Upgrade Network License Server

Follow these steps to upgrade your network license server. Note that these steps walk through the process of upgrading FlexNet Publisher License Server (FNPLS or "lmadmin") to version 11.16.2.1, but the steps also apply to versions later than this. If you have any problems during this process and notice different outcomes than what is shown in the screen captures below, please send us a support request to help you successfully upgrade.

NOTE: If you are upgrading from FNPLS version 11.14.0 or older, some of the instructions below may vary slightly. Pay careful attention to any notes in the instructions below that describe these variations in the procedures.

Preparations

Open a notepad or Word document and make note of the following:

1. Make note of the installation directory of your existing FNPLS (typically, this is "C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager"). NOTE: If you are upgrading from FNPLS version 11.14.0 or older, the installation directory might be in "C:\Program Files" rather than "C:\Program Files (x86)".
2. The path to the existing license server data directory (typically, this is "C:\ProgramData\FLEXlm\lmadmin"). NOTE: If you are upgrading from FNPLS version 11.14.0 or older, the data directory is the same as the FNPLS (i.e. "lmadmin") installation directory.
3. Make sure you have your license administration username and password so you can log into the license administration web interface later on.

If you have any questions about the above steps, please contact us before continuing.

Upgrade the GoldSim License Server Activation Utility (GLSActUtil)

Compare your version of GLSActUtil with the latest available on our website. If you already have the latest version, please skip to the next section (Upgrade the FlexNet Publisher License Server (FNPLS)). 

1. Open the Windows Services manager, find the "lmadmin" service, right-click on the item, and click "Stop".
   
2. Download the latest version of the GoldSim License Server Activation Utility (GLSActUtil) installer from here (in the "Software Downloads" section).
3. Install GLSActUtil as administrator (click "Yes" when asked to upgrade)
4. Click "Install" if prompted to install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package
5. After successful installation, start up GLSActUtil 
6. Confirm that you have an active, working license 
7. Close GLSActUtil

The GoldSim License Server Activation Utility User's Guide describes the installation and use of GLSActUtil.

Upgrade the FlexNet Publisher License Server (FNPLS)

1. If you have not already done so, be sure to stop the FNPLS Windows service ("lmadmin") before proceeding.
2. Download the latest FNPLS installer from here.
3. Right-click on the installer and select "Run as administrator"
4. On the "Choose Install Folder" installation step, enter an installation path that is different from the existing installation (IMPORTANT!)
   • Enter an installation path that is different from the existing installation by (for example) appending the new version number to the end of the old path like this: "C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager 11.16.2.1".
5. Click Next.
6. On the "Choose Data Folder" step, enter a data folder path that is different from the existing data folder path (IMPORTANT!)
   • Enter a new data folder path such as this: "C:\ProgramData\FLEXlm_11.16.2.1\lmadmin" (appending the new version number, as shown, ensures that the data folder path is different from the old installation).
   • For the new data folder path, do not use any spaces! If you do, this can cause issues when importing data files from the old installation into the new installation.
7. Click Next.
8. On the "Import files from Previous..." step, check the "Import" check box. Click "Choose..." for both paths and select the OLD installation paths as shown below.
   • The old installation paths should have been noted in the Preparations steps above. NOTE: If you are upgrading from FNPLS version 11.14.0 or older, the data directory is the same as the FNPLS (i.e. "lmadmin") installation directory. Therefore, you will provide the same path for both fields in this dialog.
9. Click Next.
10. Click Install.
11. Continue through the installation steps to the "Important Information" step and check the box to "Install Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package".
12. You will need to accept the installation of the Visual C++ Redistributable.
13. On the "Service Configuration" step, check the "Run as a service" checkbox and enter the name of the new Windows service. The Windows service name should be different from that for the old installation e.g. you can append the new version number to "lmadmin" ("lmadmin 11.16.2.1"). Click Next.
14. Proceed through the remaining steps to complete the installation. Click Done.
15. Open the Windows Service manager and make sure the old license service ("lmadmin") is stopped. 
16. Start the newly installed license service. 
17. Open an internet browser (e.g. Chrome or Internet Explorer) and enter the URL "localhost:8090" to open the FNP License Server administration interface. You should see a page that looks like this along with a list of your licenses. NOTE: Depending on what version you are upgrading from, the GTG vendor daemon might not restart automatically. If you do not see your list of licenses, follow procedures in the next step to restart the vendor daemon. Otherwise, skip to step 20.
18. If you do not see a list of your licenses in the FNP License Server administration interface, you will need to restart the GTG vendor daemon.
    • Click the 'Administration' link in the upper right, enter your username and password to log in, and then click on the 'Vendor Daemon Configuration' tab on the left-hand side. Now, click the 'Administer' link.
      
    • Click 'Start' to start the vendor daemon.
      
    • Return to the 'Dashboard' and confirm that you now see a list of your licenses.
    • NOTE: Depending on what version you are upgrading from, the GTG vendor daemon might not restart, even after following the steps above. If the GTG vendor daemon still did not start, follow procedures in the next step to delete and re-import the vendor daemon. Otherwise, skip to step 20.
19. If the GTG vendor daemon did not restart, even after following steps above, you will need to delete and re-import the vendor daemon.
    • Once again, click the 'Administration' link in the upper right (log in again, if necessary) and click the 'Vendor Daemon Configuration' tab on the left-hand side.
    • Click the 'Administer' link.
      
    • Record the vendor daemon port number (i.e. 51114 in the example below).
      
    • Again, click the 'Vendor Daemon Configuration' tab on the left-hand side and then click 'Delete' on the right-hand side to delete the vendor daemon.
      
    • Click 'Import License'.
      
    • Check the option to 'Overwrite License File on License Server' and click 'Choose File'. NOTE: During the FNPLS installation, when data files were imported from the old installation, the GTG.lic file was not automatically imported from the old installation to the new installation. However, since the old GTG.lic file contains a relative path (to the GTG.exe vendor daemon file) you can simply navigate to the old installation location and select the old GTG.lic file for this step.
      
    • After selecting the GTG.lic file, click the 'Import License' button (see above). Return to the Dashboard and confirm that it shows a list of your licenses. This indicates that the GTG vendor daemon is running.
    • As a final step, you should click on the 'Administration' link in the upper right, go to the 'Vendor Daemon Configuration' tab, and click 'Administer'.
      
    • Click 'Stop' to stop the vendor daemon.
      
    • Click 'Administer' again, select 'Use this port' and enter the vendor daemon port number you recorded previously. Be sure to click 'Save' in the lower right to save these settings.
      
    • Finally, click 'Start' to restart the vendor daemon, go to the 'Dashboard', and confirm that you see a list of your licenses.
20. If you are not already logged into the FNP License Server administration interface, click the 'Administration' link in the upper right and enter your username and password to log in.
    • Note that your previous credentials should have been imported during the FNPLS installation steps.
       
    • You should see the correct version number at the top under "System Information" 

Update the GTG Vendor Daemon

Typically, you will also need to upgrade the GTG vendor daemon when upgrading the FNP License Server. Follow these steps to perform this upgrade.

1. Stop the FNPLS Windows service. 
2. Copy the GTG folder from "C:\Program Files (x86)\GTG\GoldSim License Server Activation Utility" to the clipboard. 
3. Paste it into the installation folder of the new FNPLS version
4. You will need to overwrite existing files when you paste it. 
5. Restart the lmadmin 11.16.2.1 Windows service 
6. Open an internet browser and enter the URL "localhost:8090" to open the License Administrator.
7. Click on the Administration tab and log in.
8. Click on the "Vendor Daemon Configuration" tab on the left-hand side. 
9. Check to see that the daemon is "up" and the correct version is being used. 
10. Open GoldSim on the server or a client machine and connect to the network license. If you go to the Help menu of GoldSim and click Licensing, you should see the network license configured.

Uninstall the Old FNPLS

Now that the FNP License Server has been upgraded, you can go ahead and uninstall the old version. In very rare cases, you may want to keep the old FNPLS installed but please note that the old service can cause a conflict with the new one. So, if you decide to keep the old version, it is recommended that you set the old service to not start up automatically.

To uninstall the old FNPLS, follow these steps.

1. Stop the FNPLS Windows service and make sure the old service is also stopped.
2. Navigate to the installation folder of the old FNPLS installation (i.e. "C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager" in the current example), enter the ‘uninstall’ folder, right-click the file “Uninstall FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager.exe”, and select the option to ‘Run as administrator’. 
3. When asked if you want to save the log files and server.xml, you can leave the box unchecked.
   
4. When asked if you want to stop and remove the service "lmadmin", check Yes.
5. Click Uninstall to complete the uninstall process. Click Done.
6. Now, manually delete the old installation directory (i.e. "C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager" in the current example)
7. In the list of Windows services, you should now only see the new lmadmin version. Start the service.
8. Open an internet browser and enter the URL "localhost:8090" to open the License Administrator.
9. Click on the 'Administration' link in the upper right and log in. Confirm in the Dashboard that you see a list of your licenses. If you do not see a list of your licenses in the Dashboard, you will need to re-import the GTG vendor daemon. To do this, follow the steps below.
10. Again, click on the 'Administration' link in the upper right and click on the "Vendor Daemon Configuration" tab on the left-hand side. 
11. Click the Import License button 
12. Click on the "Choose File" button. 
13. Browse to and select the GTG.lic file located in the new FNPLS directory (i.e. “C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexNet Publisher License Server Manager 11.16.2.1\GTG” in the current example). Click Open.
14. Check the box to Overwrite and then click "Import License" 
15. You should see a green message indicating successful import of the license file. Click OK.
16. Click on the vendor daemon line item to open the properties window. 
17. Click the Start button. 
18. Click on the dashboard tab to view the license information and verify the license is available. 
19. You should now be able to start GoldSim on the server or on a client machine to verify that a connection to the network license is made.

If you have any problems during this process, please let us know by submitting a support ticket and indicate the point in the process that you ran into a problem along with the information about your system, license, and a description of the error.