You should have already completed all preceding steps found in the article Hosting your FlexSim licenses with lmtools, including all those under the headings "Preparation and Prerequisites" and "Activate licenses to your license server".

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At this point you're ready to install, configure, and start the service that will serve your FlexSim licenses.

1. Create the service
2. Configure service permissions
3. Start the service
4. Check the service status
5. Troubleshooting problems with the service

Create the service

We'll use lmtools to create your new licensing service.

1. On your license server, in your extracted download folder of FlexSim license server materials, right-click lmtools.exe and choose Run as administrator.
2. Go to the Config Services tab.
3. Create a new licensing service by typing FlexSim_License into the Service Name input field. The Service Name field looks like a dropdown selector, but you can click in it to type a new name.
4. Use the 3 Browse buttons to specify the paths to files (lmgrd.exe, flexsim.lic, log.log) that are also included with the FlexSim license server materials.
5. Check the boxes for Use Services and Start Server at Power Up.
6. Press the Save Service button in the upper right. Confirm the save by choosing Yes.
7. You may receive an error message regarding "Windows preferred path". This is normal and this message can be safely ignored.

Configure service permissions

Your new FlexSim_License service needs permissions set to function properly.

1. Click the Windows Start button or press the Windows key, then type “Services” into the search box in the Start menu, and press Enter. Windows will search for and open Windows Services Manager.
2. Find FlexSim_License in the list of services. If it is missing from the list, see the section Troubleshooting the licensing service below.
3. Open the FlexSim_License service’s Properties window by double-clicking its name.
4. Go to the Log On tab.
5. Choose the option to Log on as: Local System account.
6. Press OK to close the FlexSim_License Properties window.

Start the service

While still in Windows Services Manager, use the Start link to start your new FlexSim_License service.

You should see a status bar showing the startup progress. The service usually starts in under a minute.

If there are any errors or other problems with starting the service, skip to the section Troubleshooting problems with the service.

Check the service status

After the service is started, head back to lmtools to check the log. You can view the service log from the Config Services tab, press the View Log... button, located toward the lower right of the Config Services panel.

You should find the following information in your log file:

1. lmgrd.exe is listening on port 26914. This is the port the licensing service will use when listening for client PC communication.
2. The bootstrap license file flexsim.lic was found and loaded. (This is not a license file specific to you and does not contain your license info. FlexSim licenses use Trusted Storage and licenses are activated to your license server using flexsimserveractutil.exe).
3. The flexsim.opt Options file was found and loaded.
4. A list of product features activated in your server's Trusted Storage. Your feature set may differ somewhat from this example, depending on your license and product, but you should see several of the features above.
5. 900 seconds is the minimum timeout allowed by FlexNet, and we configure our installation to use this minimum value using the options file.
6. The flexsim.exe vendor daemon is using port 56914.

To close the log, press the Close Log button, toward the lower right of the Config Services panel in lmtools.

Troubleshooting problems with the service

Did everything work? If not, perhaps you have one of these issues:

• The FlexSim_License service is not listed as an installed service in Windows’ services.
• The FlexSim_License service does not start manually.
• The FlexSim_License service does not start up automatically when the computer restarts.

If any of these apply to you, please check the following:

• You ran lmtools as a user with admin rights, and right clicked the program to choose Run as Administrator.
• On the Config Services tab, you checked the boxes Use Services and Start Server at Power Up.
• There isn’t already a process running or service installed named FlexSim_License.
• lmgrd.exe, flexsim.exe, and all other files downloaded together with them are in the same folder, and in a file path that does not contain any folder named “FlexSim” (case insensitive).
• The FlexSim_License service must run as an account with proper permissions. It’s possible that the Local System Account setting specified in Configure service permissions above does not have adequate permissions, and you will need to specify the service to run under a different account. Work with your server administrator or IT department to determine an account with the proper permissions to run your license service.
• You could have a port conflict, where one or both of the ports specified in your flexsim.lic license file are in use by another service on your license server. Check the section Resolving port conflicts.
• Some anti-virus solutions prevent unrecognized services from running or accessing necessary functionality. If your license service won't start, try temporarily disabling any anti-virus solution installed on your license server. If this fixes the issue, work with your IT administrator to modify your anti-virus settings. Remember to reactivate your anti-virus software after this experiment.