NI License Manager Not Letting Me Login, Needs Internet Access

Issue Details

My personal firewall software keeps detecting that the NI License Manager (NILM) server (lmgrd.exe and nilm.exe) needs internet access. Why does the License Manager need this access? This prevents NILM from letting me login and activate my software.

Solution

If you want to use National Instruments applications or software features that require licensing, such as remote front panels in LabVIEW, the license server must be running because those features are explicitly licensed through the NI License Manager.

If you also run personal firewall software on your computer, you must configure the firewall so the programs nilm.exe, lmgrd.exe, and lmreread.exe can have access to TCP/IP. These programs do not communicate across the network; they only communicate with each other within the scope of your local computer. More information on this can be found in 'Configuring Software and Hardware Firewalls to Support National Instruments Products' in the related links below. 

If you do not use any National Instruments applications or software features that require licensing, you can stop the License Manager from loading when you start your computer. Refer to 'How Do I Stop the NI License Manager from Loading at Startup?' in the Related Links section for steps on how to do this

Additional Information

If you are using FLEXnet to manage your license you will also need to allow lmdown.exe to have TCP/IP access.