ABELDent Licensing and XP Professional Service Pack 2 

Summary:

If a server is running XP Professional and is configured for floating licenses, the ability to access the licenses can be affected once XP Professional Service Pack 2 is installed. XP Pro SP2 installs and enables Microsofts Firewall software. This firewall blocks the IP ports that are used by Rainbow Technologies Sentinel LM licensing server.

 

Product the error/problem applies to:

All ABELDent applications that use Rainbow Sentinel LM floating licensing.

 

Symptoms:

Unable to get a license: Permanent 4  License server has not been set, unable to determine which license server to use  Set the LSHOST variable.
Licensing error 5 or 7 may also appear indicating On the specified machine, license server is not RUNNING

 

Cause:

Service Pack 2 for XP Professional has been installed and Microsoft Windows Firewall is now enabled.

 

Resolution or Workaround:

The Windows Firewall can be configured to allow data to pass through ports that have been identified as exceptions to the rule. The following will keep the Windows Firewall enabled but open a port in the firewall to allow Sentinel LM to communicate across the network. This requires to be done only on the server where the Licensing Service is running.

1. 1. Locate Security Center in the Control Panel, select Windows Firewall
   2. Select the Exceptions Tab
   3. Select Add Port
   4. Enter Sentinel LM into the Name field
   5. Enter 5093 into the Port Number field
   6. Check off the option of UDP
   7. Select the Change Scope button and select the option to open the port for My Network (Subnet) Only
   8. Select OK to close each open window.
   1. Reboot the server for the changes to take effect.

To ensure the server and client computers know exactly where the License Server is running, the addition of the LSFORCEHOST variable to the System Environment Variables section is suggested. 

• Right click on My Computer and select Properties, then go to the Advanced Tab
• Select Environment Variables button
• Select New under the System Variables section
• Enter LSFORCEHOST into the Variable Name field
• Enter the name of the server into the Variable Value field
• Select OK to save the changes, and to close open windows.
   

More Information:

In some cases the network may already have a router and other firewall protection. In this case the Windows Firewall may be disabled to solve the licensing problem. However, be aware that by disabling the Windows Firewall, the network may be at risk if no other Firewall or router is in place or configured correctly.

To disable the Windows Firewall:

• Locate Security Center in the Control Panel, select Windows Firewall
• Check off the option for Windows Firewall - Off

Product (s): ABELDent
Category: Licensing
Classification: Public
Date Created: 07/09/04
Created by: ASH