used by
beta_lm to communicate with clients. For example:
SERVER=plank,PORT=6007
Consequently, the ANSA_SRV environment variable should be set as:
LINUX systems: setenv ANSA_SRV 6007@plank
WINDOWS systems: set ANSA_SRV=6007@plank

5.2.2. Redundant server scheme

As mentioned in paragraph 2.1.1., beta_lm supports two server redundancy schemes; one uses multiple
servers for license distribution and one is for hardware failover protection. The scheme which is currently
used is reflected in the license file (license.dat) delivered by BETA CAE Systems to the customer:
SERVER=gauss,PORT=6007
SERVER=hilbert,PORT=6007
SERVER=riemann,PORT=6007

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In such cases, the licensed application needs to know all alternate servers that may provide the
requested license. There are three alternative ways to achieve this:
(a) Set the environment variable ANSA_SRV to point to all alternate servers:
LINUX Systems: setenv ANSA_SRV 6007@gauss,6007@hilbet,6007@riemann
WINDOWS Systems: set ANSA_SRV=6007@gauss,6007@hilbet,6007@riemann
(b) Keep a copy of the license.dat file into the client machine where the licensed application is
called to run, and run the application using the -f option to point to license.dat e.g.
ansa -f license.dat

(c) Keep a copy of the license.dat file into the client machine where the licensed application is
called to run, and set the environment variable BETA_LIC_FILE to point to license.dat e.g.:
LINUX Systems: setenv BETA_LIC_FILE license.dat
WINDOWS Systems: set BETA_LIC_FILE=license.dat

A note on the server searching order

When more than one servers are declared in the ANSA_SRV variable, the client application will request
for a license by checking these servers in a specific search order: At first, the client will check the first
declared server and then will start checking backwards from the last server to the second.

As an example consider a server scheme consisting of n servers. The respective ANSA_SRV declaration
should be:
LINUX Systems: setenv ANSA_SRV server1,server2,....server(n-1),server(n)
WINDOWS Systems: set ANSA_SRV=server1,server2,....server(n-1),server(n)
In such cases the client will check the servers in the following order:
1. server1 (first declared server)
2. server(n) (last declared server)
3. server(n-1) (second to the last server)
.....
n. server2 (second server)

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Section 6.
beta_lm On The Go
6.0. Introduction to beta_lm On The Go

6.0.1. What is beta_lm On The Go

Problem: Need for ANSA leasing for a small period of time (short-term), in order to use it on trips on
laptops.

From version 6.1 and on, beta_lm fully supports the usage of a USB Ethernet/WiFi card for the license
server.

For more detailed information regarding the USB Ethernet/WiFi card and the general beta_lm On The Go
features and functionalities, you may refer to the following section.

6.1. Basic Components & Requirements

6.1.1. What is a USB Ethernet/WiFi card

With USB Ethernet/WiFi card, we mean Wireless USB Adapter. Wireless USB is a short-range, high-
bandwidth wireless radio communication protocol. A Wireless USB adapter enables wireless internet
access to either a desktop or a notebook PC. The adapter simply plugs into the external USB port of the
PC. The antenna technology built into the adapter will give full mobility with the notebook, or enable to
place the desktop anywhere at home without the need to use unsightly Ethernet cables. This device looks
like a simple USB, but is a bit bigger, including Ethernet.

6.1.2. Scheme & Hardware requirements

Scheme requirements, as well as Hardware requirements for the beta_lm On The Go application are
given below:

beta_lm On The Go is supported ONLY for Single server scheme and ONLY on Windows platform.

Scheme Availability Platform Availability

Windows
Single server YES YES
(32bit/64bit OS Version)

Redundant NO LINUX/MacOS NO
(32bit/64bit OS Version)

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6.2. Procedure & Application

6.2.1. Overview of actions

When it’s time to get your general license from us you can order x-1 license for the main server
and one license for a USB Ethernet /WiFi card that will be installed on the server.
The client machines will look for licenses first in the main server, and if there is saturation,
then they will look for the USB "server".

In case someone needs to go on a trip with a laptop and needs ANSA, then he can take the USB server
and connect it on the laptop. This way he will have an active ANSA license at his laptop that he can
"return" upon his return.

The advantage of this scheme is that you have one license that can be taken and used by any computer
with no interaction from our side, and you can include this license cost on the total year budget.
Of course, the disadvantage is that when the USB is away you will have one license less.

When the USB based license is docked back at the office:

Single Server scheme: e.g. server_1 and one USB license on server_2, then your client machines will
have ANSA_SRV = server_1, server_2

NO Redundant Server scheme available.

6.2.2. Installation procedure

In order to receive a license file with the required information
 Select a Stand-alone license server Scheme, Windows platform
 Download beta_lm_tools from BETA CAE Systems secure site
 Unpack beta_lm_tools package
 Fetch the information required to build a valid license file, via the command:

beta_lm –host_key –ni USB

Important on WINDOWS platforms only: By default, beta_lm targets the ethernet card in order to
generate the required host key. However, on Windows platforms only, the user can explicitly ask to
generate a host key based on an existing USB or WiFi installed network adapter. To do so, the -ni
(standing for network interface) flag should be used, followed by an argument pointing to the desired
network interface:

Item description command (WINDOWS only)

name by which this machine is
1. hostname identified within the customer's hostname
network

2. MAC media access control address

address
beta_lm -host_key -ni USB
beta_lm alphanumeric string
3. host key based on a USB network
from USB interface

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Section 7.
Regarding Virtual Machines
7.1. beta_lm_tools on Virtual Machine
Installation of beta_lm_tools in any type of Virtual Machine is prohibited. Server license keys produced by
Virtual Machines are invalid and cannot be used to launch any application licensed by BETA CAE
Systems.

7.2. Licensed application on Virtual Machine

The launching of any application licensed by BETA CAE Systems (e.g. ANSA or META POST) from within
any type of Virtual Machine may (depending on the application’s version) disable the “sharing” of credits
for this application. In other words, any instance of an application launched through a Virtual Machine
may not share the same license and will occupy the prescribed number of credits.

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Section 8.
Troubleshooting beta_lm
8.1. Troubleshooting beta_lm
Troubleshooting actions for problems encountered during installation or operation of the beta_lm license
management tools are given in this paragraph. Since most of these problems are reported in the "license
log" file, it is recommended to use the -L flag during the installation of the beta_lm license daemon (see
paragraph 2.2.7).

The following table presents a list of common errors along with the corresponding description and
recovery action.

Error Message Error Description and Recovery Actions

platform: WINDOWS
description: The beta_lm service could not be started.
recovery: Open a command prompt, switch to the beta_lm_tools folder
and remove the current beta_lm service using the "beta_lm -remove"
command. Then, follow the steps below:
1- Make sure that the network interface is active, even though there is no
physical connection to any network.
2- Make sure that the server NAME specified in the SERVER= line of the
license.dat file is correct and it corresponds to the machine that will be
used as license server. It might also be necessary to edit this line and
change from:
SERVER=hostname,PORT=6007 to
SERVER=hostname.localdomain,PORT=6007 or
SERVER=localhost,PORT=6007 or
SERVER=IP_ADRESS,PORT=6007
3- Verify that beta_lm is installed on the same machine that was
ERROR 1067: The process terminated
declared to BETA CAE Systems as license server; the HOSTID within
unexpectedly
license.dat should be identical to the key reported by running the
"beta_lm -host_key" command
4- Make sure that the PORT number specified in the SERVER= line of
the license.dat file is not already used by another application or is
blocked by a firewall.
5- Make sure that there are no "blank spaces" in the full path leading to
the license.dat file. Replace the location of the file to avoid blank
spaces.
6- Make sure that all complete lines in the non-editable section of the
license.dat file are not wrapped and they end with a back-slash "\".
7- In rare occasions, it might be necessary to login as "Administrator"
and not as a user with administrative privileges.
8- Confirm that the date & time settings on the workstation are correct.
Finally, reinstall beta_lm as described in paragraph 2.2.7. If the problem
persists, contact BETA CAE Systems for assistance.

platform: WINDOWS
ERROR 1063: StartServieCtrlDispatcher description: The beta_lm servive could not be started.
failed recovery: Use the full path of the license file during the installation
procedure

platform: ALL
description: The machine where beta_lm is launched and will be used
as license server is different from the machine that is declared as server
ABORTING SERVER: COULD NOT INSTALL within the license.dat file. As a result, the installation process is aborted.
SERVER recovery: Verify that beta_lm is installed on the same machine that was
declared to BETA CAE Systems as license server; the HOSTID within
license.dat should be identical to the key reported by running the
"beta_lm -host_key" command.

platform: ALL
description: The license.dat file does not contain comprehensive
SERVER UNDEFINED MODE
instructions to the server. beta_lm cannot serve any licenses.
recovery: Contact BETA CAE Systems for assistance.

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Error Message Error Description and Recovery Actions

platform: ALL
SERVER APPLICATION ERROR description: beta_lm has encountered a serious system error
recovery: Contact BETA CAE Systems for support.

platform: ALL
SERVER Invalid License File description: The license.dat file has an invalid SERVER= line.
recovery: Contact BETA CAE Systems for assistance.

platform: ALL
description: beta_lm cannot resolve the server name or IP address.
recovery: Verify that the SERVER= line of the license.dat file has the
correct server hostname. If the error persists, replace the hostname with
Failed FILE address resolution
the corresponding IP-address or with "localhost". To obtain the IP
address, open a command prompt window and use the “ping” command:
ping server_hostname. Check also if the port is used from used by
any other application.

platform: ALL
ERROR Option -L, file name TOO BIG description: the file name specified for the log file is too big.
recovery: Specify a smaller file name for the log file.

ERROR Options : check syntax platform: ALL

ERROR Option -c : REMOVE description: Invalid options were used during installation.
ERROR Option -F : REMOVE recovery: Use valid options. Refer to paragraph 3.1

platform: ALL
description: There is no license file specified or the path leading to the
ERROR License File not found license.dat file is wrong.
No License File found recovery: Verify that the license.dat file exists and reinstall beta_lm
using the full path to the license.dat file. See paragraph 2.2.7 for details.

platform: ALL
description: There is no license file specified or the path leading to the
license.dat file is wrong, or the user has no “read” privileges for the
ERROR License File could not be opened for license file.
read recovery: Verify that the license.dat file exists, has the proper privileges,
and reinstall beta_lm using the full path to the license.dat file. See
paragraph 2.2.7 for details.

platform: ALL
description: The HOSTID string within the license.dat file does not
match the one created by the current beta_lm_tools version.
ERROR in License File: Could not locate recovery: Verify that the HOSTID string inside the license.dat file is
HOSTID match identical to the one produced by the currently installed version of
beta_lm_tools. If not, install the latest beta_lm_tools and create a new
host key.

platform: ALL
description: The specified license.dat file is invalid.
NOT A VALID LICENSE FILE FOUND recovery: Verify that the HOSTID within license.dat is identical to the
key reported by running the "beta_lm -host_key" command. Contact
BETA CAE Systems for assistance.

platform: ALL
ERROR in License File : Signatures did not description: The alphanumeric strings at the SIGNATUE= lines are not
verify valid.
recovery: Contact BETA CAE Systems for assistance.

platform: ALL
description: The alphanumeric strings at the SIGNATUE= lines are not
valid.
Signatures don't verify with hostid line recovery: Follow the steps below:
Signatures don't verify with feature line 1- Make sure that all complete lines in the non-editable section of the
license.dat file are not wrapped and end with a back-slash "\".
2- Verify that the HOSTID within license.dat is identical to the key
reported by running the "beta_lm -host_key" command.

platform: ALL
License Error at Line : #
description: There is an error in this particular line of the license.dat file.

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Error Message Error Description and Recovery Actions

platform: ALL
Disabled # Credits of Package description: These particular credits of the specific feature or package
Disabled # Credits of Feature contained in the license.dat file are disabled (possibly the feature or package
has expired).
platform: ALL, in hardware failover redundancy scheme
Communication Failed description: The communicated server does not currently serve any licenses,
i.e. is a slave server. Please circle through the rest of the redundant servers.
platform: ALL
description: In redundant server schemes, Slave servers lose contact with the
Master. Usually occurs after multiple continuous license requests to the Master
server.
Not a Master instance of License daemon
recovery: Follow the steps below:
1- Upgrade to beta_lm_v6.4
2- Circle through all servers via the 'beta_lm_stat' command, in order to verify
their status
platform: ALL
description: The license file lists servers by name. However, the system needs
ERROR In License File: Address in file cannot
their IP-Addresses.
be resolved.
recovery: Check whether you have DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration
Check SERVER Lines for misspelled or
Protocol) -i.e. Dynamic Address detection- on your computer.
duplicated entries.
DHCP System has an automatic and dynamic allocation of IP-Addresses and,
therefore, it should find all.
platform: WINDOWS Vista
description: During installation of beta_lm license daemon on Windows Vista,
the specific Error Message appears.
recovery: Follow the steps below:
1- Just before beta_lm installation, go to 'User Accounts'
OpenSC manager failed
2- At the respective window go to 'Turn User Account ….. on/off'
3- At the new window notice the flag 'Use User Account Control' ---> this should
be UNCHECKED !
4- Restart your PC, as the corresponding message prompts you, and go ahead
with the installation.

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