FlexSim licenses can either be standalone or network-based. Each license model has its pros and cons. Learn more about these two different license models.

You're here because you've chosen network licensing and you're ready to get started.

A license manager by any other name

FlexSim is licensed using technology from Revenera's FlexNet. FlexNet is one of the top software licensing technologies and is used by many large software companies, including several others in the engineering software space.

FlexNet offers two different license managers: lmtools and lmadmin. You decide which platform will work best for your organization's needs. (Spoiler alert: we like lmtools best).

lmtools

Hosting your FlexSim licenses with lmtools

lmtools is a simple utility for creating and managing the licensing service that will serve your FlexSim licenses to your organization's client PCs.

This basic utility isn't installed - it is a simple executable. It has no 3rd party dependencies. For maximum security, compatibility, and simplicity, FlexSim recommends using lmtools.

Many organizations that add FlexSim to their toolkit already use lmtools for managing their license hosting services for other software, so using lmtools to manage your FlexSim licenses just makes sense. Even if your FlexSim purchase marks the first time your org has set up a license manager, lmtools is a great way to go, and is our recommended license manager.

Visit Hosting your FlexSim licenses with lmtools for a complete reference on configuring your license server using lmtools.

lmadmin

Hosting your FlexSim licenses with lmadmin

lmadmin is FlexNet's newer, shinier license manager. It includes a web-based front end, so all the administration is done from your web browser. It is more complex than lmtools, serving both the licensing service and a management front end, and lmadmin relies on Java, which you will need keep up to date with patches and security updates.

FlexSim usually does not recommend lmadmin, mainly because of the more complex configuration needed to host and manage the web front end (including additional firewall considerations, an extra username and password, etc.), its reliance on Java, and the fact that many FlexSim users already host other software licenses using lmtools.

Visit Hosting your FlexSim licenses with lmadmin for a complete reference on configuring your license server using lmadmin.