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Altiva Licence Server |
If any problems occur getting the Altiva Licence Server started, the source of the problem can usually be found in the debugging log file: "Debug_xxxx.log" (where x denotes an incremented number, e.g. "debug_0051.log"). The easiest way to view the current debugging log file on the server machine is to use the ALS Main Window and click on the Debug Log button. Service related issues may also be logged in the Windows Event Viewer, which can be viewed by clicking on "Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer > Application" and looking for a source set to "Altiva".
If you are not currently on the server machine, you can view the current status of ALS by opening your browser and entering the server computer name, followed by the HTML port number, for example:
http://server-name:1998
This can also be done from within the licensed product (e.g. CADconform) by clicking on "Licence Information".
The most common problems are listed below:
For all other issues not addressed above, see Resolving Other Problems.
The Service Cannot be Installed
This problem is rare, but it is possible that an error may cause the service to not install correctly. This will result in the "Install" button being enabled, and the "Start" button being disabled. This problem will not be recorded in the Debug Log because the log is only started when the service is started (or attempted to start). Generally this sort of problem is caused by a faulty installation of ALS. Reinstalling the program will generally fix this issue. Additionally this may occur if the current user does not have full administrative privileges. If so, then this can be resolved by logging in as an administrator. This level of privilege is required because Windows Services require administrative privileges to install, modify or remove background services.
If the Windows Service Control Manager (services.msc) reports the "Altiva Licence Server" service as "Disabled", then the service can neither be started nor uninstalled. This usually happens when the service is marked for deletion, but some other program is preventing it from being removed. In most cases rebooting the computer will fix this problem, however this may be undesirable when the server is used to host other essential applications. The following checklist shows which programs are known to create a service lock. These programs should either be closed or killed using the Windows Task Manager (TaskMgr.exe) to allow Windows to remove the service cleanly:
When all programs and processes have been closed and/or killed, Task Manager itself should be exited. When the services console is reopened, the service should no longer be shown.
Usually if there is a problem with the general configuration or setup of ALS, the service will not start correctly. In this case, the problem can almost certainly be determined by examing the debug log. Generally the symptom is that the Install button is disabled and the Start button is enabled, but clicking "Start" results in an error message. Issues that may result in a non-starting service include incorrect licence files (e.g. the server does not match the licence file), or a misconfigured port (see below).
bind() failed: Address already in use (10048)
This error may be shown in the debug log for a number of reasons. The usual cause is an existing program that is already using the port (1999 by default). There is no official authority allocating ports to Windows programs, and thus most programs allow configurable ports with a "guessed" default. This may result in multiple programs attempting to use the same port. If this occurs, then you will see the error message above in the debug log. To see which ports are currently in use by the server, follow these steps (NB: for advanced users only):
If you have determined that there is a port collision and wish to change the default port used by ALS to something other than 1999, then follow these steps:
If the service installs and starts with no errors, but the licences always time-out connecting to the licence server, then it is likely to be a firewall issue. Generally you need to create an exception for ALS on both the server and the client to allow communication on the defined port (1999 by default). This is done automatically by ALS for the Windows Firewall, but for 3rd party firewalls you may need to follow extra steps to do this. For general information on firewall issues, see this resource: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/842242 (.)
Note that if your firewall allows exceptions based on application, then it should be sufficient to allow the "ALS.EXE" application in order to give full access to the ALS services. If your firewall allows exceptions per port, then you will need to allow both the main communication port as well as the HTML port. These ports are defined in the configuration file. By default they are ports 1999 and 1998 respectively.
Also note that some network security software and anti-virus software may also include a software firewall or network packet-filtering options. This can also interfere with ALS communication. If problems occur with the licensing operations, the settings of all third-part software should be reviewed to ensure it does not interfere with ALS communication over the designated port.
If the service is running smoothly but ALS is not allowing licences to be checked out, then more information can be found in the debug log as to what is happening. Here is a list of things that can cause problems with licensing:
Networking hardware problems between client and server can usually be determined by using the "ping" command to test communication. If the server's computer name is "VMLICSERVER_01" and the client machine is "CADWORKSTN_05", try the following command from a DOS prompt on the server running ALS:
"ping -n 10 -l 1350 -4 CADWORKSTN_05"
This will send 10 pings to the client of 1350 bytes of data using the IPv4 protocol. If there are no connectivity problems, you should see a list of 10 lines showing the response time and time to live (TTL), for example:
C:\>ping -n 10 -l 1350 -4 CADWORKSTN_05 Pinging CADWORKSTN_05 [192.168.0.2] with 1350 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.2: bytes=1350 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.0.2: bytes=1350 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.0.2: bytes=1350 time<1ms TTL=128
...etc
Ping statistics for 192.168.0.2: Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 0ms
If there are any packets lost or errors reported, then it suggests a networking hardware problem may be the cause, and should be reported to your network administrator. If no errors are shown, then it may also be worth checking the ping command from the client machine back to the server. This can be achieved via the commands above (replacing the client machine name with the server machine name), or by clicking the "Test" button on the licensing dialog.
Note that the ping command can determine general network problems between the two peers, however the ping command runs on its own port. Therefore it will not diagnose problems that happen specifically on the ALS communication port (1999 by default), but should help pick up connectivity issues common to all ports between these peers.
If the ALS service starts with no errors reported in the debug log, but licences are not served, then it is likely that the problem is on the client-side. The most common problem here is that the client-side firewall is blocked for the server port (1999 by default), so the firewall settings should be checked. The second most likely problem on the client-side is that the server can not be reached. It may be worth attempting to "ping" the server from a client machine (see your IT manager for more information) to ensure the server is reachable.
You can increase the level of debug information by editing the "als.cfg" file, setting "DEBUG_LEVEL_NUM=3" and restarting the service. This will produce a lot more debugging information in the log files, which may help in isolating the problem.
If a problem persists, then please send all log files to Altiva Software so we can determine what the problem is.
Contact details for Altiva Software can be found on the Altiva website. Alternatively, you can contact us directly via e-mail.
