This page gives details on how to instance the license system on multiple machines. This guide is for medium to large networks using Chaos products.
Overview
An instance of the Chaos License Server that uses the same user account may be installed more than once on the same internal network to act as a redundancy measure. This ensures that licenses are still available if one of the machines that run the License Server looses power or connection to the network.
Installation
The installer is straight forward and easy to run, but if you need help, please see the Installing the License Server page for details on the process. Instructions there also include using your Chaos account to access your purchased licenses online.
Use-Case Examples
The following are a few examples of how to best deploy license servers in multi-machine environments, depending on the needs.
Two-Machine Setup
In a case where there are only a couple of machines, such as users with a workstation and a laptop, it's best to install and activate the License Server on both machines.
Please note that any borrowed licenses will be available only on the License Server from which they were borrowed. Also, any dongle licenses require that the dongle be attached to the same license server.
Small Studio Office
In a small office or studio environment, for example with 10 workstations, it's best to install a single License Server for the office and activate it with a Chaos account. All of the workstations will then need their Chaos products configured to connect to the IP address of that single License Server as their primary server.
The license server should be accessible in the local network by default. However, you can check Settings > Expert mode to make sure that Network Visibility is set to Visible to Local Network.
To make configuration changes easier, a single vrlclient.xml file may be loaded from a shared network drive for all networked office machines requiring a license. For more details on how to do that, visit the Sharing a License Configuration in a Network page.
Large Studio Office
In a larger office or studio where there are many workstations and a render farm with multiple render nodes, install the license server on the network with a redundancy as discussed later in the page. In other words, the license server is installed on 2-3 machines on the network which are all activated with the same Chaos account. All of the workstations in that office will need their Chaos products configured to use the IP addresses of those 2-3 license server machines as their primary and alternate server(s) as discussed in a following section: Setting up multiple license servers for redundancy.
Multiple Regional/Global Locations
In offices or studios with multiple regional or even global locations, install up to three license servers for each location, all activated on the same account. This way, each office will have a local redundancy. All the workstations in that local office would have their Chaos products configured to use the IP addresses of those 2-3 local license server machines as their primary and alternate server(s).
Note that installing a license server for one location in a remote location may lead to connection issues when obtaining a license.
Setting up multiple license servers for redundancy
To set up a license scheme to include a redundancy on the network, simply install two, or at most, three instances of the License Server on separate machines. This provides for an added layer of safety in case one of the instances becomes unavailable. However, keep in mind that multiple instances of the License Server cannot run on the same machine: whether physical or virtual; license server redundancy requires installing the License Server on different systems on the same internal network.
The License Server is usually installed on one or more machines within an office network that are dedicated to running license servers or managers for various software. However, you could also run the License Server on any workstation machine that's used by artists. For example, in a 20-user environment on the same internal network, the License Server could be installed on two or three of the 20 workstations, all of which should be activated with the same Chaos account. Then, all 20 of those workstations will need their Chaos products configured to connect to the IP addresses of those two or three machines as the primary and alternate server(s) as shown in the image below. This UI is accessed by running the Manually Change the License Server IP application included with your product's installation.
Example License Settings for a workstation using three License Server systems for redundancy.
This shows the use of two alternate servers in different locations, such as with a multi-office organization.
Having too many instances of the License Server
Installing too many instances of the License Server is unnecessary, even though it will not cause any actual network or licensing issues. Having too many instances of the License Server most often happens when users install the License Server component along with a Chaos product on many or all workstations, even though the License Server is already installed elsewhere on the internal network. In this case, when the License Server is already installed on a network, users should simply select "Remote license" on the Licensing screen in their Chaos product installer. This prevents multiple unnecessary License Server instances, as well as any confusion that may arise about the licensing scheme in that environment.
Using many licenses on a Linux machine
When a lot of licenses are utilized at the same time on a Linux OS machine(s), license errors might appear on randomly selected machines. That is caused by the limit of "open files", i.e. file descriptors, which by default is 1024. The limit should be increased to 10000 or more.
ulimit -a
ulimit -n 10000