Is there a way to administer licenses from the Network License Manager? How do I create an Options file?

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I would like to know if there is a way to administer network-based MathWorks licenses. How do I create and setup an options file with the Network License Manager?

Accepted Answer

MathWorks Support Team
MathWorks Support Team on 25 Jul 2023
Edited: MathWorks Support Team on 19 Apr 2023
To administrate network-based licenses, the person(s) maintaining the Network License Manager may use an options file. This article will explain these points:
 
  • What is an Options File?
  • How to define an Options File on the license server
  • What administration options are available?
  • How to specify users or groups of users
  • How to administer multiple licenses/releases
 

What is an Options File?

An options file (generally called mlm.opt) allows the license administrator(s) to administer licenses for product users. The following are examples of what can be accomplished by an options file:
  • Specify certain users or groups of users for certain products
  • Keep unwanted users from using your licenses
  • Reserve licenses for certain users
For a Network Named User (NNU) licenses, if any licensed product is not specifically assigned to a user, the product will be unusable by any user. Generally, this is represented by an "UNSUPPORTED" message in the license manager log file.
Note: Individual license installations on Unix/Linux for versions prior to R2008a also require an options file.
For more information on how to create an Options File, you may refer to the "Flexera - FlexNet License Administration Guide" located in the License Manager installation folder or download the copy attached to this article. 
 

How to define an Options File on the license server

To use an options file you must first define the options file in your license manager license file. To do so edit the line that starts with the word DAEMON. Below is an example of the DAEMON line for R2023a:
DAEMON MLM "C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2023a\etc\win64\mlm.exe"
To use the options file, specify it at the end of the line using the "options=" flag. For example:
DAEMON MLM "C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2023a\etc\win64\mlm.exe" options="C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2023a\etc\win64\mlm.opt"
Once you have specified the path to your options file, the file will be read the next time you restart the network license manager.
 

What administration options are available?

In the options file there are a few options you can use. Here is a brief example:
INCLUDE - Restricts the usage of a feature to a particular user or host.
INCLUDEALL - Restricts the usage of all features to a particular user or host
EXCLUDE - Restricts a particular user or host from accessing a feature.
EXCLUDEALL - Restricts a particular user or host from accessing all features.
RESERVE - Reserve licenses for a user or group of users/hosts.(See the related solution, How do I reserve licenses for specific users? for more information)
MAX - Limit usage for a particular feature/group to a specified number of instances
GROUP - Define a group of users for use with any options.
HOST_GROUP - Define a group of hosts for use with any options.
GROUPCASEINSENSITIVE ON - Sets case insensitivity for user and host lists specified in GROUP and HOST_GROUP keywords
TIMEOUT MATLAB 14400 - Specify idle timeout for a concurrent license of MATLAB (See the related solution, Can I configure my license server to return idle MATLAB seats? for more information)
 

How to specify users or groups of users

When using options, you will restrict the options to typically a USER or a GROUP. Options only apply to the feature specified unless using the INCLUDEALL or EXCLUDEALL options.
For example, if you wanted to restrict MATLAB usage to only a certain set of users, you could create the following options:
GROUP matlab_users user1 user2 user3 user4 user5
INCLUDE MATLAB GROUP matlab_users
In this example, the GROUP called matlab_users has the users: user1, user2, user3, etc. Only the matlab_users group will have access to the MATLAB feature.  For an example of an options file, you may download the sample Options File attached to this article.
Note: For Network Named User licenses, the number of users that may be specified is limited to the number of licensed seats available for the product.
If instead you wanted to restrict usage to a certain set of computers, you could use the HOST_GROUP option. For example:
HOST_GROUP matlab_computers computer1 computer2 computer3
INCLUDE MATLAB HOST_GROUP matlab_computers
In this example the HOST_GROUP called matlab_computers has the computers: computer1, computer2, computer3. Only these computers would have access to the MATLAB license.
The options can also be specified using IP addresses (including IP ranges). For example, you could use the options:
INCLUDE MATLAB INTERNET 192.168.1.1
or
INCLUDE MATLAB INTERNET 192.168.*.*
In the latter example, MATLAB would be available to any machine that has an IP starting with 192.168.
For additional FLEXnet options, see section 13 of the FLEXnet License Administration Guide. 
 

How to administer multiple licenses/releases

To administer multiple licenses hosted by the same license manager, you may specify the licenses with the asset_info tag. For more information on using the asset_info tag, please see the following articles.

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