DSLS Troubleshooting Guide

This comprehensive guide covers troubleshooting common issues with Dassault Systèmes License Server (DSLS), including token management problems, academic licensing issues, high availability failures, and Vantage integration challenges.

Common Issues Overview

DSLS troubleshooting typically involves these main categories:

Issue Category	Common Symptoms	Impact Level
Token Allocation	Users unable to checkout licenses, token exhaustion	High
Academic Licensing	Student access failures, course scheduling conflicts	High
Server Performance	Slow checkouts, high memory usage, connection timeouts	Medium
High Availability	Failover failures, split-brain scenarios, sync issues	Critical
Vantage Integration	Monitoring gaps, data collection failures, alert issues	Medium
Product-Specific	ABAQUS/CATIA/SolidWorks connection problems	High

Token Management Issues

Issue: Token Exhaustion

Symptoms:

Users receiving "No tokens available" errors
License checkout failures during peak hours
Queue buildup in academic environments

Diagnosis:

# Check current token allocation
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -tokens -detailed

# Example output showing exhaustion:
# Product: ABAQUS_STANDARD
# Total Tokens: 50
# In Use: 50 (100%)
# Queued Users: 8
# Peak Usage: 52 (104% - overcommitted)

# Check token usage history
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -usage-history -product abaqus_standard -timeframe "last 24 hours"

# Analyze usage patterns
vantage-agent analyze dsls --token-exhaustion --product abaqus_standard

Solutions:

Immediate Relief:

# Identify idle or hung sessions
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -sessions -idle-threshold 3600

# Force release abandoned sessions
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -release-session -user "idle_user@company.com" -force

# Implement temporary token reallocation
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -reallocate-tokens \
    --from abaqus_explicit \
    --to abaqus_standard \
    --count 10 \
    --temporary

Long-term Solutions:

# Enable dynamic token allocation
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -configure \
    --dynamic-allocation enabled \
    --reallocation-threshold 80% \
    --reallocation-interval 300

# Implement academic priority scheduling
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -configure-academic \
    --priority-scheduling enabled \
    --course-hours-priority high \
    --research-hours-priority medium

Issue: Token Synchronization Failures

Symptoms:

Token counts differ between primary and backup servers
Failed checkouts despite available tokens
Cluster synchronization warnings

Diagnosis:

# Check cluster token synchronization
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -cluster-sync-status

# Compare token states between nodes
PRIMARY_TOKENS=$(/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -tokens -server dsls-primary-01)
BACKUP_TOKENS=$(/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -tokens -server dsls-backup-01)

echo "Primary: $PRIMARY_TOKENS"
echo "Backup: $BACKUP_TOKENS"

# Check synchronization logs
tail -f /opt/dsls/logs/sync.log | grep ERROR

Solutions:

# Force token synchronization
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -force-sync-tokens \
    --source dsls-primary-01 \
    --target dsls-backup-01 \
    --verify

# Reset token state on backup (if corruption detected)
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -reset-token-state \
    --node dsls-backup-01 \
    --import-from dsls-primary-01

# Configure enhanced synchronization monitoring
echo "SYNC_VERIFICATION_INTERVAL=60" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf
echo "SYNC_FAILURE_RETRY_COUNT=5" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf
systemctl restart dsls

Academic Licensing Issues

Issue: Student Access Failures

Symptoms:

Students unable to access software during class hours
Academic multiplier not applying correctly
Course-specific licensing conflicts

Diagnosis:

# Check academic pool status
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -academic-status

# Verify student enrollment synchronization
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -verify-academic-sync \
    --course "ME-541" \
    --semester "fall-2024"

# Check academic multiplier application
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -academic-usage -detailed

# Example output:
# Course: ME-541 (Finite Element Analysis)
# Enrolled Students: 45
# Active Sessions: 42
# Academic Tokens Used: 42 * 0.2 = 8.4 tokens
# Commercial Tokens Used: 8.4 tokens (incorrect - should use academic pool)

Solutions:

Fix Academic Pool Configuration:

# Reconfigure academic pools
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -configure-academic \
    --pool-size 200 \
    --multiplier 0.2 \
    --strict-enforcement true \
    --student-verification ldap

# Verify course scheduling integration
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -sync-course-schedule \
    --lms canvas \
    --academic-year 2024-2025 \
    --auto-provision true

Fix Student Authentication:

# Check LDAP integration
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -test-ldap \
    --user "student@university.edu" \
    --group "students"

# Reconfigure student classification
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -classify-users \
    --undergraduate-domain "@student.university.edu" \
    --graduate-domain "@grad.university.edu" \
    --faculty-domain "@faculty.university.edu"

Issue: Course Scheduling Conflicts

Symptoms:

Multiple courses competing for same token pool
Lab sessions unable to start due to license unavailability
Uneven distribution across academic departments

Diagnosis:

# Analyze course scheduling conflicts
vantage-agent analyze dsls --course-conflicts \
    --timeframe "current_week" \
    --breakdown hourly

# Check overlapping course schedules
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -course-schedule-analysis \
    --conflicts-only \
    --product abaqus_standard

# Example conflict output:
# Conflict detected:
# Course 1: ME-541 (45 students, Mon/Wed/Fri 2-5 PM)
# Course 2: AE-523 (35 students, Mon/Wed 3-6 PM)
# Overlap: Mon/Wed 3-5 PM (80 students, 16 tokens needed)
# Available: 12 tokens
# Deficit: 4 tokens

Solutions:

# Implement course priority scheduling
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -configure-course-priority \
    --priority-order "undergraduate,graduate,research" \
    --buffer-percentage 20 \
    --overflow-handling queue

# Configure time-based token allocation
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -configure-time-allocation \
    --course-hours "8am-6pm" \
    --research-hours "6pm-8am" \
    --weekend-mode "research-priority"

# Set up automatic conflict resolution
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -configure-conflict-resolution \
    --auto-reallocate true \
    --notification-enabled true \
    --alternative-suggestions true

Server Performance Issues

Issue: High Memory Usage

Symptoms:

DSLS server consuming excessive memory
System becoming unresponsive
Token checkout delays

Diagnosis:

# Monitor DSLS memory usage
ps aux | grep DSLicSrv
top -p $(pgrep DSLicSrv)

# Check for memory leaks
valgrind --tool=massif /opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -daemon -config /opt/dsls/config/DSLicSrv.opt

# Analyze memory allocation patterns
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -memory-analysis -detailed

# Check cache usage
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -cache-stats

Solutions:

Optimize Memory Configuration:

# Adjust memory limits
echo "DSLS_MEMORY_LIMIT=4GB" >> /opt/dsls/config/performance.conf
echo "DSLS_CACHE_SIZE=512MB" >> /opt/dsls/config/performance.conf
echo "DSLS_TOKEN_CACHE_SIZE=128MB" >> /opt/dsls/config/performance.conf

# Configure garbage collection
echo "DSLS_GC_INTERVAL=3600" >> /opt/dsls/config/performance.conf
echo "DSLS_MEMORY_CLEANUP_THRESHOLD=80%" >> /opt/dsls/config/performance.conf

Implement Memory Monitoring:

# Set up memory alerts
echo "MEMORY_WARNING_THRESHOLD=75%" >> /opt/dsls/config/alerts.conf
echo "MEMORY_CRITICAL_THRESHOLD=90%" >> /opt/dsls/config/alerts.conf
echo "MEMORY_CHECK_INTERVAL=60" >> /opt/dsls/config/alerts.conf

Issue: Connection Timeouts

Symptoms:

Client applications unable to connect to DSLS
Intermittent license checkout failures
Network-related error messages

Diagnosis:

# Test network connectivity
telnet dsls-server.company.com 27000

# Check DSLS network configuration
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -network-status

# Monitor connection statistics
netstat -an | grep :27000
ss -tuln | grep :27000

# Check firewall rules
iptables -L | grep 27000
firewall-cmd --list-ports

Solutions:

# Optimize network configuration
echo "DSLS_MAX_CONNECTIONS=2000" >> /opt/dsls/config/network.conf
echo "DSLS_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT=60" >> /opt/dsls/config/network.conf
echo "DSLS_KEEP_ALIVE_INTERVAL=30" >> /opt/dsls/config/network.conf

# Configure connection pooling
echo "DSLS_CONNECTION_POOL_SIZE=200" >> /opt/dsls/config/network.conf
echo "DSLS_CONNECTION_REUSE=true" >> /opt/dsls/config/network.conf

# Adjust system network limits
echo "net.core.somaxconn = 4096" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
echo "net.ipv4.tcp_max_syn_backlog = 4096" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sysctl -p

High Availability Issues

Issue: Failover Not Working

Symptoms:

Backup server not taking over when primary fails
Split-brain scenarios in cluster
Clients unable to reconnect after failover

Diagnosis:

# Check cluster status
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -cluster-status -verbose

# Verify failover configuration
cat /opt/dsls/config/failover.conf

# Test failover mechanism
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -test-failover -dry-run

# Check cluster communication
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -cluster-communication-test

Solutions:

Fix Cluster Configuration:

# Reconfigure cluster membership
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -reconfigure-cluster \
    --primary dsls-primary-01 \
    --backup dsls-backup-01 \
    --arbitrator dsls-arbitrator-01 \
    --quorum-size 2

# Reset cluster state
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -reset-cluster-state --force

Configure Split-Brain Prevention:

# Enable split-brain detection
echo "SPLIT_BRAIN_DETECTION=true" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf
echo "QUORUM_ENFORCEMENT=true" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf
echo "ARBITRATOR_REQUIRED=true" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf

Issue: Synchronization Lag

Symptoms:

Backup server has stale data
Token counts inconsistent between nodes
Delayed updates in cluster

Diagnosis:

# Check synchronization lag
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -sync-lag-analysis

# Monitor replication performance
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -replication-stats

# Check network latency between nodes
ping -c 10 dsls-backup-01
mtr dsls-primary-01 dsls-backup-01

Solutions:

# Optimize synchronization settings
echo "SYNC_INTERVAL=30" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf
echo "SYNC_BATCH_SIZE=1000" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf
echo "SYNC_COMPRESSION=true" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf

# Configure priority synchronization
echo "PRIORITY_SYNC_ACADEMIC=true" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf
echo "PRIORITY_SYNC_TOKENS=true" >> /opt/dsls/config/cluster.conf

Vantage Integration Issues

Issue: Monitoring Data Missing

Symptoms:

Vantage dashboard showing incomplete data
Missing license usage metrics
Agent connection failures

Diagnosis:

# Check vantage-agent status
vantage-agent status --detailed

# Test connectivity to Vantage cloud
vantage-agent test-connection

# Check data collection logs
tail -f /var/log/vantage-agent/dsls.log

# Verify DSLS API connectivity
curl -X GET "http://localhost:27000/api/status" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $(vantage-agent get-token)"

Solutions:

Fix Agent Configuration:

# Reconfigure vantage-agent for DSLS
vantage-agent configure \
    --server-type dsls \
    --server-host localhost \
    --server-port 27000 \
    --collection-interval 60 \
    --retry-attempts 3

# Reset agent authentication
vantage-agent auth reset
vantage-agent auth login

Troubleshoot Data Collection:

# Enable debug logging
echo "LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG" >> /etc/vantage-agent/config.conf
systemctl restart vantage-agent

# Test specific data collection
vantage-agent collect dsls --test-mode --verbose

# Verify data transmission
vantage-agent transmit --test --show-payload

Issue: Alerts Not Working

Symptoms:

No notifications for critical events
False positive alerts
Alert delays

Diagnosis:

# Check alert configuration
vantage-agent show-config alerts

# Test alert triggers
vantage-agent test-alert \
    --type token_exhaustion \
    --severity critical

# Verify notification channels
vantage-agent test-notifications \
    --email \
    --slack \
    --webhook

Solutions:

# Reconfigure alert thresholds
vantage-agent configure alerts \
    --token-warning 80% \
    --token-critical 95% \
    --queue-warning 5 \
    --queue-critical 15

# Fix notification channels
vantage-agent configure notifications \
    --email-enabled true \
    --email-recipients "admin@company.com,licenses@company.com" \
    --slack-webhook "https://hooks.slack.com/..." \
    --severity-filter "warning,critical"

Product-Specific Issues

ABAQUS Issues

Common Problems:

Solver license checkout failures
CAE interface connection issues
Academic license not recognized

Solutions:

# Test ABAQUS license connectivity
abaqus licensing info

# Configure ABAQUS environment for DSLS
export LM_LICENSE_FILE=27000@dsls-server.company.com
export ABAQUS_LICENSE_FILE=27000@dsls-server.company.com

# Test license checkout
abaqus licensing checkout ABAQUS_STANDARD

# Academic license configuration
echo "academic=true" >> $HOME/.abaqus_env
echo "academic_license_server=27000@dsls-server.company.com" >> $HOME/.abaqus_env

CATIA Issues

Common Problems:

V6 license server connection failures
Feature-specific license issues
PLM integration problems

Solutions:

# Configure CATIA licensing environment
export CATIA_LICENSE_SERVER=27000@dsls-server.company.com
export LM_LICENSE_FILE=27000@dsls-server.company.com

# Test CATIA license connectivity
cnext -license_check

# Fix V6 specific issues
export CATIA_V6_LICENSE_MODE=dsls
export CATIA_V6_TOKEN_ALLOCATION=auto

SolidWorks Issues

Common Problems:

Network license detection failures
Add-in licensing issues
Academic edition conflicts

Solutions:

# Configure SolidWorks network licensing
# Edit SolidNetWork License Manager settings:
# Server: dsls-server.company.com
# Port: 27000
# Protocol: DSLS

# Registry configuration (Windows clients)
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Network License" \
    /v "Server" /t REG_SZ /d "dsls-server.company.com" /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Network License" \
    /v "Port" /t REG_DWORD /d "27000" /f

Emergency Procedures

Complete System Recovery

When DSLS system is completely down:

#!/bin/bash
# Emergency DSLS recovery procedure

echo "Starting emergency DSLS recovery..."

# Step 1: Stop all DSLS services
systemctl stop dsls
systemctl stop dsls-backup
systemctl stop haproxy

# Step 2: Check filesystem integrity
fsck /shared/dsls

# Step 3: Restore from backup
rsync -avz /backup/dsls/latest/ /opt/dsls/
rsync -avz /backup/shared/latest/ /shared/dsls/

# Step 4: Start primary server in recovery mode
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -recovery-mode -single-node

# Step 5: Verify license files
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -validate-licenses

# Step 6: Start cluster in stages
systemctl start dsls
sleep 60
systemctl start dsls-backup
sleep 30
systemctl start haproxy

echo "Recovery completed. Verify system status."

Academic Emergency Access

For critical academic situations (exams, project deadlines):

# Emergency academic access procedure
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -emergency-academic-mode \
    --unlimited-tokens \
    --duration 24_hours \
    --notification "Emergency access enabled for final exams"

# Temporary token multiplication
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -temporary-multiplier \
    --factor 10 \
    --academic-only \
    --duration 4_hours \
    --reason "Final project presentations"

Preventive Maintenance

Regular Health Checks

#!/bin/bash
# Weekly DSLS health check script

# System resources
df -h /opt/dsls /shared/dsls
free -h
iostat -x 1 5

# DSLS specific checks
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -health-check --comprehensive
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -license-validation --all
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -performance-analysis

# Cluster health
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -cluster-health --detailed

# Vantage integration
vantage-agent health-check --full

# Academic system integration
/opt/dsls/bin/DSLicSrv -academic-sync-check

Log Analysis and Cleanup

# Automated log analysis
/opt/dsls/bin/analyze-logs.sh --timeframe "last_week" --errors-only

# Log rotation and cleanup
find /opt/dsls/logs -name "*.log" -mtime +30 -delete
find /shared/dsls/logs -name "*.log" -mtime +30 -delete

# Performance log analysis
grep -i "slow\|timeout\|error" /opt/dsls/logs/*.log | \
    awk '{print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr

Support and Escalation

Collecting Diagnostic Information

# Comprehensive diagnostic collection
/opt/dsls/bin/collect-diagnostics.sh

# Information collected:
# - System configuration
# - DSLS configuration files
# - Log files (last 7 days)
# - Performance metrics
# - Cluster status
# - License file validation
# - Vantage agent status
# - Academic integration status

Contacting Support

For issues requiring vendor support:

Dassault Systèmes Support: Include DSLS version, license file hash, and error logs
Vantage Support: Include vantage-agent logs and configuration
Academic IT Support: Include course schedules and enrollment data

Troubleshooting Best Practice: DSLS issues often involve complex interactions between token management, academic integration, and high availability systems. Systematic diagnosis using built-in tools, combined with comprehensive monitoring through Vantage, enables rapid identification and resolution of problems. Maintaining current documentation and regular testing of recovery procedures is essential for minimizing downtime in academic and enterprise environments.

Common Issues Overview​

Token Management Issues​

Issue: Token Exhaustion​

Issue: Token Synchronization Failures​

Academic Licensing Issues​

Issue: Student Access Failures​

Issue: Course Scheduling Conflicts​

Server Performance Issues​

Issue: High Memory Usage​

Issue: Connection Timeouts​

High Availability Issues​

Issue: Failover Not Working​

Issue: Synchronization Lag​

Vantage Integration Issues​

Issue: Monitoring Data Missing​

Issue: Alerts Not Working​

Product-Specific Issues​

ABAQUS Issues​

CATIA Issues​

SolidWorks Issues​

Emergency Procedures​

Complete System Recovery​

Academic Emergency Access​

Preventive Maintenance​

Regular Health Checks​

Log Analysis and Cleanup​

Support and Escalation​

Collecting Diagnostic Information​

Contacting Support​

Common Issues Overview

Token Management Issues

Issue: Token Exhaustion

Issue: Token Synchronization Failures

Academic Licensing Issues

Issue: Student Access Failures

Issue: Course Scheduling Conflicts

Server Performance Issues

Issue: High Memory Usage

Issue: Connection Timeouts

High Availability Issues

Issue: Failover Not Working

Issue: Synchronization Lag

Vantage Integration Issues

Issue: Monitoring Data Missing

Issue: Alerts Not Working

Product-Specific Issues

ABAQUS Issues

CATIA Issues

SolidWorks Issues

Emergency Procedures

Complete System Recovery

Academic Emergency Access

Preventive Maintenance

Regular Health Checks

Log Analysis and Cleanup

Support and Escalation

Collecting Diagnostic Information

Contacting Support