As the account manager, how can I set up a License server on a Linux computer for sharing a Floating SnapGene license?
These instructions are for floating licenses only, NOT for standard licenses.
We no longer offer shared licenses for purchase. These instructions are provided for existing customers.
Contact SnapGene Support
Contact our support team via this direct link - Contact SnapGene Support - and provide details of your shared (floating) license key. We will then provide a download link for the latest version of the Flexnet license server, and also provide a vendor daemon license file for use with the license server.
Download the Flexnet Installer
Using the link provided by the support team, download the file FLEXnet_GSL_linux.tgz.
Install the Server
Decide on an installation location for the License server. In this example the parent directory is /usr/local. Commands are preceded by ">>":
Create a parent directory if it does not already exist.
Move the tar file to the parent directory:
>> mv FLEXnet_GSL_linux.tgz /usr/local
Change to the parent directory:
>> cd /usr/local
Unpack the archive file:
>> tar xzf FLEXnet_GSL_linux.tgz
This creates the directory /usr/local/FLEXnet_GSL_linux, which contains all the server files including an INSTALL file with these instructions.
If you have already unpacked the tar file before opening this file, you may simply move the directory FLEXnet_GSL_linux to the desired location.
Import the SnapGene Vendor Daemon License
Import the SnapGene Vendor Daemon license provided to you by the SnapGene team by running the following command:
>> /usr/local/FLEXnet_GSL_linux/lmadmin -import /path/to/FlexNet_SnapGene.lic -force
You should only need to import the license once.
Start the Server
Start the server using the script in the server directory. DO NOT EXECUTE THIS COMMAND AS ROOT:
>> /usr/local/FLEXnet_GSL_linux/startServer
This script may be executed at startup. The corresponding stopServer script will stop a running server.
The server must be started on the command line, but once started can be controlled from the web interface.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT 32-BIT LIBRARIES: If starting the server throws an error such as:
/lib/ld-lsb.so.3: bad ELF interpreter:
or:
./startServer: ./lmadmin: not found
then your system is missing some 32-bit libraries. These libraries are obtained by installing the relevant lsb-32 package for the operating system variant. On most Redhat installations the package in question is named redhat-lsb or redhat-lsb.i686.
On Ubuntu 64-bit install linux standard base using :
sudo apt-get install lsb
Sign In to the Server

Click the Administration link at the top right of the window.

To sign in, type the default User Name: admin and Password: admin, then click Submit.
Change the Password

To change the password, type the old and new passwords, then click Save.
Open Required Ports
The SnapGene license server uses two TCP ports for communications with SnapGene clients and with the SnapGene license server. If the computer running the license server restricts access to ports the you will need to open specific ports on the server computer Firewall.
License Server Configuration Ports
By default the Flexnet Server will use TCP ports in the range of 27000 - 27009 for client-server communications. We recommend you open all ports in this range on your server firewall.
If you require use of a specific port (for example, if other software already uses a port in the range 27000 - 27009), then this can be configured via the Flexnet Publisher Dashboard. To do this, on the Dashboard click Admin then select Server Configuration.

Scroll down to section License Server Configuration, subsection License Server Manager Port, select the option Use this Port and specify the port number you wish to use.

Vendor Daemon Port
The vendor daemon port is used for communication with SnapGene services. By default a random port number is selected when the server is started. Sites with Firewalls will need to specify a single static port.
The vendor daemon port then this can be configured via the Flexnet Publisher Dashboard. To do this, on the Dashboard click Admin then select Vendor Daemon Configuration and click Administer.

At option Vendor Daemon Port: check the option to Use this port and specify the port number you wish to use.

You should then open the corresponding port on your Firewall.