Learning Forum

[matthew.buk]

Hi, 

I have some users with computers in our campus AD and some users with computers not in our campus AD.  Those in the AD environment are able to successfully get a license when launching ANSYS workbench.  Those not in our AD environment are unable to get a license.  From both scenarios, the following results in "True" for both the Flex and Vendor Daemon assigned ports (indicating both network and local firewalls allows traffic)
PS> test-netconnection -ComputerName -Port  

If I join a computer with ANSYS installed to our AD, it is then able to get a license.  I believe this to be suggestive that the certificates need to be updated. Section 5.4.2 of the Ansys_License_Management_Guide.pdf (Version 2023/R1) identifies how to create a self-signed cert.  Is there a way to instead give the application a certificate signed by a different certification authority?  if so what needs to be included and how to apply on the server?

Note: I have an alias for DNS redirection to the server. i.e. ANSYS.it.university.edu is the alias for Server123.ad.university.edu (actual).  I use the Alias in port@host system variables to reduce client side attention when servers are rehosted.  The license file has the actual server name specified.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide, 

[matthew.buk]

Additional information.  I am seeing similarities to the issues others are reporting (i.e. Ansys Workbench 23 and 22 Licensing problem).

On the client, if I launch Fluent 2023 R1 it works; client gets a license and the flex server logs update to reflect:

10:12:06 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 2/22/2023
10:16:02 (ansyslmd) OUT: "cfd_solve_level2" user1@computer1 [14116]
10:16:05 (ansyslmd) OUT: "cfd_solve_level1" user1@computer1 [14116]
10:16:09 (ansyslmd) OUT: "cfd_base" user1@computer1 [14116]
10:17:12 (ansyslmd) IN: "cfd_base" user1@computer1 [14116]
10:17:13 (ansyslmd) IN: "cfd_solve_level1" user1@computer1 [14116]
10:17:13 (ansyslmd) IN: "cfd_solve_level2" user1@computer1 [14116]

 

However, on the same client, if I launch Workbench 2023 R1, I get the following client side error twice (server Interconnect and FlexNet logs do not post anything new, but I do see receive lines on the server firewall log for the lmgrd port and vendor daemon port):

Connection timed out while reading data.  The application has stopped waiting for a reply.  The license server may be experiencing a high demand or a temporary outage. Try again later.

 

Followed by client side error:

 

License server lost for 5 minutes. Please save your work.

License server will time out in 55 minutes if not reconnected before.
License path:
FLEXlm Servers: 1055@ANSYS.it.university.edu

The server performance indicators (CPU/RAM/NETWORK) do not seem taxed at all. Again, only some clients are experiencing this issue.  At the time of this test, only one other customer was connecting to the license manager.

 

On the client, using 'Ansys License Settings 2023 R1':

1. FlexNet Publisher-->License Servers-->test = green check mark (after a few seconds)
2. FlexNet Publisher-->Features in use = "lmgrd is not running" License server mahcine is down or not responding. (-96,7:11001 "WinSock: Host not found (HOST_NOT_FOUND)")

On the server, using 'Ansys License Manager Release 2023 R1':

1. 'View Status/Start/Stop License Manager' =
   The license manager is running
   Licensing Interconnect: running
   Licensing Interconnect Monitor: running
   FlexNet Licensing: running

I could really use some help with this issue.

Best, 
- Matt

[ANSYS_MMadore]

You can try having the users set their Client licensing to the ansyslmd port, that will avoid the failure caused by host resolution issues.  If the client cannot resolve the hostname used in the license file the licensing will have problems as you've described.

 

Another option is for these users to add a hosts file entry for the hostname of the license server, so they can resolve it.

[matthew.buk]

Thanks for the reply, 

I do already have the ansyslmd port specified on the client side (both using the ansyslmd.ini and ansyslmd_license_file system variable). I attempted both the alias as well as the actual server fqdn with the same failed workbench results.

ANSYS_LICENSE_FILE=1055@ANSYS.it.university.edu

ANSYSLMD.ini contains only:

SERVER=1055@ANSYS.it.university.edu

I am using the default port for the Ansys (flex) lmgrd, 1055. The servers hostname does resolve using the name specified for Ansyslmd variables, which I confirmed both by launching Fluent independently and getting a license as well as with nslookup.  It is only when running workbench (so far as I can tell) that communication seems to fail.  

Any other ideas?  

[ANSYS_MMadore]

You are using the flexlm port, not the ansyslmd port.  The ansyslmd port should be a different port, found on the VENDOR line of the license file. Please try using that port.

Also, the variable is ANSYSLMD_LICENSE_FILE, not ANSYS_LICENSE_FILE

[matthew.buk]

This is interesting.  Specifying the port from the Vendor line instead of the Server line seems to work perfectly. Thank you for that recommendation. 

I did cross reference this information with the 2023 R1 Ansys_license_management_guide.pdf (page 38) section 'FlexNet Port Number'.  It suggests "The FlexNet port number may also be specified via the ANSYSLMD_LICENSE_FILE environment variable, if set".  

For my sanity, using the FlexNet port number rather than the Ansyslmd port number is standard and your suggestion is a workaround for other potential issues, correct?   Hopefully making it clear will help others who may read this as well.

I greatly appreciate the help.  Thank you!

[ANSYS_MMadore]

Yes, the use of the vendor (ansyslmd) port is a workaround to hostname resolution issues. Please note, you cannot check the license status using the vendor (ansyslmd) port, but it will work for license checkouts.