Installing and licensing the SPSS Concurrent License Manager in a virtual environment
Troubleshooting
Problem
Installing and licensing the SPSS Concurrent License Manager in a virtual environment.
Environment
Windows, AIX, LINUX, UNIX, Solaris, IBM SPSS Statistics, IBM SPSS Modeler
Resolving The Problem
The concurrent license manager is a utility that serves concurrent licenses to SPSS users. It is installed on a physical or virtual computer that is connected to your network. When users on the same network start an IBM SPSS application, the application communicates over the network and retrieves a license from the license manager.
This tech note provides special instructions for licensing the license manager in a virtual environment. There are no special instructions for installation.
Licensing the license manager in a virtual environment
Licenses are tied to the machine running the license manager with a lock (or “locking”) code. The lock code is a unique identifier associated with the machine — typically-but-not-always hardware-based, such as an Ethernet card. On a physical machine, a hardware-based lock code and thus this unique identifier is preferable because it changes only if that piece of physical hardware is changed — swapping out a NIC, for example
On a virtual machine, however, the hardware is virtual, and the information the lock code is built from can often change when the virtual machine is un-deployed and re-deployed. To ensure the license manager works correctly, you need to find a lock code that does not change when the virtual machine is restarted. When you find a stable lock code, you will use it to license the license manager.
IMPORTANT: If you choose a lock code that does change on reboot or after any other routine maintenance operation in your virtual environment, the license manager will stop working. The IBM SPSS application will not be able to retrieve a license and will fail to start.
To stabilize the License Manager licensing on virtual machine hosts:
- Determine whether you will using the hostname or IP address of the License Manager to identify the location of the License Manager host to the client product installations using the License Manager for licensing. Alternatively, you can check the value assigned to the ‘DaemonHost’ value found in the ‘spssprod.inf’ file located in the installation directory of a working Concurrent desktop client installation. File ‘spssprod.inf’ can be opened in any simple test editor (such as NotePad, TextEdit).
- Once you have determined if the hostname or IP address will be used, use a file browser to locate the following file in License Manager installation directory: echoid.dat
Locate the License Manager installation directory on Windows operating systems
Locate the License Manager installation directory on MacOS operating systems
Locate the License Manager installation directory on Linux/Unix operating systems - Open ‘echoid.dat’ in a simple text editor (examples: Notepad, nano).
- The next action depends upon the operating system of the License Manager host:
Windows
IF using the hostname to identify the License Manager host to the clients, THEN change the contents to the following: 0x008
IF using the IP address to identify the License Manager host to the clients, THEN change the contents to the following: 0x002
MacOS/Linux/Unix
IF using the hostname to identify the License Manager host to the clients, THEN change the contents to the following: 0x08
IF using the IP address to identify the License Manager host to the clients, THEN change the contents to the following: 0x02 - Save the changes to the ‘echoid.dat’ file.
- Confirm the ‘echoid.dat’ file did not acquire an extension other than ‘dat’.
The License Manager is now ready to be licensed for use on a virtual machine host.
For details regarding licensing the License Manager, see TechNote 1488416
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21488416
