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User-Managed RLM Server Setup

This guide walks you through setting up your own RLM (Reprise License Manager) license server that will integrate with Vantage License Manager. With a user-managed setup, you maintain full control over your license server infrastructure while benefiting from Vantage's monitoring and management capabilities.

Prerequisites​

Before setting up your RLM server, ensure you have:

  • License Files: Valid RLM license files from your software vendor
  • Server Hardware: Dedicated server or virtual machine meeting vendor requirements
  • Network Access: Connectivity between your RLM server and Vantage infrastructure
  • Administrative Access: Root/administrator privileges on the target server
  • Firewall Configuration: Appropriate ports open for RLM communication

Supported Operating Systems​

RLM servers can be deployed on:

  • Linux: RHEL 7/8/9, CentOS 7/8, Ubuntu 18.04/20.04/22.04, SUSE Linux
  • Windows: Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, Windows 10/11
  • macOS: macOS 10.15+ (for development environments)

Installation Steps​

1. Download RLM Software​

# Download RLM from Reprise Software
# Visit: https://www.reprisesoftware.com/products/downloads.php
wget https://download.reprisesoftware.com/rlm-latest-linux-x64.tar.gz
tar -xzf rlm-latest-linux-x64.tar.gz
cd rlm

2. Install RLM​

# Copy RLM binaries to system directory
sudo mkdir -p /opt/rlm/bin
sudo cp rlm /opt/rlm/bin/
sudo cp rlmutil /opt/rlm/bin/

# Set executable permissions
sudo chmod +x /opt/rlm/bin/*

# Add to system PATH
echo 'export PATH="/opt/rlm/bin:$PATH"' | sudo tee -a /etc/profile

3. Configure License Files​

# Create license directory
sudo mkdir -p /opt/rlm/licenses

# Copy license files
sudo cp *.lic /opt/rlm/licenses/

# Set appropriate permissions
sudo chown rlm:rlm /opt/rlm/licenses/*.lic
sudo chmod 644 /opt/rlm/licenses/*.lic

4. Create RLM Configuration​

# Create RLM configuration file
sudo cat > /opt/rlm/rlm.conf << EOF
# RLM Configuration File
license_path /opt/rlm/licenses
log_file /var/log/rlm/rlm.log
debug_log_file /var/log/rlm/debug.log
web_interface_port 5054
EOF

5. Start RLM Server​

# Create systemd service file
sudo cat > /etc/systemd/system/rlm.service << EOF
[Unit]
Description=RLM License Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
User=rlm
Group=rlm
ExecStart=/opt/rlm/bin/rlm -c /opt/rlm/rlm.conf -dlog +/var/log/rlm/debug.log
PIDFile=/var/run/rlm.pid
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

# Start and enable service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start rlm
sudo systemctl enable rlm

Network Configuration​

Required Ports​

Configure your firewall to allow:

  • Port 5053: Default RLM server port
  • Port 5054: RLM web interface
  • Vendor-specific ports: As defined in license files
  • HTTPS (443): For Vantage integration

Firewall Configuration​

# Open RLM ports
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=5053-5054/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=443/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Vantage Integration​

1. Register Server with Vantage​

  1. Log into your Vantage dashboard
  2. Navigate to Licenses → Servers
  3. Click Add License Server
  4. Select RLM as the server type
  5. Choose User-Managed deployment
  6. Enter server details:
    • Server Hostname/IP
    • Port Number (typically 5053)
    • Web Interface Port (typically 5054)

2. Configure Monitoring Agent​

# Download Vantage monitoring agent
curl -O https://vantage-agents.s3.amazonaws.com/license-monitor/latest/vantage-license-monitor

# Install and configure
sudo chmod +x vantage-license-monitor
sudo ./vantage-license-monitor install --server-type rlm --server-port 5053

3. Verify Integration​

# Test RLM server
rlmutil rlmstat -a

# Test Vantage connection
vantage-license-monitor test-connection

Web Interface Configuration​

Access RLM Web Interface​

  1. Open browser to http://your-server:5054
  2. Default credentials: admin/admin (change immediately)
  3. Configure server settings through web interface
  4. Monitor license usage and server status

Security Configuration​

# Change default web interface password
# This is done through the web interface:
# 1. Login to http://server:5054
# 2. Go to Admin → Users
# 3. Change admin password
# 4. Create additional users as needed

License File Management​

Adding New Licenses​

# Add new license file
sudo cp new_license.lic /opt/rlm/licenses/

# Reread licenses without restart
rlmutil rlmreread

# Verify license is loaded
rlmutil rlmstat -a

License File Validation​

# Check license file syntax
rlmutil rlmcksum /opt/rlm/licenses/license.lic

# Verify license is active
rlmutil rlmstat -f feature_name

Monitoring and Logging​

Configure Logging​

Edit /opt/rlm/rlm.conf:

# Enhanced logging configuration
log_file /var/log/rlm/rlm.log
debug_log_file /var/log/rlm/debug.log
log_level normal
separate_license_log on
license_log_file /var/log/rlm/license.log

Log Rotation​

# Create logrotate configuration
sudo cat > /etc/logrotate.d/rlm << EOF
/var/log/rlm/*.log {
    daily
    rotate 30
    compress
    delaycompress
    missingok
    notifempty
    postrotate
        /bin/systemctl reload rlm
    endscript
}
EOF

Security Best Practices​

Server Hardening​

  • Regular Updates: Keep RLM software updated to latest version
  • Access Control: Restrict access to license server and web interface
  • Encryption: Use HTTPS for web interface communication
  • User Management: Create separate users for different access levels

License Protection​

# Secure license files
sudo chmod 600 /opt/rlm/licenses/*.lic
sudo chown root:rlm /opt/rlm/licenses/*.lic

# Backup license files securely
sudo tar -czf /backup/rlm-licenses-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /opt/rlm/licenses/

Performance Optimization​

Server Configuration​

Optimize RLM performance by adjusting /opt/rlm/rlm.conf:

# Performance settings
max_roam_count 10
roam_minimum 300
license_timeout 3600
web_interface_port 5054
web_refresh_rate 30

System Resources​

Monitor and optimize system resources:

# Monitor RLM process
ps aux | grep rlm
top -p $(pgrep rlm)

# Check memory usage
free -h

# Monitor disk space
df -h /opt/rlm /var/log/rlm

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

RLM Server Won't Start

# Check configuration file
rlm -c /opt/rlm/rlm.conf -test

# Review error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/rlm/debug.log

# Verify license file syntax
rlmutil rlmcksum /opt/rlm/licenses/*.lic

License Checkout Failures

# Check license availability
rlmutil rlmstat -a

# Test specific feature
rlmutil rlmstat -f feature_name

# Check client connectivity
telnet rlm-server 5053

Web Interface Issues

# Verify web service is running
netstat -tlnp | grep 5054

# Check web interface logs
sudo grep -i error /var/log/rlm/rlm.log

# Reset web interface
sudo systemctl restart rlm

Backup and Recovery​

Automated Backup​

# Create backup script
sudo cat > /opt/rlm/backup-rlm.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/backup/rlm"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Backup configuration and licenses
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/rlm-config-$DATE.tar.gz /opt/rlm/
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/rlm-logs-$DATE.tar.gz /var/log/rlm/

# Cleanup old backups (keep 30 days)
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.tar.gz" -mtime +30 -delete
EOF

sudo chmod +x /opt/rlm/backup-rlm.sh

# Schedule daily backup
echo "0 2 * * * root /opt/rlm/backup-rlm.sh" | sudo tee -a /etc/crontab

Recovery Procedures​

# Restore from backup
sudo systemctl stop rlm
sudo tar -xzf /backup/rlm/rlm-config-latest.tar.gz -C /
sudo systemctl start rlm
sudo systemctl status rlm

Integration Testing​

Verify Client Access​

# Test from client machine
export RLM_LICENSE=port@server
rlmutil rlmstat -a -c $RLM_LICENSE

# Test application license checkout
your_application --license-test

Performance Testing​

# Simulate multiple license checkouts
for i in {1..10}; do
    rlmutil rlmstat -f feature_name &
done
wait

# Monitor server performance during test
rlmutil rlmstat -a

Next Steps​

After setting up your user-managed RLM server:

  1. Configure High Availability: Set up redundant license servers
  2. Implement Monitoring: Enable comprehensive license monitoring with Vantage
  3. Optimize Usage: Analyze usage patterns and optimize license allocation
  4. Security Review: Conduct regular security assessments and updates

For advanced configuration and enterprise features, contact your RLM vendor or see additional documentation in the Vantage dashboard.