Troubleshooting Licenses

Owned by Marc Lievin
Mar 14, 2024
12 min read

This section describes how to troubleshoot issues with licensing.

Terminology

License Folder

You can find any license files that the Vortex License Manager generates in the C:/CM Labs/Licenses folder on Windows or /opt/cmlabs/licenses/ on Linux. You may need special user privileges to write files in those locations. If you do not have privileges to write files in license folders, the license manager application alerts you that it cannot write files at that location.

A Vortex license server and a local install of Vortex Studio uses the same folder for licensing.

License File

Vortex license files have the extension .lic. They can be viewed in a text editor for troubleshooting. Most license files generated ends up in the license folder.

License files in License folder are generated by the Vortex License Manager. Removing them will cause Vortex applications to stop working. If those files are deleted by mistake, they can be regenerated by the License Manager.

Some License files can also exist in the Vortex Studio bin folder, in the server folder of the RLM server binaries. These are provided by CM-Labs and removing them can cause Vortex applications to stop working. If those files are deleted by mistake, you will need to reinstall Vortex Studio. 

Troubleshooting Linux issues

Before going any further, the license manager requires root permissions to run some commands.

The license manager must be run as root.

Troubleshooting Activation Keys Issues

Cannot connect to Activation Server

To generate a license file using an activation key, you must be able to connect to the RLM activation server via the Internet. 

The activation server URL is http://hostedactivation.com/cmlabs.

Verify the Connection to the Activation Server

To Verify the Connection to the Activation Server on Windows

The connection status to the activation server is available via the Vortex License Manager.

Launch the Vortex License Manager.

The status of the activation server is displayed with icons on the status bar.

A warning will be shown should there be an issue.

Verify the Connection to the Activation Server on Linux

Execute the following command:

./VortexLicenseManager --status

The status appears on the screen.

Fixing Connection to the Activation Server Issues

If you have no connection to the activation server, check your Internet connection.

  • If the machine cannot access the Internet, see Generating Node-Locked License Files for Another Computer to generate license files from another machine.

  • If the machine has limited access to the Internet, it needs to be able to reach the activation server at http://hostedactivation.com/cmlabs .

  • If your connection is good, the problem is likely an issue with the activation server. Try again later.

Read Error from Network

Even if the status indicates that the Activation server can be reached, the activation may fail with the message “read error from network“.

The likely cause is that the computer cannot properly access the Activation server due to firewall restrictions or is behind a proxy. These configurations can cause a delay in the transaction leading to an error. The network configuration must be efficient when activating the license. If you are unable to activate the license properly after setting up the firewall or proxy, try Generating Node-Locked License Files for Another Computer to generate license files from another machine, ideally on a different network.

The license file was deleted from the computer

If for some reason a license file was deleted on a given PC, it can be regenerated using the same activation key on the same machine even if the key was already activated. 

Reusing an activation key is only allowed on the same machine originally used for license file generation.

Troubleshooting Reported Licensing Errors

Vortex Studio applications are giving you licensing errors. The first step is to inspect the available licenses.

Inspecting existing licenses

Launch the Vortex Studio License Manager application to see any existing Vortex Studio licenses that are currently available.

For more details, see Using the license manager

The application can be run on the client machine, and if everything looks fine on this side, on the server machine.

Generating a Diagnostic File

To resolve difficult licensing issues, it can be helpful to produce a diagnostic file. You can generate one for your CM Labs customer support representative, by following these steps:

To Generate a Diagnostic File (Windows)

  1. Open the Vortex License Manager.

  2. Click Options > Create Diagnostic File....

  3. Enter a file name and click Save.

To Generate a Diagnostic File (Linux)

Launch the Vortex License Manager with the following parameters:

./VortexLicenseManager --diagnostic <file path>

 

The system generates a diagnostic file in the location you specified.

Inspecting the License folder

If the license manager did not show your activated product, please have a look in the license folder.

To resolve licensing issues with your CM Labs customer support representative, provide the content of that folder.  In the case of a machine connecting to a license server, provide the content of both the client and the server.

Inspecting the License folder from the client machine

Node-locked License Files

There should be at least a license file (.lic file) in that folder. You may have multiple .lic files in your folder, depending on the number of products you have activated.

They are usually named "license.lic" and typically contains 1 or more section like this:

LICENSE cmlabs studio_full_1 2021.03 17-mar-2021 uncounted hostid=disksn=91422EB08D8F share=h issuer=hostedactivation issued=17-mar-2020 akey=1234-5678-9123-4567 options="n=Vortex Studio Create" _ck=c9d263d938 sig="60PG4534WEJMCTAGSJ19W9HRJVCV80F7R2F1J5R22M0BU0HPU43E0QY0PTCUQ1WQH9DEE946FRT0"

  • LICENSE cmlabs: it is a CM-Labs license

  • studio_full_1: an internal name for a licensed product, which can vary.

  • A date in the format yyyy-mm: Maintenance and Support Expiration Date. Any version of Vortex released after that data cannot be used.

  • A date in the format dd-mm-yyyy: Licence Expiration date. The software cannot be used past that date

    • It will say permanent if you have a permanent license

  • uncounted means it is a node-lock license

  • “hostid” is the hardware identifier used by this machine

  • issuer should always be hostedactivation

  • "akey" is the activation key used to activate this product.

  • options: n is equal to your Product

License Files when connecting to a license server

If you are connecting to a license server, you should have a file name server.lic.

The most common file is server.lic file. It is a human-readable file using any text editor. It should contain a single line, in this form:

HOST <hostname> ANY <port number>

  • SERVER may be written instead of HOST.

  • hostname is the machine hosting the license server.

  • ANY is an internal tag, it may not be present.

  • port number is the communication port to the hostname when communicating with the license server.

It is safe to delete this file. If deleted, you need to perform the steps described in Connecting to a License Server to reconnect to another one.

Inspecting the License folder from the License Server

If the license manager indicates the problematic files are rlm_roam_server.lic or rlm_server_enable_vm.lic, the problem is related to the rlm.exe process, which is a license server.

These files should be in the same folder as rlm.exe, which is usually found in the Vortex Licensing Tools installation folder, in its server sub-folder. If the file is in your Vortex Studio bin folder, please uninstall the license server and reinstall it with the latest version as described in the section License Server Setup.

Floating License Files

A floating license file generated by the Vortex License Manager appears like a node-lock license.

They are usually named "license.lic"m they typically contains a HOST and ISV line followed by multiples products sections:

HOST 192.168.0.1 0050568e3da0 5053 ISV cmlabs port=49676 LICENSE cmlabs studio_full_1 2021.03 permanent 20 share=h issuer=hostedactivation issued=17-mar-2020 akey=1234-5678-9123-4567 options="n=Vortex Studio Activate" _ck=eb378feb96 sig="60PG4580PGF1VYA0 PTV90K49MDDUHF07QUA7AC4X08A4ETC2BUR6E81HX8QMH1EJ630C403U3DKG"

  • The first line gives the host information

    • HOST, just a tag for this line of information

    • An IP address or an hostname

      • If the machine's hostname changes but is otherwise the same computer, it is possible to regenerate the license file with the Vortex License Manager.

    • The hosted, hardware identifier used by this machine.

    • The port used for communication

      • This port needs to be available through a firewall

  • The second line gives the license provider information

    • ISV, just a tag for this line of information

      • cmlabs: this is for CM-Labs

      • port: another port used by the server for communication

        • This field is optional, if not set, the port used will change every time the server is started

        • This port needs to be available through a firewall. When using a firewall, this field needs to be used.

  • Followed by product information section

    • LICENSE cmlabs: it is a CM-Labs license

    • studio_full_1: an internal name for a licensed product, which can vary.

    • A date in the format yyyy-mm: Maintenance and Support Expiration Date. Any version of Vortex released after that data cannot be used.

    • A date in the format dd-mm-yyyy: Licence Expiration date. The software cannot be used past that date

      • It will say permanent if you have a permanent license

    • A number corresponding to the number of seats available to the server

    • issuer should always be hostedactivation

    • "akey" is the activation key used to activate this product.

    • options: n is equal to your Product

 

Local machine license issues

No license for Product (-1)

The product you are trying to use requires a license. Use the Vortex License Manager to investigate the cause.

Wrong host for license (-4)

The error indicates that the hardware identifier for this system has changed from the registered one. The host id can be found in the “hostid” property of the license file, or after the hostname in the line HOST. You can locate the active Hostid of the machine by generating a diagnostic file.

If you change the hardware of your system, the software may no longer recognize it has the host of your license. Please contact CM-Labs support with that information.

License Server connection issues

Read Error From Network (-105)

This issue usually means that a firewall is blocking your license server ports.

The license server will be communicating on 2 ports:

  • The port that is used by RLM for communication (default is 5053). It is on the HOST line. Connecting to the license server will use that port.

  • The ISV server port. in the ISV line(default changes each time the RLM license server is restarted, see procedure below to specify it)

You can check what ports you are running the license server on by opening the license.lic file

HOST 192.168.0.1 0050568e3da0 5053 ISV cmlabs port=49676

If port= is missing, then RLM uses a random port.
Make sure the two ports in your firewall are open

Bad server hostname in license file or port@host

The application cannot reach the address:port provided in the server.lic file

Communication Error with license server address:port

The application can reach the address:port provided in the server.lic file, but there is no server running on that system. A message should pop-up indicating the problematic file.

Vortex Studio-based applications (i.e., Vortex Studio Editor, Vortex Studio Player, Vortex Studio Director, and Simapp) all report server connection errors. In Windows, when an application detects a server connection error, it prompts you to start the Vortex License Manager application.

Verifying the Connection to a License Server

When you connect to a license server, a special server.lic license file is generated in the license folder. The license file indicates the computer that hosts the license manager. If the host is valid but a license server is not running, Vortex Studio can encounter performance issues (license checks get very slow as each time the connection times out).

The Vortex License Manager application can detect that the host is valid while the license server is not running, and alert you.

If you are not connected to the license server, see Connecting to a License Server.

Detecting Server Connection Error (Windows)

  1. Launch the Vortex License Manager. If the application detects a server connection error, an error message appears.

  2. Make sure the server is running at the specified location.

  3. If the hostname:port is invalid, delete the file.

Detecting Server Connection Error (Linux)

  1. Launch the Vortex License Manager with the following parameters:

    ./VortexLicenseManager --list

     

  2. The command lists all license files and their available product. If the application detects a server connection error, the following message appears:

    License server at address <your machine>:<port e.g. 5053> is not running. Please start the server or delete the <file name> license file to remove the reference to this server.

     

  3. Make sure the server is running at the given location.

  4. If the hostname:port is invalid, delete the file.

Fixing Server Connection Errors

When there is a server connection error, the application prompts you to do the following:

  • Check that the license server is running on the machine with the hostname specified in the error message.

    • The server should be started on that machine.

    • If the server is running, check if the machine is reachable from the client machine.

  • Delete the file that refers to the license server.

  • When running a license server behind a firewall, please make sure your firewall settings are properly configured to allow communication with the license server.

    • Check firewall settings, the license server needs 2 ports

      • 5053

      • the default RLM server port, which by default changes every time it restarts.

    • For more information about this, please refer to the License Servers section.

License Server troubleshooting

The same tools for a node-locked computer can be used to diagnose issues on the server machines.

Checking License count from a license server

The license server install comes with a web interface that allows the user to perform administrative tasks.

The web API is available at port 5054 of the license server.

For example, if the server is at address 192.168.0.1, the web API can be opened, using a browser at http://192.168.0.1:5054/ 

You should see something similar to this page open. Click the Status button.

Then, click the server status button as shown here:



Here is where you can locate which licenses are currently in use under column "inuse".

The roaming license (borrowed) can be seen under "roam", the column won't show if no license was borrowed.



If you need details on one of them, click the usage... button. 

You'll get a view similar to this.

It indicates which user(and PC) is using the license.

A roaming license will have a column, "In (hold) time", that indicates the moment the license will be returned to the server.

Specials cases

Hosting a License Server on a Computer Already Having Node-locked Licenses

The Vortex License Manager can list confusing products when a computer is hosting a license server while having some node-locked licenses locally. In this case, the license server will try to use the node-locked licenses as floating licenses. In this case, the Vortex License Manager will duplicate the products available in the node-locked license:

  • one will be "Local"

  • one will be "Floating" with a count of 0 since it is not actually a floating license

Here is what you will see in the Vortex License Manager:

Windows:

 

Linux:

 

Please note that this behavior is "as expected" and is not an issue. Your node-locked license will be available locally. Please note that it won't be available for other computers connecting to this local license server.

Using older license files

Vortex License Manager Shows Duplicated Products

Vortex License Manager from 2019c or older and License for 2020a

If you use a Vortex License Manager from Vortex Studio 2019c or any older version, the application might show multiple times the same product. This can occur if your license is following our new standard established since Vortex Studio 2020a.

For instance, here is what you will see if you use the Vortex License Manager from Vortex Studio 2019c with a license for Vortex Studio Create 2020a.

Windows:



Linux:



This behavior is expected and is not an issue. Your product will be properly activated.



Vortex License Manager from 2020a and License from 2019c or older

If you use a Vortex License Manager from Vortex Studio 2020a, the application might show multiple times the same product. This can occur if your license is following our legacy standard.

For instance, here is what you will see if you use the Vortex License Manager from Vortex Studio 2020a with a license for Vortex Studio Create 2019c.

Windows:



Linux:

This behavior is expected and is not an issue. Your product will be properly activated.

 

Generating Floating Licenses Files on an older machine

The VortexLicenseManagerGUI is a Vortex application that requires at least the AVX2 instructions set.

The VortexLicenceManager is a command-line application that requires at least the AVX instruction set.

Should these application fails to launch using the Vortex Application, the license can still be generated with the web interface.

The license server install comes with a web interface that allows the user to perform administrative tasks.

The web API is available at port 5054 of the license server.

For example, if the server is at address 192.168.0.1, the web API can be opened, using a browser at http://192.168.0.1:5054/

  1. Start the web interface from a browser

  2. Click on Activate Licence in the left column 

  3. Click on BEGIN License Activation

  4. The ISV activation website should be www.hostedactivation.com. Click Next.

  6. Enter cmlabs as ISV and your activation key. Click Next.

  8. Since you are activating your license on the license server machine, leave the Node-lock-hostid as is and set the license count to thee amount you want for this server (you should use the maximum). Click Next.

  10. The license file should be created in the license folder (C:\CM Labs\Licenses\ on Windows). Click Next.

  12. Review the information. Click on REQUEST License

  13. The license file has been created. Click on Restart the License Server

Contacting CM-Labs Customer support

When contacting CM-Labs customer support about licensing issues, please provide the following information in your support ticket:

  • A general description of the issue.

  • The Vortex application causing the issue (Vortex Editor, Vortex Launcher, etc…)

  • Provide screenshots of the Vortex Application if you can.

  • Provide the logs of the Vortex Application.

  • The Vortex Studio Version.

  • Run the Vortex License Manager application and provide a screenshot of the license shown in the summary at startup.

  • Any information about the license installation such as the license key (1234-1234-1234-1234), the product (Create, Activate), etc... 

  • Indicate the context; using a local license, Generating a license, having an issue with a license server, etc...

  • Generate a diagnostic file

    • If connecting to a license server, provide information from the client and server.

  • Provide the content of the license folder

    • If connecting to a license server, provide information from the client and server.

  • The server log files (if running a license server). which can be found in the license folder (server.log and cmlabs.dlog)

  • What you did do in this guide?