[+] Manually Configuring NI License Manager to Connect to a License Server
To connect the client machine to a VLM server, the client must be pointing to the correct server and port. The following steps show how this can be configured in NI License Manager.
For License Manager 4.0 or later:
1. Open the NI License Manager located in All programs>>National Instruments>>NI License Manager.
2. Click on the Options Menu, on the top-left corner, to display the Preferences options.
3. Select "Manage Volume License Servers..." as shown:
4. In the Manage Volume License Servers window, enter the Volume License Server name along with the port number, which should have been previously provided by your Software Administrator.
5. Click OK to close the Manage Volume License Servers window. If the server name and port number were entered correctly, you should now be able to access the license pool from the Network Licenses tab in NI License Manager. See the example below.
For License Manager 3.7 or earlier:
1. Open the NI License Manager located in All programs>>National Instruments>>NI License Manager.
2. On the top menu, go to Options>>Preferences.
3. In the Preferences window, introduce the Volume License Server name.
4. Click OK to close the Volume License Servers window.
Note: If you changed the Main Licensing Port in VLM, the server name and port number, separated by a colon, must be entered as the Volume License Server name. For example: "ServerName:27001".
If you've successfully connected to the license server and still don't see any network licenses, you may need to reach out to your licensing administrator to make sure you have been assigned a license on the server.
[+] Automating Client Machines to Connect to a New License Server
A. If you want to change existing servers and automate distributing the server change to all computers, there are several pathways available to make the change.
You can modify or replace the contents of the servers.ini file found at C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\License Manager\Data\servers.ini
NI License Manager stores the license server information in a servers.ini using the following format:
[Preferences]
Order=port@ipaddress
For multiple-server configurations, you may add additional servers separated by commas.
B. You can also create a script for users to run that automatically configures their systems to connect to the new license server while removing any existing server configurations. NI License Manager settings can be modified through the command line using NILicensingCmd.exe.
You can refer to the Attachments section at the bottom of this document to download a sample script demonstrating how to automate the client‑server connection.
C. If you are using Volume License Manager (VLM) as your designated license server, you can also implement
Volume License Installers (VLI). These installers allow you to distribute software to your end users while automatically configuring their systems to connect to your license server(s).
[+] Troubleshooting Potential Conflicts When Pointing to a License Server
This guide is intended to assist both end users and Software Administrators in troubleshooting server or client machines to successfully establish communication between them.
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If you have successfully connected to the license server but are still unable to check out a license,
ensure that both NI License Manager and the license server are compatible with each other. To verify compatibility, refer to the following chart:
NI License Manager and Volume License Manager Compatibility.
- If there are no compatibility issues and you are still unable to check out a license from the server, it is possible that you do not have the required license permissions. In this case, the appropriate permission(s) must be assigned from the server to your client machine or user account. Software Administrators can refer to the documents below to grant permissions based on the license server in use:
- If you have confirmed that you have the appropriate license permissions but are still being prompted to activate the software, it is possible that NI License Manager is using an evaluation license. Navigate to the Local Licenses tab in NI License Manager to check whether an evaluation license is currently active. Evaluation licenses provide a trial period for the software and, in most cases, do not limit functionality. You may choose to wait for the evaluation period to expire, after which NI License Manager should automatically switch to the Network License.
- For any additional technical issues related to connecting to your software, please contact NI Technical Support.