How do I release or return a toolbox license key back to the pool of available keys without restarting the network license manager or exiting MATLAB?

I would like to know if it is possible to return the toolbox key back to the network license manager without closing/exiting the current MATLAB session.

I see the following message when I start MATLAB, or when I attempt to run a function from a toolbox even though no one else is using the license key:

License Manager Error -4

Maximum number of users for "..." reached. Try again later.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

Toolbox license keys cannot be returned without exiting MATLAB. The Toolbox license keys get checked back in when the main MATLAB session is ended. Each time MATLAB is launched, a MATLAB license key is checked out from the pool of available licenses. Likewise, if a function from a MATLAB toolbox is called, a license key for that toolbox is checked out.

If you are having an issue returning license keys after closing the MATLAB session, contact the Installation and Licensing Team by creating a Service Request here:

http://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us/index.html

[Maurine Malak]

Dear Mathwork staff,

It will be very helpful if you devise a Matlab command that we can embed in our codes so that we can return the toolbox license to the pool immediately after running its own code. and hence, there will be no need to close the session.

This will be very helpful for users with limited toolbox licenses and can make efficient use of the resources available since a user may block the toolbox the whole day while he actually uses it for few minutes per day.

I strongly believe that Mathwork staff can do it and it will make our life easier.

Thanks for what you can do to solve this issue.

[Mihail]

I agree. After you run a script, you can release the license immediately, instead of 4 hours later.

[Ethan Woodruff]

Concur

[Christos Saragiotis]

I agree as well.

[Walter Roberson]

Timeouts can be enabled for concurrent licenses; see https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/98614-can-i-configure-my-license-server-to-return-idle-matlab-seats

https://www.mathworks.com/help/install/license/use-timeouts-for-idle-license-keys.html

The minimum timeout period is 4 hours.

[Steven]

Agreed! This is a needed featue. SolidWorks has it for its FlexLM Licensing. Run the program take the license, from a drop down you choose to load and subsequently unload additional features licenses.

[Arne]

Very much agreed! This is indeed a needed feature. At the moment we experience that as soon as somebody has submitted some job to the cluster, the parallel computing toolbox is checked out, while the rest of the day the person doesn't use it. This keeps the license occupied and other users cannot submit jobs to the cluster anymore.

[Pratik Mahamuni]

This still is not a feature in April 2022?

[Walter Roberson]

The hypothesis is, if I understand correctly, that if it is too costly to you to have an admin look up who is using the license, and track them down and have them exit matlab to free up the license, then you ought to be purchasing more licences.

Answer 2

[Jonathan]

Perhaps there is very little incentive for the developers to "make efficient use of the resources available". The business preference would likely be for the end user to buy more licenses.

In this day and age, it sure would be nice to check licenses out directly from MathWorks servers and pay monthly on a per usage basis. Does such a business model exist?