Altair Licensing Quick Installation Guide

for Windows and Linux

Ver: 13.3
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Getting Started.............................................................................................................................................. 3
The License File ......................................................................................................................................... 3
The License Server .................................................................................................................................... 4
Setting up an Altair Client-Server environment............................................................................................ 5
Installing (or Updating) the Altair License Server ..................................................................................... 5
Setting up an Altair License file ................................................................................................................. 7
Connecting the Altair Network Clients to the Altair License Server ......................................................... 9
Setting up an Altair Standalone (or Node-Locked) environment ............................................................... 10
FAQ.............................................................................................................................................................. 11
Appendix 1: Altair Connect ......................................................................................................................... 12
Appendix 2: Uninstalling an older version of ALS ....................................................................................... 13

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Introduction

The Altair License Management System (ALM) provides a common units-based licensing model for all
Altair software related to CAE, on-demand computing, and business intelligence. This system has been
designed to enable Altair Partner Products to be licensed via HyperWorks Units as well.

The Altair License Management System is comprised of two components: The Altair License Server (ALS)
and the Usage Reporting System (URT).

This Quick Reference guide only covers the installation/updating of the ALS and Installing/Updating of
the Altair License file.

If you need more details, please refer to the Altair License Management System document, which can be
found on Altair Connect.

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Getting Started

The two aspects of getting a user up and running with Altair products are the Altair License File and the
Altair License Server. The latest version of the Altair License Server, HyperWorks packages, as well as
product documentation are available for download on Altair Connect.

The License File

The Altair license file is a text file, containing information relevant to your environment. There are two
types of licenses that Altair provides, a server license and a standalone or Node-locked license.

A server license allows a pool of HyperWorks Units to be shared amongst a group of users, whereas a
standalone license is (node) locked to a particular machine, and allows the user to access the features
he has been given access to.

From an Admin point of view, the way to identify what type of license file you have, is to look for
COUNT. A license file with “COUNT=” is a server license, while a license file without COUNT is a
standalone license.

The table below shows the first few lines of interest to an Admin on typical Altair License file.

# The conversion from HWU to feature counts in this license file is 1 to 1000.
# For every 1 HWU purchased, there will be 1000 HyperWorks features in this
file
# This license contains 1234 HWU # Units purchased
# Company: ABC AM: Jane Doe AM Email: [email protected] Lic ID: XXXXXX Account Manager info

Unique License identifier

FEATURE GlobalZoneAM The Global Zone where this
license is valid
1000 x #Units for a server
license
COUNT = 1234000
No COUNT on a standalone
license
VERSION = 17.0 Highest version of the
product supported
START = 2017-01-01 Start and End date for the
END = 2017-12-31 license file
COMMENT = " Server Info: ETHERNET = XXXXXXXXXXXX" Host ID of the machine on
which the license server is
running

Before proceeding further, make sure the information in the Altair License File is accurate. If any
information in the file is incorrect, please contact your Account Manager or Altair Support to get it
corrected. The main things to verify being correct are:

• Type of license (server vs standalone)

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 • Zone in which the license is valid (Valid zones are Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific)
• The Unit Count (for a server license)
• Host ID of the machine the license is going to be on.

NOTE: Do not edit the license file. The information in the license file is digitally signed. If any changes
are made to the license file, the license server will reject the license file as being not valid.

The License Server

If you are already running ALM, you should start by noting the version of ALM currently installed on your
machine. You can find its version of ALM by looking in the alm_release file in the folder where ALM is
installed (eg: C:\Program Files\Altair\licensing13.3). The alm_release file is a plain text file and can be
opened in a text editor. The version number mentioned here is the installed version of ALM.

In case you have multiple versions of ALM installed on your machine the version that is currently
running, can be identified as follows:

Windows

Look at the properties of Altair License Server in the windows services app.

Linux

Open up a terminal window on the machine that is running ALM and run the following commands:

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Setting up an Altair Client-Server environment
Setting up a client server environment involves installing (or updating) the ALS, getting the ALS running
with a valid license file, and connecting the clients to ALS

Installing (or Updating) the Altair License Server

Use the latest version of Altair License Manager downloaded from Altair Connect. The installer will walk
you thru the following steps:

• check if you have a previous version of ALS

• stop the previous version of the ALS
• confirm that you want to upgrade the ALS installation
• allow you to set an ALS installation location
• and, (optionally) let you point to a license file.

Windows

Using Admin privileges, launch the altair_licensing_<version>.win64 file to start the installation process.
If a previous version of ALS is detected, the installer will inform you about it. Click on “yes” to proceed to
the next step in the installation.

The next couple of steps allow you to choose a location for the ALS installation, as well as (optionally)
point to a license file. It is ok to complete the installation without a license file. You can also set up the
license file manually after the installation has completed.

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Once the installation has completed, you can verify that the ALS is running, by using the Windows
Services app.

Linux

Log into a terminal window with root credentials. Go to the directory where the installer package is
placed and execute it with the command “./installer_file_name.bin”.

On some LINUX platforms the installer is a self-extracting shell script and needs to either have the
executable bit set or be invoked by “/bin/sh package_name.bin”.

NOTE: Using root privileges to install ALS, will ensure that the license init scripts automatically launch
the daemons at boot time.

If a previous version of ALS is detected, the installer will inform you about it. Allow the installer to stop
the license server (answer 1) and confirm the upgrading of the license server (answer 1).

The next couple of steps allow you to let the installer know the location where you want ALS installed,
and (optionally) the path to the license file. It is ok to complete the installation without a license file. You
can also set up the license file manually after the installation has completed.

The installer will ask you if you want to have the init scripts for automatic startup installed. It is
recommended to say yes to this question.

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Finally, the installer will also attempt to configure the URT. If needed you can manually configure the
proxy in the “<install_directory>/alus.conf” file. Once the installation has completed, you can verify that
the ALS is running by using “ps -ef|grep altair”.

Setting up an Altair License file

The basic process of updating your license file is replacing the older one with the new license file and
restarting the license manager.

Windows

Replace the license file in the ALS installation directory (default C:/Program Files/Altair/Licensing
<version>/). Launch the “Services” app. From the list of services, browse for Altair License Manager.
Right click on it, and restart the process.

Once this is done, open the Altair License Manager, go to the License Usage tab and check that the
license is working properly.

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Linux

After replacing the altair_lic.dat file in the ALS installation directory (default
/usr/local/altair/licensing<version>), restart the license daemon using altairlmxd (ALS startup script)
which is located in /etc/init.d.

The script accepts the arguments stop, start and restart to perform such actions. For example

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Connecting the Altair Network Clients to the Altair License Server
Set up environment variable pointing to the site’s ALS in order to access the Units required for the
launched Altair product.

Windows

Go to Systems Properties  Environment Variables  New and set:

Variable Name: ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH
Variable Value: <port>@<ServerName>
or
Variable Value: <port>@<ServerIPaddress>

For example:
Variable Name: ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH
Variable Value: 6200@server-1

Linux

On a POSIX compliant shell you could use:

export ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH= <port>@<hostname>

or
export ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH= <port>@<ip address>

For Example:
export ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH=6200@server-1

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Setting up an Altair Standalone (or Node-Locked) environment
A standalone (or node-locked) license allows users to run enabled Altair products only on the approved
machine, without the need to set up a license server.

In order to get Altair products running, place the license file at a location of your choice, and create an
ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH Environment Variable and point it to the license file

Windows

Go to Systems Properties  Environment Variables  New and set:

Variable Name: ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH

Variable Value:<path to the license file>\altair_lic.dat

For Example:
Variable Name: ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH
Variable Value: C:\Program Files\Altair\License\altair_lic.dat

Linux

On a POSIX compliant shell you could use:

export ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH=<path to the license file> /altair_lic.dat

e.g.,

export ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH=/usr/local/Altair/License/altair_lic.dat

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FAQ

Q: Do I need a 2018 license to run HyperWorks 2018 applications?

A: Yes.

Q: Can I use 2018 license file to launch HyperWorks applications from previous versions?
A: Yes. HyperWorks 2018 license file is compatible with HyperWorks versions 2017, 14.0, 13.0, 12.0,
11.0, 10.1 and 9.1. However, Altair officially supports two versions of HyperWorks products:
HyperWorks V2017 & V2018

Q: Is an existing Altair License Manager (ALM) v12 on my license server machine compatible with
HyperWorks 2018?
A: No. It is required to use Altair License Manager 13.0 or later versions on your license server machine.

Q: How can I check the ALM version currently in use on my license server machine?
A: The ALM version is documented in the file alm_release located in the license server directory

Q: Can running HyperWorks applications remain active when installing a 2018 license file for the first
time?
A: No. Any running HyperWorks application should be closed prior to installing a 2018 license file for the
first time.

Q: Can I use several ALM in parallel on my license server machine?

A: No. You can run only one ALM on the same license server machine.

Q: How do I point to a license server in order to invoke a HyperWorks application from my local
machine?
A: Set the environment variable, ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH, to the value <port>@<host>. For example:
6200@servername.

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Appendix 1: Altair Connect

Altair Connect, is Altair’s customer portal (https://connect.altair.com)). Users and Systems Admins can
download the latest version of Altair License Manager, Altair Products as well as relevant Altair
Documentation from Altair Connect. Altair Connect also provides an avenue for Altair users to submit
help desk requests that are answered by the Altair Technical Staff.

If you are a new user requesting for Altair Connect access, please register using your company’s email
address. Registrations with a generic e-mail address will not be approved.

Software Downloads
If you have already registered on Altair Connect, please login to Altair Connect to download the latest version of
HyperWorks and Altair License Manager using this link:

https://connect.altair.com/CP/downloads.html?suite=HyperWorks
For Altair license manager, go to "Licensing" section
For HyperWorks software, go to "Software" section and select your platform.
For HyperWorks Installation guides and Release notes, go to "Documentation" section.

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Appendix 2: Uninstalling an older version of ALS
Once you have the new version of ALS running, we recommend that you uninstall the older version of
ALS.

Windows

You can launch the Uninstall wizard in one of the following ways:

• C:\Program Files\Altair\licensing<version>\uninstall\Altair_License_Server_<version>_Uninstaller.exe, or
• Uninstall the “Altair License Server <version number>” from the “Programs and Features” section of the
Control Panel.

Linux

You can launch the uninstaller from a terminal window, by going to the <install_location>” and the
running “./run_uninstall”.

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