Matlab Licence Server on Remote

1 November, 2002 - GEST

Intro -  Many people in our lab use matlab.  On remote.biophys.cornell.edu we run a 
matlab license server.  The advantage of this is that we can install as many copies
of matlab as we want to.  Each copy signs out a key from the server until we reach 
our license limit.  This document describes the basic installation.

Details -  The software is installed on remote.biophys.cornell.edu in 
				/usr/local/matlab
	     There is a startup script so it turns on each time remote boots in	
			      /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/S23flexlm -> /usr/local/matlab/etc/flexlm
	     Don't put the links in for flexlm yourself as SuSE-Config will keep changing it.		
	     Instead, add a bit near the top of the flexlm script that reads,
			### BEGIN INIT INFO
			# Provides: lm_daemon
			# Required-Start: $network $remote_fs
			# X-UnitedLinux-Should-Start: $portmap autofs
			# Required-Stop: $network
			# X-UnitedLinux-Should-Stop: $portmap
			# Default-Start: 3 5
			# Default-Stop: 0 1 2 6
			# Description: Start the Matlab License daemon.
			### END INIT INFO
	     Then, use SuSE-Config's run-level editor to add SuSE to run levels 3 and 5.
	     Now Flexlm will not start before the network comes on.
	     Flexlm runs as user "nobody" 
	     You turn it on and off with the command /flexlm start and /flexlm stop.
	     It creates files in /var/tmp/ of the form lm_
	     
Installation -
	
Installation was fairly straightforward, but there were a few tricks.

	1.  Got software from CIT using a Windows box with SIDECAR.  Put it on 		
		//BIGSIS/Data/Applications/Matlab/Linux 		
	2.  Copied each tarred CD to /usr/local/matlab/disk1, disk2, disk3.
	3.  Gunzipped and untarred CDs.
	4.  Installation instructions popped out in, inst_doc.pdf.  Pretty straightforward.
	5.  Logged in as root.  This solves the X-server problem.  Run installation script.
	6.  Install from DISK1.  Selected just FLEXLM.
	7.  Licence info wound up in /usr/local/matlab/etc
	8.  Made a critical modification to licence file /usr/local/matlab/etc/license.dat
			SERVER remote.biophys.cornell.edu ANY 27000
	    This had previously been 
			SERVER remote ANY 27000
	    which upset the clients pointed to remote.biophys.cornell.edu
	9.  All the daemons live in /usr/local/matlab/etc
			lmboot, lmdebug, lmdiag, lmdown, lmhostid, lmstart, lmstat, lmver
	    Used lmstat to test everything out.  
	10.  Got into trouble with an "License Manager Error - 14" from a windows box.
	   Did the sensible thing and looked at MATLAB help page and the flexlm manual.
	   Had domain wrong as noted above.

Conclusion -
	Matlab and SUSE 8.1 get on well.