Flexnet License crashes randomly

[AccuductAdmin]

For the past year or so our licensing service running on our Windows server 2012 Hyper V server, crashes randomly. I've been through Windows Event Viewer, the FLEXnet diagnostic and debug log files etc. Cannot find a pattern. We moved the license from our physical server because of this issue but it is still occurring. The logs simply state the   Log files attached. PLEASE HELP this is killing us if I am not available to remote into our server start the service back up and/or reread the license file. 

**Question: Do the service and license file work together or in lieu of each other? I was passed this role from a colleague and I cannot tell if we are using the SERVICE or the LICENSE FILE.

[DarrenP]

flex lm should be running as service

from the debug log i’m not seeing an error

you can try reinstalling flex lm again to see if that helps

[natasha.l]

Hello @AccuductAdmin, 

I suggest setting up the Network License Manager from scratch & creating a new license file on the server. Please review the steps below to help resolve this issue. 

A license file first needs to be generated or requested here: 

1. Generate a Network License File in your Autodesk Account or Requesting a Network License File

*If you need help Finding Your Host Name and Physical Address

Then, the NLM needs to be installed and setup:  

2. Make sure you meet the NLM requirements to Install & Configure it 

3. Then, on each Client computer at launch, specify a License Server "2080@ServerName"

If you have done all of the above, Start/Stop the NLM Service

• Locate Lmtools  in C:\Autodesk \Network License Manager (folder)

• Make sure the current version of Lmtools 11.14.1.3 is installed

• Verify the License File, MAC address & HostID with Lmtools System Settings Tab
• Config Service Tab > Make sure files are pathed correctly (lmgrd.exe, Lic. File.lic, Debug.log) > Save Service button
• Start/Stop/Reread Tab > Select FlexNet Service (should only be 1 Autodesk service) > (Mark the checkbox) Force Server Shutdown > Select Stop Server Button > Uncheck Box Force Server Shutdown > Start Server > "Server Start Successful" (should appear below)
• Verify users are pulling licenses

If you continue to have an issue please locate the Config Services Tab > View Log Button

Please attach the results.

Let us know how it goes. 

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[natasha.l]

Hello @AccuductAdmin, 

I wanted to check-in with you, I hope you were able to resolve this & you are up & running. 

[AccuductAdmin]

Thanks for checking, Natasha. Unfortunately, it just crashed again. 

Yesterday I did an uninstall and reinstall of the newest License Manager software. I then created a new license file and added it to the server. Everything seemed to be working fine and yet it crashed again.

I performed a :Server Diagnostics from within FLEXnet LM and here is what it says.

"

--------
Status
--------
Flexible License Manager status on Mon 7/12/2010 12:23

[Detecting lmgrd processes...]
License server status: 27000@S02
License file(s) on S02: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Network License Manager\xxx-xxxxxxxx.lic:

S02: license server UP (MASTER) v11.7

Vendor daemon status (on S02):

adskflex: Cannot connect to license server system.
The license server manager (lmgrd) has not been started yet,
the wrong port@host or license file is being used, or the
port or hostname in the license file has been changed.
Server name: 10.10.0.3
License path: 27000@S02;
FLEXnet Licensing error:-15,10. System Error: 10061 "WinSock: Connection refused"
For further information, refer to the FLEXnet Licensing documentation,
available at "www.acresso.com".

That server name is nowhere close to the correct server name! Is it possible that the incorrect license file is being generated by Autodesk's site? 

*Please note, I STOPPED the server, STARTED the server and hit REREAD LICENSE FILE and users are back in now. I am leaving for a week on vacation and need a fix ASAP.

Please help.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@AccuductAdmin

I would start here https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Error-10061-WinSock-Conn...

[AccuductAdmin]

Update: I went to generate the license file on your site. I thought I would double check the Hyper-V VM's MAC address and it looked different. I found that our Hyper-V manager has the MAC address set to DYNAMIC which means it changes. Could this be the culprit?

[DarrenP]

yes the MAC address has to be static otherwise the license file will be invalid

[natasha.l]

Hello @AccuductAdmin, 

Please make sure you have the current version of the NLM installed, please check NLM requirements

the current version of Lmtools is 11.14.1.3. 

• YourServerName : license server UP (MASTER) v11.___– this line tells you that the license server is up and running and the NLM version.
• You may also what to test temporarily disabling any antivirus software & make exceptions if it is blocking the NLM service
• You can manually change the ServerName

1. Open License File (Filename.Lic) in Notepad.exe 
2. Change the servername or try an IP address 127.0.0.1 
3. Save the license file and Re-read license on LMTOOLS. 
4. The service should start successfully and showing SERVER UP in "Status Enquiry" tab. 

Let us know how it goes. 

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[AccuductAdmin]

Thank you for the reply. I have the latest NLM running and have so for
months. It worked fine for probably 6 months until recently. I updated the
port settings in the lic file (added to the name of the server) and so far
it has been running for 24hours successfully.

I did notice that the MAC address is set to dynamic which is an issue but
it hasnt changed in the past week and the license file shows the correct
MAC address and it still failed two days ago.

[natasha.l]

Hello @AccuductAdmin, 

Did you check the connectivity to the server from the client computers this seems to be an environment issue? If you can pull a license at some point & all of a sudden can't there seems to be some sort of interference. 

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[AccuductAdmin]

All 5 users experience the same UNABLE TO OBTAIN A LICENSE ERROR when it occurs. This morning the license has crashed, again. It was working perfectly for an entire week, until now.  

We used to have the license file located on a different server earlier this year. Once it began crashing regularly we generated a new license file and installed the latest FLM on a new server. This forum post I created is with regard to the new server.

Following the flexnet error this morning, I went into the FLM and did what I normally do. Stop server/ start server/ re-read license file. Nothing working. This is unusal.  I then logged into our OLD server with the old license file and FLM and performed the same tasks: Stop/Start/Reread. Viola, everyone back working again.  

HOW IN THE WORLD IS THE OLD LICENSE FILE WORKING AND NOT THE NEW ONE? I am baffled and confident it will crash again soon.

[JTBWorld]

Have you pointed the users computers to use the new license server name?
https://jtbworld.com/autodesk-network-license-manager#How_products_find_license_servers
https://jtbworld.com/autodesk-network-license-manager#Change-License-Server

[AccuductAdmin]

I will check out the links you sent. I DID create a brand new license file for the new server however their individual workstations did not prompt them to enter the server name for the license file?! I always thought it was strange, it just started working. Is there a way to force the client install to ask for the server name with the license file? 

There must be some cross information between the servers. 

[natasha.l]

Hello @AccuductAdmin, 

Yes, you can force the client computers to reactivate & ask for this information. Please follow this reset a license article & try the first few steps: How to change or reset licensing for Autodesk software

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[AccuductAdmin]

Update:

Unbeknownst to me, my users have been switching between 2016 and 2018 depending on the customer and due to incompatibilities or bugs in 2018 EST??

When my users access 2016 THAT is when the license crashes. The 2018 license is located on my server #11. The 2016 license is located on a different server, #09.

Could it be that it crashes due to two licenses on the same DOMAIN?

David

[Anonymous]

All your licenses should be in one place. The updated license file you generated recently includes the 2016 entitlements (if it's an active subscription). Remove the old license from server #09, make sure server #11 does not have a dynamic MAC addres, and reboot if necessary.

[AccuductAdmin]

I removed FLEX LM tools from my other server that was also running just to minimize the potential causes of this random crash. It crashed an hour later.

Here is what I have found so far. My users have 2016 EST and 2018 EST installed on their workstations. The license file on our license server is new as of a week ago, straight from AutoDesk. The user who called me about the license crash stated that he had just closed EST 2018 and tried to open EST 2016 and immediately FlexNet licensing error was received.

I went straight to the license server and copied the server status information. Please see the attached document. 

Can anyone advise why when someone opens EST 2016 it crashs the service on the server? Is there a local setting I can change on the users workstation to ensure it is pointed to the correct license server? The MAC address is NOT dynamic.

[Anonymous]

If you haven't already, I would recommend opening a support case with Autodesk to investigate this behaviour as they will be able to suggest a screen sharing session. We users kind of have to work in the dark here because there may be many factors affecting your licensing service that we may be unaware of.

The status you sent does not indicate that the user successfully started 2018 before the license crashed, it only shows that the license manager is not working. I am assuming you cleared the window before producing this status?

Some things worth checking:

1) I would check which server the 2018 and 2016 products are looking for a license at by checking the contents of the LICPATH.lic file, located at the path below (on the users' computers):

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\CLM\LGS\<Product_Key>_2018.0.0.F 

the information is stored in a LICPATH.lic file generated in this location and it looks like this: 

SERVER yourServerName 000000000000
USE_SERVER 

Does the server name specified match the one you are running LMTools on, and the one in the license file?

2) Do you run any other software that uses FLEXLM licensing?

3) Did you enable the necessary ports in the firewall, both on the server and on the users' workstations:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-set-exceptions-fo...

[AccuductAdmin]

The Flexnet is still crashing. Users have the correct path via the licpath file on their workstations and license file is accurate with the correct server information, I just confirmed.

Here is something interesting I just figured out. One of my users is an ADMIN user in the office. I left for vacation and told him how to restart the FLEXNET LM if needed. He logged into our FLEXNET LM server to check things out and get familiar with it. He closed the FLEXLM program down and logged off the server and BAM, the license error occurred. We replicated this issue three times with the same results.

Does closing the FLEXLM program cause it to become unstable?