The size of a network is limited by the requirement that all computers running Abaqus must be able to connect directly and regularly with the FLEXnet license server. If communication with the server takes too long, the client will spend more time communicating with the server than it does processing. Failure to communicate regularly will result in clients losing tokens and waiting while they are reacquired. The most basic test of network communication is the ping command. If a client and server cannot ping each other by name and IP address, network licensing will not work between the two computers. (However, the fact that the ping command functions properly does not necessarily guarantee that network licensing will work.)

Some form of host name resolution is required to set up network licensing. If there is no NIS or DNS name server functionality on your network, then host files must be manually configured on each machine. For more information, see “DNS name resolution” in the Dassault Systèmes Knowledge Base at www.3ds.com/support/knowledge-base.

The license file for Abaqus is usually installed in a directory called simulia_dir/License and is typically named simulialm.lic. The License directory can be placed anywhere, but it usually resides within the SIMULIA parent directory.

The server log file records all the license requests for Abaqus jobs and sessions (clients). It is stored in the Abaqus License directory and can be given any name you like. Usually the file is called simulialm.log.

The options file allows the license administrator to control various operating parameters of FLEXnet Licensing, such as reserving a number of tokens for certain users, computers, or domains on a network or restricting access to Abaqus license tokens. Although it can be stored anywhere and can be given any name you like, the recommended location and name for the options file is simulia_dir/License/SIMULIALM.opt. If you do not want to restrict access to Abaqus license tokens, you do not need a license options file.

After creating or modifying a license options file, you must use the lmreread tool to reread the license file and implement the new options (see “lmreread,” Section 3.6.6). The options file is also read when the license server is started. Some changes to the options file will not take immediate effect unless the license server is restarted.

A sample options file is shown in “Using the FLEXnet options file,” Section 3.7, and instructions for creating an options file are included in Chapter 5 of the FLEXnet Licensing End User Guide Version 11.6, listed under Licensing on the Support page at www.3ds.com/simulia.