What is REV11 licensing?
REV11 is a significant revision of Synergy/DE’s licensing system. REV11 licensing automatically polls the Synergy License Web Service to obtain license data for your systems. You no longer have to manually update subscription product keys every year or keep track of Synergy key files (.skf files). (REV11 licensing also works with traditional licenses on ALM.) And when you install on a new system, you don’t need to contact Synergex Customer Service to generate keys or obtain keys from the Licenses area of the Synergex Resource Center.
REV11 licensing is installed with Synergy/DE 11 and higher. It’s also available as a licensing upgrade package that can be installed on systems running Synergy/DE 9.5.3b through 10.3.3 on currently supported platforms.
Are there any other benefits to REV11 licensing?
When you upgrade to a new major version (e.g., from 10 to 11), the “fuzzy matching” feature in REV11 licensing means you can immediately run the newer software without having to install new product keys. Once Synergex is notified of the upgrade, new keys will be generated and automatically installed on the next regularly scheduled poll. In addition, because of fuzzy matching, you do not need to maintain product keys from multiple versions on your license server.
In addition to being more convenient, REV11 licensing has features that enhance license enforcement for your customers. It uses longer (and therefore more secure) registration strings and product keys.
What is the REV11 licensing upgrade package?
The REV11 licensing upgrade package enables you to take advantage of most REV11 features—including automatic product key installation and fuzzy matching—without having to upgrade your current version of Synergy/DE. The upgrade package is available on currently supported Windows and UNIX platforms with an existing Synergy/DE version that is 9.5.3b., 10.1*, or 10.3*. See Using the licensing upgrade package on Windows or Using the licensing upgrade package on UNIX for more information.
What are the system requirements for REV11?
Internet access is required to sync with the Synergy License Web Service and download product keys. The Synergy License Web Service is a standard RESTful web service running on the standard HTTPS port, 443. You can test whether your license server can access the Synergy License Web Service by running the lmcheck utility. If your firewall does not allow outbound access on port 443, you’ll need to create an outbound rule for that port to either the DNS address (licensing.synergex.com) or the IP address (104.40.28.133) used by the Synergy License Web Service. (Although it is possible that this IP address will change in the future, we will make every effort to keep it the same and will notify customers prior to changing it. If your firewall permits you to create rules using a DNS address, that is preferable, as it will not change.)
In addition, if a proxy is in use on your license server, you can specify it using the lmu -pp option (or from SynConfig on Windows). See Using a proxy server with REV11 licensing for details. Note that the lmcheck utility also has a -pp option; see lmcheck utility.
If you have a system that doesn’t have internet access, you can install and update product keys manually using a Synergy key file (.skf file). See Licensing Synergy/DE products on a system without internet access for details.
On IBM AIX, OpenSSL 1.0.2 is required. (On other UNIX platforms, OpenSSL is built into REV11 licensing.)
How do I install REV11 licensing?
When you upgrade an existing system to Synergy/DE 11 or install the licensing upgrade package on an existing system, License Manager sends your licensee name and current registration string to the Synergy License Web Service, where they are used to locate your license. Then, product keys are generated, downloaded to your system, and automatically installed.
When you order Synergy/DE for a new system, Synergex Customer Service will send you an install code. After you install Synergy/DE, apply the install code from the command line or with SynConfig on Windows. (See Applying an install code.) The install code is used to transmit your registration string to the Synergy License Web Service, where it is used to locate your license. Then, product keys are generated, downloaded to your system, and automatically installed.
How do I know if REV11 licensing is working correctly?
You can see License Manager’s polling data by running lmu (without any options) or by viewing the Licensing tab in the Synergy Configuration Program. (On Windows, be sure to do this on the license server—not a license client.) This will tell you when License Manager last synced, when it will poll again, and so forth. If there are any problems, you’ll see a status message. See Displaying polling data and status for more information. You can also see the last sync date in the Licenses area of the Synergex Resource Center.
How often does License Manager poll?
On a new system that is within the 14-day grace period, License Manager polls hourly. Once keys have been installed, License Manager polls every seven days to see if there are any changes to the license. When it’s within a month of the license expiration date, polling is increased to once a day, and then in the final few days, License Manager polls hourly. The increased polling schedule is intended to pick up the new keys as soon as the license is renewed so that your applications continue running. You can see when the next poll will be by running lmu (without any options) or checking the Synergy Configuration Program for the “next poll attempt.”
You can manually sync with the Synergy License Web Service at any time by running lmu -sync or clicking the Synchronize button in SynConfig. For example, if you add additional users to a license, they will get picked up on the next regularly scheduled poll, but if you need to use them right away, you can manually sync. License Manager also syncs when synd starts up, and it transmits usage data to Synergex when it shuts down. (Polling only checks for connectivity and new license data; nothing is downloaded unless the poll finds something new. Syncing, on the other hand, always downloads data.)
Will polling affect performance?
No. REV11 licensing adds negligible network traffic to your system and won’t affect performance. Only a small amount of data is transmitted from your license server to the Synergy License Web Service and, in normal circumstances, polling takes place only once a week. Your system’s license data will continue to reside on your local license server, and your applications will continue to access that license server when they are running.
What happens if my internet connection goes down and my machine can’t connect to the Synergy License Web Service?
A short, temporary internet outage isn’t a problem. If License Manager attempts to poll while your internet connection is down, it will log an error and try again according to its regular schedule.
If there is no connection for 30 days, Synergex will notify your company’s license admin. If the problem continues, you’ll be notified again at 60 days and at 90 days. After 90 days, an error will be logged, and the license will be put into a 14-day forced expiration period. During the forced expiration period, a warning will display when Synergy applications are run. If there is no connection within the 14 days of forced expiration, on day 15 a “system has expired” message will be logged and Synergy applications will cease to run.
If you feel a particular system will not be able to contact Synergex for 30 days or more, contact your Synergex account executive.
When do I need an install code?
There are several occasions on which you need an install code:
- When you install Synergy/DE on a new system. You apply the install code to transmit your registration string to Synergex so that product keys can be generated. See Applying an install code.
- When you need to change the licensee name on a system. The install code transmits the new licensee name and registration string to Synergex so that new product keys can be generated. See Changing the licensee name.
- When there is a hardware change that causes the registration string to be regenerated. For example, this can happen when you restore a backup to a system with different hardware or when you reinstall Synergy. See When a backup is restored or a system is reinstalled.
I see some new product codes after installing REV11 licensing. What are the LCFG and ALM codes for?
LCFG (license config) is a special product code used by REV11 licensing to control various licensing options. Not all installations will have this code.
If you install REV11 licensing on a system that has traditional licenses, you’ll see an ALM (annual license maintenance) code. This code has an expiration date that coincides with the expiration of your ALM contract. Because traditional licenses are perpetual, products will still run after ALM expires, but you will not be able to upgrade to a version higher than the one you were entitled to when ALM expired and fuzzy matching (see below) will no longer work with higher versions. (It will still work with lower versions.)
What is fuzzy matching?
Fuzzy matching allows a license request for a specific product code and version to be satisfied by that product code with a different version. This is why you need only one set of product keys on your system with REV11. For example, previously you might have had RUN9 and RUN10 product keys on your license server to handle requests from clients running different versions of Synergy. Now, a RUN11 key will satisfy requests from clients running versions 9 and 10 as well as those running version 11. Fuzzy matching is also beneficial when you upgrade to a new major version; the new version will run immediately, before new product keys are installed. Fuzzy matching applies to subscription licenses and to traditional licenses that are on ALM.
Why isn’t my fuzzy matching working?
Fuzzy matching requires a subscription license or, for a traditional license, an ALM key with an unexpired end date. When you upgrade to REV11 licensing, whether through Synergy/DE 11 or the licensing upgrade package, if you have a traditional license with ALM, you’ll automatically get an ALM product key with an end date that indicates when your ALM expires. You can see the end date for your subscription license or ALM key by clicking the View Licensed Products button in SynConfig or by running lmu without any options. If you don’t have an ALM key or it has expired, fuzzy matching won’t work with higher versions (but it will still work with lower versions).
What happens when I add users or new products to my system?
When you add users or products to an existing license, the next regularly scheduled poll will update the product keys on your system. To see when the next poll will be, either check the Licensing tab in SynConfig or run lmu (without any options) from the command line. If you need to use the new keys immediately, you can manually sync with the Synergy License Web Service by running lmu -sync from the command line or by clicking the Synchronize button on the Licensing tab in SynConfig.
What happens when it’s time to renew my subscription?
Synergex Customer Service will process your subscription renewal and send an email to your company’s license admin. If the expiration is within seven days, you’ll see a warning message when you run traditional Synergy applications. Once the license has been renewed, on the next scheduled poll, License Manager will find the updated license data in the database, download it, and update your keys. If you don’t want to wait for the next poll, you can sync manually using the Synchronize button in SynConfig or by running lmu -sync from the command line.
What happens if I don’t renew my subscription before it expires?
When your subscription expires, Synergy applications stop running immediately. License Manager will continue to poll once a day for a week before stopping. If you renew the subscription within that week, you should then sync manually using the Synchronize button in SynConfig or by running lmu -sync from the command line to download the updated licenses. If you don’t renew within a week, you’ll need to contact Synergex Customer Service.
How does REV11 licensing affect my backup license server?
If your primary server uses REV11 licensing, your backup server must also. When the backup license server is activated (because your primary server goes down), it does not poll the Synergy License Web Service to get license updates. See Configuring a backup license server (Windows) for more information.
How does REV11 licensing affect Licensing Toolkit?
Usually when you upgrade a system to version 11, the old registration string is removed and replaced with the new, longer REV11 registration string. However, if there are non-999 (non-Synergex) keys on the system, the old registration string will not be removed because it’s still needed for those keys. This means that if you upgrade an existing system that has your non-999 keys on it, the non-999 keys will keep working; you won’t have to do anything.
However, if you install Synergy/DE 11 (or an older version of Synergy with the licensing upgrade package) on a new system (one that has not previously had Synergy/DE installed) and then install you own application, you will need to regenerate your non-999 product keys as REV11 keys. In this case, there will be no old registration string. The same is true if you upgrade a system to version 11 and then install your application. Once again, there will be no old registration string on the system, so your old keys won’t work. To generate REV11 keys, you will need an updated version of Licensing Toolkit, which you can obtain by contacting Synergex Customer Service.
You may need to make other changes for REV11 depending on how you collect data from your customers and generate keys. For example, in REV11 licensing, registration strings and product keys are longer, so if you have developed your own UI that accesses these values, or if you use the registration string in the record returned by LM_INFO, you will need to update your code. In addition, REV11 .skf files cannot contain keys for more than one system. So if you concatenated .skfs in the past, you can no longer do so. See Generating product keys with lmk and lmkx (Windows) for more information.
I need to uninstall Synergy/DE 11 and revert to 10.3.3. Will my licensing work OK?
No. The Synergy/DE 10 License Manager cannot read the REV11 licensing file. You’ll need to reinitialize licensing. See When you need to reinitialize licensing for instructions on obtaining a -k password and running lmu. Since your system will no longer be able to download product keys automatically, you’ll need to reinstall them from your version 10 .skf file; if you no longer have the .skf, contact Synergex Customer Service. And remember, if you want the convenience of REV11 licensing but need to use an older version of Synergy/DE, you can install the licensing upgrade package. (See next item.)
Do I have to reinstall the licensing upgrade package when I upgrade Synergy/DE?
On Windows, if you upgrade to version 10.3.3 or lower (e.g., from 9.5.3 to 10.1.1) or install a patch or hotfix, you should upgrade Synergy/DE first, and then run a repair on the licensing upgrade package installation. See Upgrading Synergy/DE on a system that has the licensing upgrade package installed for more information.
On UNIX, as long as you don’t install the LM component when upgrading Synergy/DE, your REV11 licensing will continue to work. If you inadvertently install LM, just reinstall the REV11 licensing upgrade package. See Upgrading Synergy/DE on a system that has the licensing upgrade package installed for more information.
Can the licensing upgrade package be removed?
Yes. You can remove the licensing upgrade package and restore your original licensing. For instructions see Removing the licensing upgrade package (Windows) or Removing the licensing upgrade package (UNIX).
