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Chapter 2: Installing AS Licenses

This chapter describes how to install AS Licenses using AppTrack.

2.1 Installing Licenses

To install AS Licenses:

  1. Login to the user account from which you will run your application.

  2. Start the AppTrack license administration utility by typing the following command at the command prompt:
    $COBDIR/aslmf/apptrack
  3. If yours is the first licensed application to be installed on the system, you are asked to create a password.

    Enter six characters, each of which can be alphabetic and/or numeric; you can use upper or lower case.


    Note: Alphabetic characters are restricted to the ASCII range and, therefore, roman characters; for example, you cannot use accented characters.


    Make sure that you keep a secure record of this password. You need to enter the password each time you want to use any of Apptrack's facilities, including installing and uninstalling licenses.

    You can specify that a password is not required by typing six spaces for the password. We recommend, however, that you do use a password, as this protects your AS licenses from being copied by someone else, and prevents any unauthorized person from tampering with your license system.

    If other licensed applications already exist on the system, you are asked for a password; type the password (unless the password has been set to spaces).

    When you have typed the password, AppTrack displays a menu.

  4. Press 3 (License Install) to install the AS licenses.

    You are prompted to type in the serial number and the license number of the License Key.

    If you make a mistake while typing in the serial number, use the Backspace key to delete the characters in error, and retype the number. If you realise that you have made a mistake after entering the serial number, press Enter again, and the installation ends (a message is displayed telling you that the License Key is invalid, which you can ignore in this case). Similarly, if you change your mind about installing a license, press Enter until a message is displayed that tells you the License Key is invalid, and then continue.

Follow the installation procedure above for each AS license you want to install. You can confirm which License Keys you have installed for your application by selecting option 1 (License List) from the menu; this displays the installed license details on the screen. Press 9 (Quit) to exit AppTrack when you have finished.

64-bit Application Server:
If you are installing 64-bit licenses to enable you to use an application with the 64-bit Application Server, any 32-bit licenses installed for a previous version of 32-bit Application Server are disabled; this only occurs if the 64-bit version is installed in the same directory as the 32-version (that is, the value of $COBDIR remains the same). If 32-bit licenses are disabled, a message is displayed warning you of this.

If you uninstall all of the 64-bit licenses, the 32-bit licenses are reenabled.

You can install and uninstall 32-bit licenses at any time, but these have no effect with the 64-bit Application Server.

2.2 Problems Installing AS Licenses

If you enter the command:

$COBDIR/aslmf/apptrack

and a message such as:

/aslmf/apptrack not found

is displayed and nothing else happens, simply logging into the correct user is not sufficient to set up your environment to run the License Administration utility.

You need to establish where the Application Server for your application has been installed. If you have a record of the installation directory enter the following commands, where cobol-installation-directory is the full path of the directory in which Application Server is installed:

COBDIR=cobol-installation-directory
export COBDIR

Use upper and lower case exactly as shown; for example:

COBDIR=/usr/lib/cobol
export COBDIR

Now try using the original command again:

$COBDIR/aslmf/apptrack

If you don't know the directory in which Application Server is installed, you can scan your system looking for all directories which contain the License Administration utility by using the command:

find / -name apptrack -print

The resulting display from this command might contain lines telling you that you do not have access to certain directories. Ignore these. One of the lines output by this command should be:

 cobol-installation-directory/aslmf/apptrack

For example, you might find that the line:

 /usr/lib/cobol/aslmf/apptrack

is displayed. In this case, Application Server is installed in the directory /usr/lib/cobol/aslmf.

If the output of the find command does not list any directories containing apptrack, Application Server is not installed on your system.

If the output of the find command displays more than one directory containing apptrack, note that only one of these is for your application. The other instances are for applications installed and in use by other users on your system. You can check the date each apptrack was installed to see which is yours, by using the following command for each directory listed:

ls -l cobol-installation-directory/aslmf/apptrack

If you are still unsure, ask your system administrator which AS directories belong to other users. Other users can find out which AS directories belong to them by running their copy of apptrack, and selecting option 2 (License Summary).

Once you have ascertained which AS directory relates to your application, make a note of the directory for future use, and return to the beginning of this section to start the License Administration utility.

2.3 Uninstalling AS Licenses

You must uninstall an AS License if you want to install the license on a different system. To uninstall a license, type:

$COBDIR/aslmf/apptrack

After entering the AppTrack password, a menu is displayed. Select option 4 (License Uninstall) to select the uninstall option, and proceed exactly as for license installation. If you are unsure which license keys you have installed for your application, select option 1 (License List) from the menu to list details of licenses to the screen. You can then select the license keys you wish to uninstall.

64-bit Application Server:
If you uninstall all of the 64-bit licenses, the 32-bit licenses are reenabled; this only occurs if the 64-bit version is installed in the same directory as the 32-version (that is, the value of $COBDIR remains the same).

2.4 Passwords

After you create a password for AppTrack, you might find that the next time you run the utility, you are again prompted to create a password. This happens if you exit the license administration utility after setting the initial password, but do not install a license and there are no other Application Servers installed on the system.

All licenses that you install are stored on a license database that is created the first time you, or any user of a different Application Server, installs a license. Since the password you select is also installed on the license database, there is nowhere to save the password until the database is created. Once you have installed a license, and the database is created, then the password is saved. This is so, even if you delete all licenses from the license database. Note that there is only one password for the license database. If other Application Servers are installed on the system and administered by other users, you all share the same password.

2.5 The License Database

All licenses that you install are stored on the license database. This database is created the first time you, or any user of a different Application Server, install a license. The database is held in the file mfasdb, which resides in the directory /var/mfaslmf.

You do not have to know about the database, as your programs do not have to access it directly; all access is done by the run-time system. Users cannot change the database content, except by using AppTrack to install or remove licenses. Keys on the database are in encrypted format, and can only be seen by users through AppTrack. Access to AppTrack can be restricted by its optional password system.

If the database is deleted or damaged, you cannot restore it from a backup; you have to recreate it by reinstalling licenses using AppTrack. There is no protection against a malicious user deliberately corrupting or deleting the database.


Copyright © 2000 MERANT International Limited. All rights reserved.
This document and the proprietary marks and names used herein are protected by international law.

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