A Guide to Interpreting the FlexNet Troubleshoot Batch File

Introduction to the FlexNet Troubleshoot Batch File

When you have exhausted the options presented in the Floating License Troubleshooting article and are still experiencing difficulty with getting your floating license up and running, it is time to run the FlexNet Troubleshoot batch file. Please ensure you run this file on your license server. Running this file will output a detailed HTML report including information on the following:

• System Information
• Running Processes
• Environment Variables
• Registry
• Firewall Exceptions
• FlexServer Folder
• safe.lic comparison
• Log file, pre-restart
• License server restart
• New log file

This article will outline some of the things to look for when reading the HTML report, and where to find additional resources when you have identified an issue found in the report. If you are still experiencing difficulty licensing and running FME after reading through these materials, please send in the FlexNet Report, along with the FME Report (generated by the system_information.bat file ) to our Support Team.

System Information

When looking at the system information portion of the HTML report, please take note of the volume ID, OS name, OS version, System Model, System Type and available physical memory. Common issues to watch for:

• If your volume ID has changed, your Registration Key will change and may prevent the successful startup of FME. This can occur for even small hardware changes. Please request a new license file if you notice that your registration key has changed.
• If the Available Physical Memory is less than what is required by FME, the program will fail to initialize. Please free up some physical memory.
• If your System Type says that your computer is 32-bit, but you are attempting to run 64-bit FME, the program will fail to initialize. Please ensure that your version of FME is consistent with your operating system.

Running Processes

Important things to look for in the Running Processes section would be anything with FME in the name, safe.exe and lmgrd.exe. Things to note:

• You will not see safe.exe or lmgrd.exe if you are running the batch file on the client-side machine using a floating license. Please run this batch file on your license server.
• If you are running the batch file on your floating license server and you do not see lmgrd.exe and/or safe.exe, please first ensure that you ran the batch file with administrator permissions. Failing to do so will prevent some information from being printed to the HTML report.
• If you have run the batch file with the appropriate permissions and still do not see lmgrd.exe or safe.exe, please ensure you have correctly installed the appropriate FME Floating License installer from our downloads page.

Environment Variables

Take note of the following:

• LM_LICENSE_FILE (shouldn’t exist)
• SAFE_LICENSE_FILE (shouldn’t exist)
• ARCGIS_LICENSE_FILE (may exist, ensure it is correct)
• PATH

The LM_LICENSE_FILE and SAFE_LICENSE_FILE environment variables could be set by other applications or older versions of FME, which may interfere with the licensing process and connect to incorrect servers. The correct settings should come from the files in <FME>/licenses. If you find these environment variables have been set, please remove them and restart the service.

Registry

In the registry you are able to see the location of the license server service (FME License Server), and where it is installed. If you do not see any services listed within the Registry, then it means that the license service has not yet been installed (and you will not have seen lmgrd.exe as mentioned above in the Running Processes section). Please ensure you have correctly installed the appropriate FME Floating License installer from our downloads page.

Firewall Exceptions

Firewall configurations account for many of the issues users have in running their floating licenses successfully. When considering firewall exceptions, it is worth noting which ports on your license server safe.exe and lmgrd.exe will typically use:

• lmgrd.exe will typically allocate to ports 27000-27009 on your license server
• safe.exe will allocate itself dynamically, meaning that it will choose any available port (cannot necessarily be predicted).

In the FlexNet Report, you should see lmgrd.exe and safe.exe listed in the Firewall Exceptions section.
What to do if you do not see lmgrd.exe or safe.exe listed:

If you do not see these applications listed, the batch file will add application exceptions to the firewall for lmgrd.exe and safe.exe when it is run.
In some cases, this will resolve the licensing issue. However, it may be that your organization does not allow application exceptions, or that you would prefer to 'tie down' safe.exe to a specific port. If this is the case, try following the instructions on how to Specify Floating License Server Ports, and then add those ports as an exception to your firewall. Please ensure you restart the service after performing any of the above changes.

Flexserver Folder

Within the Flexserver folder, you should see that safe.exe is in the same folder as lmgrd.exe and safe.lic (the license file). If these three files are not in the same folder, then the license service will not successfully run. Also worth noting is the version of lmgrd.exe and safe.exe that is listed. They must be version 11.8 or higher. If you have an older version, please update to the FME Floating License installer from our downloads page .

safe.lic Comparison

In this section, the contents of the safe.lic file are listed, along with the Flexnet HOSTID and HOSTNAME of your machine. Please compare the HOSTID and HOSTNAME of your license file and what is listed for your machine. If these do not match, then you will need to modify your license file as per the instructions found in part A in the Floating License Troubleshooting article.

Log File: Pre-Restart

In this section, keep an eye out for any warning or error messages. If you see any warnings or errors, please make note of them in case you report your case to our Support Team. Sending in specific errors or warnings in your email, along with the FlexNet and System Information HTML reports will help us diagnose the issue more efficiently.

License Server Restart

The batch file will restart your license server service. If this step fails, it likely means that the service was installed incorrectly or is named incorrectly. Please ensure you have closely followed the steps outlined in the installation instructions.

New Log File

Similar to what to look for in the pre-restart log file, please keep and eye out for any warning or error messages, in addition to any hostname, hostid, or port numbers. These will be helpful if you require further assistance from the Support Team.