MATLAB® Distributed Computing Server™

Licensing Guide

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MATLAB® Distributed Computing Server™ Licensing Guide© COPYRIGHT 2013– 2015 by The MathWorks, Inc.The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software may be usedor copied only under the terms of the license agreement. No part of this manual may be photocopied orreproduced in any form without prior written consent from The MathWorks, Inc.FEDERAL ACQUISITION: This provision applies to all acquisitions of the Program and Documentationby, for, or through the federal government of the United States. By accepting delivery of the Programor Documentation, the government hereby agrees that this software or documentation qualifies ascommercial computer software or commercial computer software documentation as such terms are usedor defined in FAR 12.212, DFARS Part 227.72, and DFARS 252.227-7014. Accordingly, the terms andconditions of this Agreement and only those rights specified in this Agreement, shall pertain to andgovern the use, modification, reproduction, release, performance, display, and disclosure of the Programand Documentation by the federal government (or other entity acquiring for or through the federalgovernment) and shall supersede any conflicting contractual terms or conditions. If this License failsto meet the government's needs or is inconsistent in any respect with federal procurement law, thegovernment agrees to return the Program and Documentation, unused, to The MathWorks, Inc.

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iii

Contents

Cluster Licensing Options1

Choose Licensing Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2On-Site Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3Cloud Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted LicenseManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Step 1: Open Cluster Machine Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6Step 2: Disable FlexNet Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6Step 3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS

Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7Step 3b: Set Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party

Schedulers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in theLicense Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager . . . . . . . 1-9Step 2: Manage Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the LicenseCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Step 1: Enable On-Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15Step 2: Manage Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19Disable or Reenable On-Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21Monitor On-Demand Worker Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch toFlexNet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24

Step 1: Select and Activate FlexNet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24Step 2: Set Up FlexNet Licensing in On-Site Cluster . . . . . . 1-26Step 3a: Modify License Parameter in Definitions File (MJS

Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26

iv Contents

Step 3b: Reset Cluster Object Property Value (Third-PartySchedulers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26

1

Cluster Licensing Options

• “Choose Licensing Option” on page 1-2• “Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager” on page 1-6• “Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the License Center” on page

1-9• “Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center” on page 1-15• “Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to FlexNet” on page

1-24

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-2

Choose Licensing Option

In this section...

“Overview” on page 1-2“On-Site Cluster” on page 1-3“Cloud Cluster” on page 1-4

Overview

The following table provides an overview of the features and requirements of thelicensing options for MATLAB® Distributed Computing Server™.

LicenseManagementOption

Supported ClusterLocations

SupportedSchedulers

Requirements Fixed Count/On-Demand

FlexNet • On-site only • Any scheduler • Normalactivation

• Fixed only

MathWorks hostedlicense manager

• On-site, or• Cloud

• Any scheduler • Configured inMathWorks®

License Centerwith alloweduser list

• On-site clustersrequire accessto Internet

• Fixed• On-demand• Both combined

on same cluster

Choose Licensing Option

1-3

On-Site Cluster

With MATLAB Distributed Computing Server installed on-site, you have two licensingoptions:

• “FlexNet License Manager” on page 1-3• “MathWorks Hosted License Manager” on page 1-3

FlexNet License Manager

FlexNet® license management provides the traditional solution for licensing MATLABworkers in your cluster. The FlexNet license manager is installed and started on thesame network as the cluster nodes. In this scenario, the number of licenses is limited toa fixed count, and on-demand licensing is not supported. The following figure shows onepossible configuration for licensing an on-site cluster.

On-site computer

cluster

FlexNet license

manager

Head node

Client node

Parallel

Computing

Toolbox

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

Worker node

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

Worker node

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

Worker node

FlexNet license management is required for any cluster that cannot access the Internet.

This configuration of license management is fully described in the MATLAB andSimulink license management documentation.

MathWorks Hosted License Manager

When your cluster workers are licensed with the MathWorks hosted license manager,when a worker starts executing a task in a job for a particular user, it checks out a

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-4

license from the MathWorks hosted license manager. The license is released whenthe worker is finished performing tasks for that user. The following figure shows thislicensing configuration for an on-site cluster.

On-site

computer cluster

Client node

Parallel

Computing

Toolbox

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

Worker node

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

Worker node

MATLAB Distributed

Server

Worker node

MathWorks license center

MathWorks hosted

license manager

Your on-site cluster can use the MathWorks hosted license manager if the clustermachines have access to the Internet using HTTPS port 443.

This type of setup requires configuration steps on your cluster and in the License Center.The following sections describe how to configure your cluster and select the MathWorkshosted license manager, beginning with “Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks HostedLicense Manager” on page 1-6.

Cloud Cluster

Using a MATLAB Distributed Computing Server cluster in the Amazon EC2 cloud, youronly licensing option is the MathWorks hosted license manager. The following figureillustrates a possible licensing configuration for a cloud cluster.

Choose Licensing Option

1-5

Parallel

Computing

Toolbox MJSComputeCloud

scheduler

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

Amazon EC2

cluster

Worker node Worker node Worker node

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

MATLAB Distributed

Computing Server

MathWorks license center

MathWorks hosted

license manager

Job

submission

This configuration does not involve an on-site cluster. Instructions for enabling theMathWorks hosted license manager are described in “Configure MathWorks HostedLicense Manager in the License Center” on page 1-9.

For information on starting and using a cluster in the Amazon EC2 cloud, visit theMathWorks Cloud Center at:

https://www.mathworks.com/cloudcenter

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-6

Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager

In this section...

“Step 1: Open Cluster Machine Ports” on page 1-6“Step 2: Disable FlexNet Licensing” on page 1-6“Step 3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-7“Step 3b: Set Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers)” on page 1-8

Step 1: Open Cluster Machine Ports

For MathWorks hosted license manager, all the cluster worker machines require HTTPScommunication with the Internet. Be sure that port 443 is open on all cluster machines.

Step 2: Disable FlexNet Licensing

If this is a new cluster installation that never used FlexNet license management, you canskip this step and proceed to the following section, “Step 3a: Modify License Parametersin Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-7.

FlexNet Manages Only MATLAB Distributed Computing Server Cluster

If the FlexNet license manager provides licensing for only the cluster workers of your on-site installation of MATLAB Distributed Computing Server:

1 Shut down the FlexNet server/daemon, and2 Delete the license file found at:

FlexNetRoot/etc/license.dat

(Your license file name and location might vary.)

FlexNet Manages Multiple Products

It is possible that the FlexNet license manager provides licensing for multiple products,such as MATLAB Distributed Computing Server on your cluster machines, MATLABwith Parallel Computing Toolbox™ on your client computer, and other software products.In this case, you need to disable the licensing only for MATLAB Distributed ComputingServer, while leaving all other licensing active.

1 With your editor of choice, open the license file:

Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager

1-7

FlexNetRoot/etc/license.dat

(Your license file name and location might vary.)2 In the file, locate and remove the entry that begins with the text:

INCREMENT MATLAB_Distrib_Comp_Engine ...

The entry might span more than one line in the file. Remove the entire entry andsave the file.

3 Restart FlexNet for the changes to take effect.

FlexNet utilities such as lmstat can verify that only the proper products are licensed.

Step 3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS Only)

The mdce process uses its parameter definitions file to control the behavior of theMATLAB job scheduler (MJS) and workers. Where matlabroot indicates the folder ofthe cluster MATLAB installation, the definitions file is located at:

matlabroot/toolbox/distcomp/bin/mdce_def.sh (UNIX)

matlabroot\toolbox\distcomp\bin\mdce_def.bat (Windows)

• When using MathWorks hosted license manager, modify the mdce_def file to set theonline licensing parameter value to true.

For R2012b or earlier, the line should read as either one of the following:

ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT="true" (UNIX)

set ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT=true (Windows)

For R2013a or later, the line should read as either one of the following:

USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER="true" (UNIX)

set USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER=true (Windows)

The USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER parameter automatically releaseslicenses when workers are idle. By releasing licenses during idle times, other on-demand workers can use these licenses, as needed.

With the new settings in the mdce_def file, restart the cluster resources (MJS andworkers) in the usual manner as described in the installation and configuration sectionsof the MATLAB Distributed Computing Server documentation.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-8

Step 3b: Set Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers)

When using a third-party scheduler, you must specify that workers are to use theMathWorks hosted license manager. Do this in MATLAB by setting the cluster objectproperty RequiresMathWorksHostedLicensing to true. You can set this property inthe Cluster Profile Manager or at the command line.

Script Environment Variables (Generic Scheduler Only)

The set of generic scheduler interface scripts provided with the toolbox were updated inR2012b with new environment variables to accommodate using the MathWorks hostedlicense manager. The new variables in the scripts are:

MLM_WEB_LICENSE

MLM_WEB_USER_CRED

MLM_WEB_ID

MDCE_LICENSE_NUMBER

The scripts reside in the folder:

matlabroot/toolbox/distcomp/examples/integration (UNIX)

matlabroot\toolbox\distcomp\examples\integration (Windows)

If you use these scripts directly, the variables are automatically set as a result of yoursetting the value of the cluster object property RequiresMathWorksHostedLicensing.

If you create customized versions of these scripts for setting environment variablesin your cluster operation, you should update your scripts to accommodate these newvariables.

For more information about using the generic scheduler interface and the examplescripts, see “Use the Generic Scheduler Interface” in the Parallel Computing Toolboxdocumentation.

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the License Center

1-9

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the LicenseCenter

In this section...

“Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager” on page 1-9“Step 2: Manage Users” on page 1-13

Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager

To configure your licensing with MathWorks hosted license manager, follow these steps.

1 In a web browser, navigate to the MathWorks License Center at:

https://www.mathworks.com/licensecenter

2 If you are not already logged into the License Center, log in with your MathWorksaccount. The License Center displays all the licenses you are associated with, eitheras an end-user or administrator.

3 Click the MATLAB Distributed Computing Server that you want to access formodifying its settings.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-10

4 Click the Activation and Installation tab to see if this license is using FlexNet orthe MathWorks hosted license manager.

5 To change the license management setting, click its edit icon.

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the License Center

1-11

6 The next dialog depends on whether you are transferring your licensing from anactivated FlexNet managed installation or not.

a If your FlexNet managed installation is not activated in the License Center,a dialog presents you with a choice of MathWorks hosted license manageror FlexNet license manager. This also applies if you are licensing a newinstallation, or configuring your license for a cloud cluster.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-12

Select MathWorks hosted license manager, then click Change LicenseManagement.

b If you are switching from an activated FlexNet managed installation to aMathWorks hosted license manager, a dialog informs you of the steps involvedin the process: shutting down FlexNet licensing for your cluster, and changingthe setting in the License Center. The first step should already done, asdescribed in “Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager”on page 1-6. The second step is done when you proceed with this dialog.

7 The next dialog indicates success in switching your license management. Click Doneto dismiss the dialog and return to the License Center page.

The License Center display for this license now indicates that its licensemanagement setting is the MathWorks hosted license manager.

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the License Center

1-13

If you have not yet installed MATLAB Distributed Computing Server on yourcluster, click Get File Installation Key to get the necessary key for productinstallation. Because licensing is managed on the web, you do not need a license fileand there is no need for activation.

Step 2: Manage Users

For the MathWorks hosted license manager to know which users have permission tocheck out a license, you have to define a list of allowed users for that license. Follow thesesteps to control which users can access worker licenses.

1 For the selected license, click the End Users and License Contacts tab. Any usersalready associated with this license appear in the list.

2 Click Add User to add a user to the list.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-14

3 In the dialog, provide the user’s email address, and a set of names, then clickContinue Note that if the specified email address does not correspond to an existingMathWorks Account, a new account is created for that user.

4 To remove a user from the list for this license, on the right-hand side of the user listclick the red icon on the line for that user in the Remove User column.

Note When using the MathWorks hosted license manager, a MATLAB worker sessionchecks out a license when it begins executing a task in a job submitted by a particularuser. Because the licensing is managed from the web, the first time you submit a jobto the cluster, MATLAB prompts you to log in so that the MathWorks hosted licensemanager can identify you and authenticate your permission to use a license. When aMATLAB worker is finished performing tasks for that user, it releases the license.

When a different user submits a job to the cluster, new licenses are checked out for theworkers when that job starts running. So licensing is performed on a per-user basis.

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center

1-15

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center

Step 1: Enable On-Demand

On-demand licensing allows you to use additional workers as needed. The chargefor these workers is based on usage time, rather than on a fixed number of workers.Enabling on-demand provides additional workers to the fixed count limit on your numberof workers, or it can be used as your only form of licensing.

Note On-demand licensing is not available in all areas. Contact your MathWorksrepresentative.

On-demand licensing for a particular license requires that license to be configured touse the MathWorks hosted license manager. (On-demand licensing is not supported byFlexNet license management.) This might be the default for a new license, or you canenable it yourself as described in “Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager” onpage 1-9.

For MathWorks hosted license manager, all the cluster worker machines require HTTPScommunication with the Internet. Be sure that port 443 is open on all cluster machines

When you have configured a license to use the MathWorks hosted license manager, theOn Demand tab is available for that license.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-16

To enable on-demand licensing, follow these steps:

1 Select the On Demand tab.2 Click Start Using On-Demand (add new card).

3 Enter the billing address, accept the terms and conditions, and click Continue toAdd Payment Information.

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center

1-17

4 Enter information about the credit card you plan to use to pay for on-demand usageand click Send.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-18

5 On the Confirmation screen, click Return to License Center.

6 On the On-Demand tab, verify that the status for On-Demand is On.

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center

1-19

Step 2: Manage Users

You must define a list of allowed users so that the MathWorks hosted license managercan recognize which users have permissions to check out an on-demand workers.

1 For the selected license, click the End Users and License Contacts tab. Any usersalready associated with this license appear in the list.

2 Click Add User to add a user to the list.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-20

In the dialog, you can set whether the user is allowed to use on-demand at thistime or not. This is only the initial setting. You can change the setting at any timeafter the person is in the user list. Note that if the specified email address does notcorrespond to an existing MathWorks Account, a new account is created for thatuser.

3 On the right-hand side of the user list, you can click the red X or green check mark totoggle that user’s permissions for on-demand usage.

The setting for On-demand Permissions for new End Users on the End Users andLicense Contacts tab can be useful when users are allowed to add themselves to theuser list and you want to control whether they are allowed to use on-demand by default.

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center

1-21

Disable or Reenable On-Demand

You can disable and then reenable on-demand at any time.

Disable On-Demand

You can disable on-demand licensing at any time.

1 For the selected license, select the On-Demand tab.2 Click Stop On-Demand.

3 In the Disable On-Demand confirmation window, click Disable On-Demand.

4 Click Done after on-demand workers are disabled.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-22

Reenable On-Demand

To enable on-demand after disabling it:

1 Return to the On-Demand tab for the selected license.2 Click Restart On-Demand (use this card) to restart on-demand using the existing

credit card for payment. Or, click Start Using On-Demand (add new card) toenable on-demand and use a different credit card.

3 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Monitor On-Demand Worker Usage

To view reports of up to six months of on-demand worker usage:

1 For the selected license, click the On-Demand tab2 Click On-Demand Usage History.

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center

1-23

3 Select the type of report to generate.

You can generate a report for current activity or a report for a specific time framewithin the previous six months.

4 Click Generate On-demand Usage Report.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-24

Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch toFlexNet

In this section...

“Step 1: Select and Activate FlexNet” on page 1-24“Step 2: Set Up FlexNet Licensing in On-Site Cluster” on page 1-26“Step 3a: Modify License Parameter in Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-26“Step 3b: Reset Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers)” on page1-26

Step 1: Select and Activate FlexNet

If you want to switch back to FlexNet license management for your on-site cluster, youfirst need to edit your License Management setting in the MathWorks License Center.

1 Log in to the MathWorks License Center with your MathWorks account at:

http://www.mathworks.com/licensecenter

2 Select the license you want to modify.3 On the Activation and Installation tab, click the License Management edit icon.

4 Select FlexNet license manager, and click Change License Management.

Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to FlexNet

1-25

5 The dialog indicates success. Click Done.

6 Back on the Activation and Installation tab, click Activate to activate yourcluster installation licensing. This follows the standard procedure described in theMATLAB and Simulink Installation documentation.

7 To download a new license file and file installation key, click Get License File.

1 Cluster Licensing Options

1-26

Step 2: Set Up FlexNet Licensing in On-Site Cluster

With the license file available from the MathWorks License Center, restart FlexNet foryour cluster installation. This procedure is fully described in the MATLAB and SimulinkInstallation documentation.

Step 3a: Modify License Parameter in Definitions File (MJS Only)

On your cluster installation, open the mdce_def file (as described previously in “Step3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-7), and set theonline licensing parameter value to false.

For R2012b or earlier, the line should read as either one of the following:

ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT="false" (UNIX)

set ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT=false (Windows)

For R2013a or later, the line should read as either one of the following:

USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER="false" (UNIX)

set USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER=false (Windows)

With the new settings in the mdce_def file, restart the cluster resources (MJS andworkers) in the usual manner.

Step 3b: Reset Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers)

For third-party schedulers, you must specify that workers are to use the local FlexNetlicense manger instead of MathWorks hosted license manager. Do this in MATLAB by

Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to FlexNet

1-27

setting the cluster object property RequiresMathWorksHostedLicensing to false.You can set this property in the Cluster Profile Manager or at the command line.