[feynman]

Hej,

after trying now and then over the last three months, I still can't get the licensing to work properly. I followed what was suggested, but to no avail - I can't render since upgrading. Please see the screenshot for any clues http://imgur.com/qhCjdgM

What on earth can I do?

[Mihai]

Well I'd say you have got some really screwed up settings there. First of all, port 5054 should not be entered in the license file, that is used purely for the browser for checking the status of the server.

Best thing to do is, uninstall everything, Maxwell and RLM, and remove any lic files you have. Lic files are located in: C:\ProgramData\Next Limit\Maxwell\licenses

Check now if you have any "rlm" or rlm_nl" folders anywhere on your C drive. Write here if you find any. If you find an rlm_nl folder, delete it.

Download the full version of the latest release. When installing, right-click the exe of the installer and choose "Run as Administrator".

Follow the Win install guide step by step:
http://support.nextlimit.com/display/mx ... +Licensing

At each of those steps, if something is unclear, mention it here.

[feynman]

Thanks for replying. I was told to change the license file such in an earlier conversation to get the licensing to work. Maybe best is to wipe the SSD once again and re-install (I did that twice before); then I get back here.

Well I'd say you have got some really screwed up settings there. First of all, port 5054 should not be entered in the license file, that is used purely for the browser for checking the status of the server.

Best thing to do is, uninstall everything, Maxwell and RLM, and remove any lic files you have. Lic files are located in: C:\ProgramData\Next Limit\Maxwell\licenses

Check now if you have any "rlm" or rlm_nl" folders anywhere on your C drive. Write here if you find any. If you find an rlm_nl folder, delete it.

Download the full version of the latest release. When installing, right-click the exe of the installer and choose "Run as Administrator".

Follow the Win install guide step by step:
http://support.nextlimit.com/display/mx ... +Licensing

At each of those steps, if something is unclear, mention it here.

[feynman]

Ok, after wiping the SSD and reinstalling everything, the licensing works. I have to re-install this latest V3 also on all the render nodes and see if they find the license server (the laptop) alright. The last issue then would be: How do I turn the Windows Firewall back on and allow the necessary pass-throughs? What is the recommendation for that?

Thanks!

[Mihai]

Well don't you have in the firewall a setting that tells you when there is a connection and if you should allow it or not? That's the easiest solution....It would be the same "trouble" with getting V2 network rendering to work, regardless of the new RLM licensing or not.

Otherwise, it's the rlm server, maxwell.exe that you need to allow two way communication. But your firewall should have a mode that alerts you when there is a connection and asks you what you want to do....

Don't forget that for these nodes you don't need to install the RLM server on them, and also that you should choose the third licensing option, "connect to an already existing rlm server" or something like that.

[feynman]

Ok, thanks, I try it that way with the Windows Firewall (would be good to include this information in the MR Knowledgebase/Documentation). I installed the nodes without RLM last time also. I suppose that's it then.

[feynman]

Back from holiday, I started my laptop... and the licensing problem is back. I can only start Maxwell Studio via requesting a new license and then chosing to override the existing one. As soon as I power off the machine or switch from Windows to OSX, Maxwell has "forgotten" the licensing worked. RLM is running as checked with the troubleshooting guide in the Knowledgebase.

After having done what was suggested, it worked exactly one day - until I shut down the laptop and went on holiday. None of our other softwares (Pro/E, Alias, Rhino, MATLAB, Mathematica, ANSYS) is giving me so much licensing pain for months.

I have not tried what was suggested with all render nodes yet; I need to get this "control machine" fixed first once and for all.

Any other suggestions what I can try?

Thanks!

[Mihai]

But is Maxwell itself (not Studio) starting ok? Does it also ask for a license?

[feynman]

Thanks. I'm rendering and doing other things right now so I have to wait until I can switch off the laptop and then back on to force the license to disappear; then I come back here.

Just to clarify: I wiped the entire laptop and re-installed everything, following your suggestion from four weeks ago, then it worked (as long as the laptop was on and in W7 mode) to quit Maxwell Render AND Studio and restart them.

[Mihai]

Ok, please post more info when you can. Just to be clear, if you have 1 floating license, then Studio will take that seat when it starts. Or, a plugin will also take that seat when the app that has the plugin starts. So that's maybe why Studio asks for a license, if you start it and you have a plugin or Studio also open on another computer in your network at the same time.

[feynman]

I have not yet upgraded, let alone switched on all render nodes. This issue pertains only a single laptop from which everything is controlled. We only use Studio, because for Pro/E, Alias or MATLAB, no plug-in exists.

[feynman]

Alright, please see the image below. That is the process I have to always go through (RLM is running ok) after

1. the laptop has been physically switched off

or

2. the laptop has been restarted to change between OSX and W7 mode (we're using bootcamp, not parallels, etc.)

even after having wiped the Windows SSD partition and re-installing everything... once again.



To us, it seems as if the license is "forgotten" after each 1. or 2.

ps: The render nodes do connect ok and render cooperative renders.

In addition, I have noticed that when render nodes are connected, FIRE takes very long to start up and textures in the material editor take long to be displayed and the material editor itself takes long to start. But that is probably not related to the licensing, I suppose.

[Mihai]

But did you first of all also install the RLM server and checked that it is working correctly, on both your OSX and Win partitions of your laptop?

All this is mentioned in the licensing instructions in the docs:

http://support.nextlimit.com/display/mx ... +Licensing
http://support.nextlimit.com/display/mx ... +Licensing

So your situation will probably be that you will designate one stationary computer as the one that will run RLM.

In addition you have your laptop, which you will probably be travelling with. So you need to also install RLM on both partitions of it, since it will sometimes be out of range of your office network, and thus out of range of your stationary computer that is also running RLM.

On all other computers, you need to choose the third licensing options, since you do not want to also install RLM on these, you simply want them to connect to your stationary one that's running RLM, and get their licenses from it.

Please follow all steps in those docs, including Step 3.

[feynman]

I surely did, but not under OSX (we use all 2D/3D software under W7 only; I never installed Maxwell or any other software under OSX).

Like several weeks ago, yesterday I wiped the W7 partition. Re-installed W7. Re-installed everything else. Downloaded and installed Maxwell as per the instructions given (as administrator). The RLM server is working (when checking as suggested in the Next Limit online documentation). Then I start Maxwell and I get the licensing error.

This has nothing to do with other PCs on the network (the licensing error occurs also when all PCs are physically switched off). I can of course install RLM in addition on one of the PCs also. But that would not solve the problem of my laptop "forgetting" the license.

I have the suspicion it could be something only pertaining to bootcamped MacBook Pros? However, all other software, also licensed (not with RLM though), always works after OS-switches, reboots, etc.

[Mihai]

The RLM server is working (when checking as suggested in the Next Limit online documentation). Then I start Maxwell and I get the licensing error.

I would check if you have the license files in the dir C:\ProgramData\Next Limit\Maxwell\licenses
Do this after you activate your license using your key, pass etc. You should then have two lic files at the above location.

What happens now if you start Maxwell? (not Studio, but Maxwell.exe). If you still get a license error, what exactly is the error, and do you have those two lic files there?