This page gives details on how to install the license system on medium to large networks for Chaos products.



Overview

An instance of the Chaos License Server that uses the same user account may be installed more than once on the same internal network when on different workstations or servers to act as a redundancy measure. This is to make sure licenses are still obtainable during server downtime due to failures or maintenance, which is especially useful for organizations with multiple locations that share the same internal network.


Installation

The installer is straight forward and easy to run, but if you need help, please see the Installing the License Server page for details on the process. Instructions there also include using your Chaos account to access your purchased licenses online.


Use-Case Examples

The following are a few examples of how to best deploy license servers in multi-machine environments, depending on the needs.


Two-Machine Setup



In a case where there are only a couple of machines, such as users with a workstation and a laptop, it's best to install and activate the License Server on both machines.

Please note that any borrowed licenses will be available only on the License Server from which they were borrowed. Also, any dongle licenses require that the dongle be attached to the same license server.



Small Studio Office


In a small office or studio environment, for example with 10 workstations, it's best to install and activate a single License Server for the office, that is activated by the user account. All of the workstations will then need their license settings configured to use the IP address of that one license server machine as their primary server. 

The license server should be visible from the local network by default, however, you can check Settings > Expert mode to make sure that Network Visibility is set to Visible to Local Network.

To make configuration changes easier, a single vrlclient.xml file may be loaded from a shared network drive for all networked office machines requiring a license. For more details on how to do that, visit the Sharing vrlclient.xml over a network page.



Large Studio Office



In a larger office or studio where there are many workstations and a render farm with multiple render nodes, install the license server on the network with a redundancy as discussed later in the page. In other words, the license server is installed on 2-3 machines on the network which are all activated by the same user account. All of the workstations in that office will need their license settings configured to use the IP addresses of those 2-3 license server machines as their primary and alternate server(s) as discussed in a following section: Setting up multiple license servers for redundancy.



Multiple Regional/Global Locations


In offices or studios with multiple regional or even global locations, install up to three license servers for each location, all activated on the same account. This way, each office will have a local redundancy. All the workstations in that local office would have their license settings configured to use the IP addresses of those 2-3 local license server machines as their primary and alternate server(s).

Note that installing a license server for one location in a remote location may lead to connection issues when obtaining a license.





Setting up multiple license servers for redundancy

To set up a license scheme to include a redundancy on the network, simply install two, or at most, three instances of the License Server on separate machines. This provides for an added layer of safety in case one of the instances becomes unavailable. However, keep in mind that multiple instances of the License Server cannot run on the same machine: whether physical or virtual; license server redundancy requires installing the License Server on different systems on the same internal network.

For example, in a 20-user environment on the same internal network, the License Server could be installed on two or three of the 20 workstations, all of which should be activated by the same user account. Then, all 20 of those workstations will need their license settings configured to use the IP addresses of those two or three machines as the primary and alternate server(s) as shown in the image below. This UI is accessed by running the Change V-Ray License Settings application included with your product's installation.


Example License Settings for a workstation using three License Server systems for redundancy.
This shows the use of two alternate servers in different locations, such as with a multi-office organization.



Having too many instances of the License Server

Installing too many instances of the License Server is unnecessary, even though it will not cause any actual network or licensing issues. Having too many instances of the License Server most often happens when users install the License Server component along with a Chaos product on many or all workstations, even though the License Server is already installed elsewhere on the internal network. In this case, when the License Server is already installed on a network, users should simply disable the License Server installation option in the product installer when installing or upgrading products on a workstation. This prevents multiple unnecessary License Server instances, as well as any confusion that may arise about the licensing scheme in that environment.

Of course, when initially installing a product on a machine that will run the License Server and distribute licenses to other machines within the same network, users will want to enable the License Server install option in the product installer. In the case of upgrading a product on a machine that already acts as a license server, users can simply install the License Server over the existing License Server instance.

Always re-installing the License Server on license server machines is not necessary, unless the License Server component has been updated along with the updated software. For example; if a user is running V-Ray for SketchUp 3.40, they should already have installed the License Server version that came with that installer. If the user upgrades to 3.40.02, which was released not long after 3.40, they can skip the License Server part of the update V-Ray for SketchUp installation, since there was no update to the License Server in that short time period. 


An exception to skipping the License Server installation is when migrating to a much newer version of the software, where the License Server shipped with the installer has been updated as well.


Using many licenses on a Linux machine

When a lot of licenses are utilized at the same time on a Linux OS machine(s), license errors might appear on randomly selected machines. That is caused by the limit of "open files", i.e. file descriptors, which by default is 1024. The limit should be increased to 10000 or more.


ulimit -a 


ulimit -n 10000