Problem with license server

[csalsa]

For unknown reasons, our server hosting the OxygenXML license server suddenly went off-line. I quickly went to install the OxygenXML license server software on to a different server (and when the old server comes up, I will uninstall it from there).

So far so good.


However, I cannot get the License Server to work when running as a Windows Service. It works fine if the License Server is started from the the batch script provided. There is no file named 'errLicenseServer.log' in the directory. There was no JRE installed on the new server and so I installed the current JRE 1.6.14 and set the JAVA_HOME environment variable (though it did not seem to make any difference).

I am testing by running the OxygenXML Editor on my machine with the name of the new server and using the default port 12346.

I have included the output from running the License Server both ways below.

From console after running as batch file

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java -cp ".;oxygenLicenseServer.jar;log4j.jar" ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer

0 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Starting the license server on port: 12346 - dir: license

62 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Reading the license files.

62 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Checking file: license\license.txt

94 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Starting the server loop.

16875 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Client connected from: /10.59.60.98

16890 INFO [ License Server Socket Processor ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Received request.

16922 INFO [ License Server Socket Processor ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - License granted.

From 'outLicenseServer.log' after running as windows server

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0 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Starting the license server on port: 12346 - dir: C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license

78 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Reading the license files.

78 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Checking file: C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license\license.txt

203 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Starting the server loop.

I want to run the License Server as a Windows Service so it always runs and will restart on failure.

I cannot see how the license server was configured on the old server.

Any ideas?

[sorin_ristache]

Hello,

I cannot get the License Server to work when running as a Windows Service.

...

From 'outLicenseServer.log' after running as windows server

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0 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Starting the license server on port: 12346 - dir: C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license

78 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Reading the license files.

78 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Checking file: C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license\license.txt

203 INFO [ main ] ro.sync.licensemanager.server.LicenseServer - Starting the server loop.

The Windows service is waiting for floating license requests from Oxygen clients and it seems there is no request received from an Oxygen client (no messages Client connected from: and Received request in the server logging messages). Did you enter the correct address and port of the server machine in the license dialog of the Oxygen client application that requests a floating license? What is the error message reported in Oxygen?


Regards,
Sorin

[csalsa]

Hi Sorin

I am at home now.

For this problem, I made no changes to the client settings after I initially entered them. I would start OxygenXML on my PC to see if it would start and then shut it down. I made no other changes here.

What was changing was how I ran the OxygenXML License Manager on the server. And all I was doing on the Server was running the batch files in the License Manager directory to start/stop it as a windows service and to run it as an application. I made no changes to the batch files and I executed them from double-clicking on the batch files from Windows Explorer.

I used the standard settings for License Manager installation and then copied the license file to the 'licenses' directory. I tested the license file by adding a couple of spurious characters. Then, as expected, I got an error message when I tried to run the OxygenXML client against the Oxygen License Server running as an application (started from the batch script). I put back the original license file and the client worked again.

The behavior was always repeatable and I even re-booted the Server (being after hours at the time). I could change the way the License Manager ran as a Windows Service or as an application and the client would not work the first way but always ran the second way. I even double checked running the client on a different workstation (after pointing to the License Manager on the new Server).

I also verified that the License Server was listening on port 12346 both times using SystemInternals 'tcpview'.


I see that you have instrumented the License Server with log4j and there is a 'log4j.properties' file in the directory. Do you have another properties file that logs more diagnostics?

[sorin_ristache]

What is the error message reported by Oxygen when you request a floating license from the server? When you press the OK button in the license dialog Oxygen displays an error message if it cannot get a floating license from the server that runs at the address and port entered in the license dialog.


Regards,
Sorin

[csalsa]

The error message that I get when trying to get a license from the License Manager running as a Windows Service is:
"Could not connect to a license server on: l21-build01: 12346"
Followed by:
"You need a license key for version 10. The License key you are using has the version 9"

This server never had an Oxygen License manager installed on it previously. After installing the Oxygen License manager I copied the "license.txt" file to the "C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license" directory. The license file looks like (minus some of the license key values):

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Registration_Name=



Company=



Category=Professional-Floating



Component=XML-Editor, XSLT-Debugger, Saxon-SA



Version=10



Number_of_Licenses=20



Date=10-23-2008



Maintenance=352



SGN=

[csalsa]

The details of the Oxygen License Server installer that I am running:
- File version: 10.0.0.0
- Product version: 10.0
- Files size: 1,961,392 bytes
- Modified datetime: Wednesday, 22 October 2008, 11:37:57 pm

The details of the Oxygen License executable from the directory "C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license" are:
- File version: 10.0.0.0
- Product version: 10.0
- Files size: 142,256 bytes
- Modified datetime: Wednesday, October 22, 2008, 12:11:58 PM


I am unable to locate the URL from where I downloaded it. Is this the version of the License Server that I should be running?

[sorin_ristache]

The details of the Oxygen License Server installer that I am running:
- File version: 10.0.0.0

...

I am unable to locate the URL from where I downloaded it. Is this the version of the License Server that I should be running?

It should be OK if you use the license server that was available together with the Oxygen 10.0 install kit.


Regards,
Sorin

[sorin_ristache]

The error message that I get when trying to get a license from the License Manager running as a Windows Service is:
"Could not connect to a license server on: l21-build01: 12346"

That means the Oxygen client cannot connect to the license server. Either the Windows service is not running when you request the floating license from the Oxygen license dialog or other application (like a firewall or an antivirus) blocks the connection that Oxygen tries to establish with the license server. Can you check in the list with all the Windows services that the Windows service called oXygenLicenseServer is running?

Can you get a floating license from the server if you start the server with the script licenseServer.bat (that is use the server as a command line application (no Windows service installation, no installWindowsService.bat script)? This will test if a connection can be created between Oxygen clients and the license server.


Regards,
Sorin

[csalsa]

I have tried to run the License Manager on a workstation separate to mine and it worked. I have also found out that the 'server' that we were previously running our Oxygen License Server was actually a workstation. Both cases are running Windows XP Professional (SP2).

I think the problem is related to the server on which I trying install the Oxygen License Server. It is running Windows Enterprise Server 2003 (SP1). There must be a difference to how Windows services run in this environment.

Can you please confirm that your License Server runs on Windows Enterprise Server 2003 (SP1).

[csalsa]

Hi Sorin

In my first post, I included the output from the console (From console after running as batch file) when I ran the License Server from the batch file 'licenseServer.bat'. It showed licenses being requested and granted.

For the Windows Service.
I used the batch files 'startWindowsService.bat' and 'stopWindowsService.bat' to start and stop the License Server as a Windows service. I confirmed with 'services.msc' that the service 'oXygenLicenseServer' was running (refreshing regularly). I also used 'TcpView' from SystemInternals to see that the configured port was being used for listening and that the port listener stopped and started with the Windows Service.

I had expected that if the License Server was working when running as a Windows Service that every time a license was requested that an entry would be made in the log file 'outLicenseServer.log'. I stopped the Windows service, deleted the log file and restarted the service. The log file would always contain the same four lines:
1. Starting the license server on port: 12346 - dir: C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license
2. Reading the license files.
3. Checking file: C:\Program Files\Oxygen License Server\license\license.txt
4. Starting the server loop.
I never saw any other entries in the log file.

[sorin_ristache]

In my first post, I included the output from the console (From console after running as batch file) when I ran the License Server from the batch file 'licenseServer.bat'. It showed licenses being requested and granted.

For the Windows Service.
I used the batch files 'startWindowsService.bat' and 'stopWindowsService.bat' to start and stop the License Server as a Windows service. I confirmed with 'services.msc' that the service 'oXygenLicenseServer' was running (refreshing regularly). I also used 'TcpView' from SystemInternals to see that the configured port was being used for listening and that the port listener stopped and started with the Windows Service.

The Windows service seems to control the port binding and respond correctly to the Windows commands for starting and stopping the service which means the Oxygen client should connect to that port listener without problems.

I had expected that if the License Server was working when running as a Windows Service that every time a license was requested that an entry would be made in the log file 'outLicenseServer.log'.

Yes, every time a license is requested an entry should be made in the log file outLicenseServer.log. You can test the port listener with the telnet command: while the service is running and the port listener is active run the following command on the client machine where the Oxygen client is running:

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telnet <IP-with-Windows-service-machine>  <port-of-license-server>

where <IP-with-Windows-service-machine> is the IP of the Windows 2003 machine where you installed the Windows service and <port-of-license-server> is the listener port of the Windows service that you configured for the license server (the default is 12346). Running this command should add the following message to outLicenseServer.log:

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Client connected from: /127.0.0.1

where on your server machine 127.0.0.1 will be replaced with the IP of the Oxygen client machine. Does the telnet command add the above line to outLicenseServer.log or it fails on the client machine with an error message Could not open connection to the host, on port 12347: Connect failed?


Regards,
Sorin

[csalsa]

Hi

I ran telnet for both the License Server Manager running from the batch file 'licenseServer.bat' and running as a service using 'startWindowsService.bat'.

When running the License Server from the batch file, I got the message 'Client connected from: ...' in the console window. TcpView had:
java.exe:4316 TCP buildServer:12346 buildServer:0 LISTENING

When running the License Server as a Windows service, I got the message:

Code: Select all

telnet buildServer 12346

Connecting To buildServer...Could not open connection to the host, on port 12346: Connect failed

TcpView had:
oXygenLicenseServer.exe:5736 TCP buildServer:12346 buildServer:0 LISTENING

What do you suggest from here?

[sorin_ristache]

So when the license server is started from command line with licenseServer.bat (no Windows service) it works correctly. When it is installed as a Windows service it is started (as displayed in the list with all Windows services) and it says in the log file that the server loop is started but the Oxygen client cannot connect to the server. It is strange that the server receives connections as a simple command line application when you can connect to the same port (12346) but it does not receive connections as Windows service.

Can you check with the Event Viewer (a standard Windows application) if there is any Windows service error about the Oxygen server logged in the Application log or the System log of Windows? Do you have any firewall or antivirus application that blocks any connection to a Windows service?


Regards,
Sorin

[csalsa]

Hi

Your summary is correct.

I found events in the System Event Log from the 'Service Control Manager' showing the oXygenLicenseServer starting and stopping. There were no other events recorded in the Application or System log.

This specific server does not run with a firewall or antivirus that would affect the Windows Service.

Note that this problem has occurred only since I tried to run the Oxygen License Manager on a server running Windows Enterprise Server 2003 (SP1). It was previously running successfully on Windows XP Professional.

[sorin_ristache]

Note that this problem has occurred only since I tried to run the Oxygen License Manager on a server running Windows Enterprise Server 2003 (SP1). It was previously running successfully on Windows XP Professional.

Uninstall the Oxygen License Server and reinstall it making sure you allow the Windows wizard installer to create the Windows service at the end of the wizard (instead of running the scripts installWindowsService.bat and startWindowsService.bat after the installer is finished). Does the Oxygen client connect to the server in this case?


Regards,
Sorin

[csalsa]

Hi

I uninstalled the Oxygen License Manager and deleted the directory. I reinstalled using the defaults. I have done this already. But I thought to try again.

It did not help.

[csalsa]

Hi Sorin

I found another Windows 2003 Enterprise Server. And on this server the Oxygen License Server works. I do not know whether to be happy or sad.

Do you have any other ideas as to how I can isolate the problem of the Oxygen License Manager not running on this specific Windows 2003 Enterprise Server? There are no firewalls on this server and there are no applications running that would interfere with its operation (that I can identify).

[sorin_ristache]

We tried the license server also on a Windows 2003 Enterprise Server and there are no differences. It worked the same as on the other Windows versions (XP, Vista, 32 bits or 64 bits).

There is a difference of Windows services configuration on that 2003 Server machine in making a connection to a port bound to a Windows service. Maybe it is a restriction set on Windows services for other Windows processes that are allowed to make such a connection. I think you should find out first why a telnet connection cannot be established from command line to a port on which a Windows service is listening.


Regards,
Sorin