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# Locate the License Manager Computer

The application program must be able to identify a License Manager. This can be done by having the application broadcast over the network for a License Manager or by providing the application with the name of the License Manager computer. In most cases, it’s quicker to let the application use the broadcast method of finding a License Manager. With this method, you can change License Managers at any time and no changes are required at the client computers.

Sometimes you may want to direct an application program to a specific License Manager. This may be done:

- To partition clients between License Managers
- Because the License Manager and client computer are located on different subnets or a large network and broadcast messages are undesirable.

Test the "Broadcast Method" of Locating a License Manager

You can test the configuration using the following steps:

1. Verify the LSHOST and LSFORCEHOST environmental variables are not set and the LSHOST or lshost file does not exists in the same directory as the licensed application.
2. Run either the lswhere or WlmAdmin utilities on the client computer. These utilities do a network broadcast for License Managers and display a list of all License Managers that are visible from the client computer. WlmAdmin also displays a list of licenses; you can check that list to verify there is a License Manager for the applications you want to run.
3. If all expected License Managers are present, then the application will be able to run using the broadcast method. Of course, one of the License Managers that is found must have a network license code that can be used to authorize use of the client computer.
4. If you are not able to see a particular License Manager, you should verify the network connection by using a network diagnostic program like ping. You can make this check by providing either the network address as a number (192.33.22.2) or as a name (license_host). If you are unable to locate the License Manager using ping, then you have a network configuration problem that must be resolved before your licensed application can be used with a network license.

Test the "Named License Manager Method" of Locating a License Manager

You can test the configuration using the following steps:

1. Follow the steps given for the broadcast method until the client computer is able to find each License Manager that you want. If you are using the named License Manager method because the client computer and License Manager are not on the same subnet, then you may want to skip right to the last step and just use ping.
2. If you can ping a License Manager when you specify its address by number but can’t do this when you specify the address as a name, then your client computer has a problem with network domain name resolution. In this case you can either solve this problem or just provide the numeric form of the address to Sentinel RMS. Of course, if your License Manager is dynamically assigned a numeric network address, you will have to solve the name resolution problem. If you don’t, then the next time the License Manager is assigned a new, numeric network address, the applications will no longer be able to find the License Manager.
3. Now, set the LSHOST or LSFORCEHOST environment on the client computer to the name of the License Manager. The LSHOST and LSFORCEHOST naming conventions are:

- Any valid name recognized by your network can be used.
- IP addresses (like, 192.22.11.33) can be used.
- Host names (like, “dept.computer”) can be used.
- For LSFORCEHOST, you can specify only a single License Manager. This will have priority over LSHOST.
- For LSHOST, you can provide a list of License Manager names. Each must be separated by a ~ symbol. The application program will try each License Manager in the list, beginning with the first listed, to find a License Manager that is serving this feature/version. The traversal will not stop in case a License Manager is found that services the feature/version but has no license tokens.

4. Test the LSHOST setting by running the lsmon utility on the client computer or specifying the computer on which the License Manager is running. If the name is correct, lsmon will be able to report status on the selected License Manager.
   An application that supports both stand-alone and network license codes treats LSHOST as advisory. The application will first try to obtain a license by checking with all License Managers listed in LSHOST.
5. You can now test the application. It should be able to obtain a license. If it does not, then you should run WlmAdmin (for Windows) and verify that the license server has a license that authorizes use of an application on the client computer.