How do I force the Network License Manager to distribute the keys of a concatenated license file in a particular order using the SORT tag?

I have a license file combining licenses with different versions. The older version is specified first in the license.dat file. However, if I start an older version session of MATLAB, it takes a newer version of MATLAB key. I would like to know how I can force a particular key to be used first.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

To configure a specific order in which the INCREMENT lines are read by the Network License Manager, you can use SORT command in the license.dat file.

To use this command, append the command 'sort=xxx' at the end of each product INCREMENT line.

Lines with lower sort vales will be used first.

The default value for SORT, if no SORT line is appended, is 100.

In the example below, the license server will attempt to serve the MATLAB R2014a (MLM 31) keys first, before serving the R2015b (MLM 34) keys, which are using the default sort value, which is 100.

INCREMENT MATLAB MLM 34 01-dec-2026 150 3A49ADFD5761 \
VENDOR_STRING=vi=0:at=200:ae=1:lu=300:lo=CN:ei=7654321:lr=1: \
DUP_GROUP=UH asset_info=123456 ISSUED=22-Jun-2025 BORROW=720 \
NOTICE=product=MATLAB SN=123456 SIGN="1092 6AD1 7706 9C3E CC12 \
EF3B 1A65 8F00 3497 7661 150A 5CB7 0B99 9FEF AEFF"

INCREMENT MATLAB MLM 31 01-dec-2026 150 3A49ADFD5761 \
VENDOR_STRING=vi=0:at=200:ae=1:lu=300:lo=CN:ei=4208642:lr=1: \
DUP_GROUP=UH asset_info=112233 ISSUED=22-Jun-2025 BORROW=720 \
NOTICE=product=MATLAB SN=112233 SIGN="9902 5DF1 7706 9C3E CC12 \
EF3B 1A65 8F00 3497 7661 160A 5CB7 0799 9FEF ABFF" sort=99

The sort value can be used repeatedly. You can apply sort=99 to all of the INCREMENT lines for a license. You do not have to use a unique integer for each INCREMENT line.

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