Table of Contents
Setting up a Fotoware License Server
How to install and set up a Fotoware License Server and install a license certificate. This can be used in scenarios where activation over the Internet is not an option. Applies to: FotoWare versions 7.0 and 8.0
11. April 2025
Table of Contents
When to use a license server?
You need a license server if:
- you have a redundancy license for a server application
- you have licensed a client application for use in a Terminal Server or Citrix environment
Installing and setting up the license server
The process of installing and setting up the license server consists of the following steps:
- Obtaining one or more license certificates
- Merging the license certificates (if more than one)
- Configuring the associated .opt file to manage which named users can check out licenses
- Installing the Fotoware License Server
- Installing the license certificate
- Testing the license server
- Configuring the clients to access the license server
Getting a license certificate
If you do not hae a valid license certificate from Fotoware, contact us to get one.
Fotoware requires the Ethernet ID (aka MAC address) of the network card on the machine that will work as the license server in your network. The license server can be installed on Windows Servers. The server's Ethernet ID/MAC address can be found by running ipconfig / all from the command line.
Merging license certificates
A typical license file (LicenseFile.lic) looks like this:
Note: The license file is tied to the server's Ethernet (MAC) address.
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A merged license file consists of a single header, followed by all the FEATURE lines combined:
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Note: Although merging license files is unproblematic, changing anything else in the license file will render it unusable.
If you need to replace the license server, you must perform a Rehost operation from the activation server. Contact Fotoware for assistance.
- After any merging, rename the license file to licensefile.lic
Define users in the license .opt file
Now you need to define which users can check out licenses from the license server. The licenses are named, which means they have to be tied to actual logged-in usernames.
- Download the .opt file here.
- Edit the fotoware.opt file to include the username(s) entitled to start the software (instructions are included in the .opt file you downloaded above).
- Make sure the firewall on the server allows incoming TCP traffic on port 27000
Important - case sensitivity with usernames
The usernames specified in the .opt file are case-sensitive so users need to log on to Windows using the exact user name casing used in the opt file. Using lower-case usernames throughout the system avoids problems with case.
Tip: If you're managing users in an Active Directory you may find it useful to schedule the .opt file to be updated daily to reflect user changes in the AD group.
Installing the Fotoware License Server
You can download the Fotoware License Server from the Fotoware Download Center.
Note: If your system is running a previous version of the Fotoware License server, remove it as follows:
As an administrator, execute the following two commands from a command prompt:
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Install Fotoware License Server 11.19 and configure it as described below. It is installed in C:\Program Files\Fotoware\Fotoware License Server 11.19.
Configuring the License Server
- Place the license file (.lic) file and the .opt file in the program files folder where the license server is installed (C:\Program Files\Fotoware\Fotoware License Server 11.19.)
- Start lmtools.exe in the same folder to configure the license server.
- Go to the Config Services tab:
- Enter the following information - see numbers in the screenshot above.
- Service Name (1): Enter a logical name for the service.
- Path to the lmgrd file (2): Use Browse to locate the license server executable (lmgrd.exe). It should be located in C:\Program Files\Fotoware\Fotoware License Server 11.19
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Path to license file (2): Use Browse to locate the license file.
We recommend storing both the license file and the opt file in the same folder as the program executables (point above) - Path to the debug log file (2): Use Browse to locate the log file. It is located in C:\ProgramData\Fotoware\FWLicenseServer64 and is called fwlicsrv.log.
- Select Start Server at Power Up and Use Services (3), and select Save Service (4)
- Go to the Start/Stop/Reread tab and select Start Server to start the service (see screenshot below).
Changing the port number
To run on a port other than the default (27000), the LicenseFile.lic file must be updated. The file can be opened in Notepad.
Change the first line of the file as indicated below:
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SERVER localhost 0A1B3C4D5E |
to:
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SERVER localhost 0A1B3C4D5E 8000 |
The service must be restarted for this change to take effect, and will then run on port 8000. Make sure you select a port number that is not already in use.
Configuring the vendor daemon port number
In addition to setting the server port number, the port for the fotoware vendor daemon should be fixed in environments where the license server and clients are separated by a firewall.
To do so, you must modify the VENDOR property in LicenceFile.lic as follows:
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VENDOR fotoware PORT=8001 |
The vendor daemon port needs to be different from the service port. Having made the change in the license file you need to restart the license server. Also, make sure to open the port in the firewall as required to allow client-server communications.
Configuring clients to access the license server
You need to configure the client computers to access the license server by setting up an environment variable.
For detailed instructions on configuring your Windows and Mac clients to use the license server, see Activating a Fotoware license with a license server.