FAQ TOKEN LICENSING
1. What is Token Licensing and how does it work? .............................................................. 2
2. Do Token licenses require license keys? ............................................................................. 2
3. How do I Access & Manage Token Licenses? ..................................................................... 2
4. Can Tokens be of Authorized User type? ............................................................................ 3
5. Can Tokens use the borrowing functionality? .................................................................... 3
6. Can Tokens use the disconnected functionality? .............................................................. 3
7. Specific linger time/time out for tokens? ............................................................................ 3
8. Do tokens have additional features? ..................................................................................... 3
9. What is the “TLSTOK” License Increment? ......................................................................... 3
10. What is the Token Experience? ............................................................................................. 3
11. Token License Key Example: ................................................................................................. 4
12. Token licenses expiration date .............................................................................................. 4
13. Dedicating Product specific usage in a token licensing environment: .................. 4
14. Can Tokens be mixed with floating licenses? .................................................................. 4
15. Older product version not supporting tokens .................................................................. 5
16. Can Products using Activation Kit be used in the token environment? ................ 5
17. Jazz products in token environment ................................................................................... 5
18. Can I add Jazz products to an existing token environment? .................................... 5
19. How to configure the Jazz team server for token licensing? .................................... 5
20. What License Server version is required to use token licensing? ........................... 5
21. Guidance for deploying IBM Rational License Server 8.1.x ....................................... 6
22. Token license server installation .......................................................................................... 6
23. What is IBM Common Rational Licensing? ....................................................................... 6
24. Upgrades to the 8.1 Server: will all products need to be upgraded? .................... 6
25. How does the License Server Manage Tokens?.............................................................. 6
26. Can you split tokens across multiple servers? ................................................................ 7
27. Token usage across different platforms ............................................................................ 7
28. Do the LMTOOLS support token licenses? ........................................................................ 7
29. Token Reporting Capability from the License Server ................................................... 7
30. License Key Server Port Forwarding Strategies ............................................................. 7
31. How to configure IBM RLKS to serve license keys through firewalls? ................... 7
32. Token product availability ....................................................................................................... 7
34. Known FlexLM Errors ................................................................................................................ 8
35. More Information about Token licensing .......................................................................... 8
1. What is Token Licensing and how does it work?
Tokens are the most flexible method of licensing. It is a floating license key where each license feature has a
pre defined token value replacing the static feature quantity. It’s available for selected Rational products and
available as Fixed Term only.
In a token environment each product consumes a pre defined token value per license and not a predefined
quantity per license as it does in a traditional floating environment. The license key has a pool of tokens from
which the license server automatically calculates the tokens being checked in and out. Tokens are consumed
/ released when a product checks in/out licenses from the license server the same way a traditional floating
license is handled.
The users are able to obtain a license as long as sufficient unused Tokens are available for the entitled token
products. When someone stops using a product, the tokens are returned to the token pool and are available
for someone else to utilize.
An Example:
Assume you have 720 total tokens to be used for DOORS and Synergy. And you have all 720 tokens installed
on one license server.
DOORS require 10 tokens per user and Synergy requires 6 tokens per user. In this example you’d be entitled
to have any combination of users using DOORS and Synergy at one time as long as they do not exceed 720
tokens.
As a result you could have any of the following combinations of product usage;
● 72 concurrent DOORS users (720 tokens / 10 tokens per user)
Or;
● 120 concurrent Synergy users (720 tokens / 6 tokens per user)
Or;
● 42 concurrent DOORS users (420 tokens) and 50 Synergy users (300 tokens)
Or;
● or any other combination that does not exceed 720 tokens
As you can see from the example above tokens allow you to vary the actual usage based on the needs
- Tokens float across users
- Tokens float across entitled products
2. Do Token licenses require license keys?
Yes it does. The Token concept is 100% controlled by the actual license key installed on the license server.
The license key is specific to tokens and based on the actual order in Rational License Key Center if the order
is a token order the license key ends up as a specific token license key/jar file.
3. How do I Access & Manage Token Licenses?
You access and manage Token licenses in Rational License Key Center (LKC) as you would for any other
license keys from IBM Rational. It’s almost like traditional floating licenses with exception that it is like a
“token product package”. You can not split/manage the different token products when generating the keys
however you can split the total quantity of tokens across different servers.
● At the top of the screen in LKC, select Download License Keys
- This will give you the license.dat file.
And if you have jazz products included in the token license
● Scroll down the page and select Download Jazz Keys.
- This will give you the Jazz.Token.zip file.
4. Can Tokens be of Authorized User type?
No, tokens can not be Authorized User type.
5. Can Tokens use the borrowing functionality?
No, borrowing functionality is not an option using Tokens.
6. Can Tokens use the disconnected functionality?
Yes, Token licenses can use the disconnected functionality
7. Specific linger time/time out for tokens?
Token time out is less or equal to traditional floating license usage, NEVER more.
For Jazz based products in version 4.0.3 and up the time out has changed for tokens only, it can
be set at 30 min. In version 4.0.2 and earlier versions tokens time out is 2h, which is equal to
traditional usage of jazz based products.
8. Do tokens have additional features?
No it is the same set of license feature/increment as for traditionally floating license keys with the exception
of the master token license increment TLSTOK.
9. What is the “TLSTOK” License Increment?
The TLSTOK license feature is the master token feature holding the total quantity of the tokens. On
start up, a product will only be able to obtain a license if sufficient number of tokens is available.
10. What is the Token Experience?
From a user perspective it is like a floating environment. When a license is requested the license server will
automatically calculate and release required license as long as there is a sufficient number of Tokens
available. If there are not enough tokens available, the user will not be able to continue the operation until
someone else releases a product that will free up tokens to use.
11. Token License Key Example:
12. Token licenses expiration date
Token licensing like fixed term licensing contractually and technically ends on the defined order end date.
When the contract expires the associated licenses will also expire and the products will cease to be available.
13. Dedicating Product specific usage in a token
licensing environment:
To take full advantage of the flexibility of tokens while ensuring a certain number of licenses to be available
for specific products for specific users, standard floating licenses for those products/users, i.e. non token
licenses is recommended.
For example, if you want to ensure that 5 DOORS and 5 ClearCase users always should have access to those
products, then 5 floating DOORS and 5 floating ClearCase licenses on top of the tokens is recommended.
14. Can Tokens be mixed with floating licenses?
Mixing regular Floating and Token licenses on the same license server works perfectly fine
When mixing traditional floating with tokens following applies;


Floating licenses are consumed first
Token license increment has attribute sort=150 which controls the order of usage if mixed with
floating
15. Older product version not supporting tokens
This is an important consideration, if any usage requires older versions of the products you need to plan
accordingly. If you migrate to token licensing, all versions of the software in use have to be on versions
which support the tokens license scheme. There is no option to run software versions released prior to the
release where token support was implemented. For example, ClearCase 7.1.2 is the first release that can be
used with token licensing. You can not utilize token licensing for versions prior to 7.1.2 of ClearCase.
16. Can Products using Activation Kit be used in the
token environment?
Yes, some products that use Activation Kit/Jar files is available as Tokens, but since tokens is based on the
FlexLM technology the solution is a combination of Activation kit/jar file and a flex license. One Example is
the Jazz family of products, were both the jar file and the Flex license key is required in the token
environment.
17. Jazz products in token environment
A FlexLM License Server is required in addition to the Jazz Team Server (operating either independently or as
part of an RTC installation) from which Jazz product installations get their licenses.
The token calculation is all taken care of by the FlexLM servers as long as both keys are installed correctly.
The Jazz license server “communicates” with the Flex license server and the token usage is taken care of
automatically.
You get 2 set of keys when generating licenses in LKC, one flex LM license key + the
Jazz jar file.
18. Can I add Jazz products to an existing token
environment?
If you already use tokens and add Jazz products to the token licensing scheme you will notice a difference, in
addition to the Flex license file a Jazz Team Server must be configured, with token specific jazz files to
mediate requests between the Jazz products it serves licenses to and the Flex Server.
19. How to configure the Jazz team server for token
licensing?
https://jazz.net/library/article/559 this will walk you through with screen shots on how to configure the Jazz
team server for token licensing Team Server configuration for Token( reference manual)
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/clmhelp/v3r0m1/topic/com.ibm.jazz.repository.we
b.admin.doc/topics/t_setup_rcl_service.html
20. What License Server version is required to use
token licensing?
Rational token products require the IBM Rational Common License Server 8.1.x
21. Guidance for deploying IBM Rational License
Server 8.1.x
Recommendations for maintaining a stable and efficient license service see
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27023000
Installing Rational License Server 8.1.x in Microsoft Windows
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?us=727&uid=swg21474620
Installing Rational License Server 8.1.1 in UNIX
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?us=727&uid=swg21474621
22. Token license server installation
Token licensing requires the common licenses server (8.1.x) version to be installed and used. Token licenses
are installed and handled exactly as a traditional floating flex license key. Information on managing licenses
for IBM Rational® products IBM Rational License Key Server uses FLEXnet® for licensing can be found here:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/rational/v0r0m0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rational
.license.doc/topics/c_managing_lic.html
23. What is IBM Common Rational Licensing?
Rational has developed a common license server to address two issues:
1. Consolidate various legacy license server daemon support for both Rational and
Telelogic vendor daemons
2. Provide support for the token concept for products offering tokens.
This license key server is named IBM Rational Common License Server, version 8.x.
What you should know:
-Replaces Rational license server 7.x and Telelogic license server TLOG 2.0
-Flex component version 11.8
-Backward compatible with all earlier product versions
-Added token support for core Rational products
24. Upgrades to the 8.1 Server: will all products need
to be upgraded?
No. Older versions of heritage Rational and heritage Telelogic floating licenses is supported by the v8.1.x
common license server. However, the license keys need to have the ibmratl vendor daemon listed before
rational and/or Telelogic vendor daemon in the license key. Upgrade your license keys using one of the
following two methods:
a. Run the License Migration Utility: License Migration Utility
or;
b. Re-generate the license keys in License Key Center.
25. How does the License Server Manage Tokens?
The license server automatically calculates the tokens being checked in and out. Tokens are consumed when
a product requests a license and released when a product releases the license. Product will only be able to
obtain a license if sufficient unused Tokens are available for the entitled token products.
26. Can you split tokens across multiple servers?
Yes. You can split the total token quantity across different license servers however you can not split out the
products within the token order.
27. Token usage across different platforms
Token licensed products support the same platforms as traditionally floating licenses. You are essentially
using the same product, but the licensing model is different.
28. Do the LMTOOLS support token licenses?
Support for tokens is not in the LMTOOLS application since it is a homegrown solution built on FlexNet, and
the earliest version of FlexNet were tokens is supported is FlexNet 10.3.1
29. Token Reporting Capability from the License Server
There are currently no token usage reporting available from the licenses server or any other tool that IBM
provide
30. License Key Server Port Forwarding Strategies
Upgrading Telelogic License Server 2.0 or Rational License Server 7.x to Rational License Key Server (RLKS)
8.1.x may require changing port assignment or port forwarding for license management. See tech note:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21501831
31. How to configure IBM RLKS to serve license keys
through firewalls?
See tech note http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21257370 to point a client machine
outside a firewall to a License Server
32. Token product availability
Contact your IBM representative for information about the latest product availability within the token offering.
34. Known FlexLM Errors
1. FlexLM Error - Port@Server cannot be reached
Two tomcat processes for the jazz team server running simultaneously.
Tech note: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21585364
2. FlexLM Error - <Feature_Name> license has an invalid expiration date.
The long FEATURE/INCREMENT name causes the expiration date to be pushed into the next line causing
FLEXlm to report this error.
Tech note: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21584651
3. FlexLM Error -4,132 - the feature failed to check out
This error message will occur trying to check out a license when all tokens are in use.
4. Flexlm Error -2 and/or Error -15 invalid license file syntax OR no licenses in file
Attempts to use an IBM Rational product on a virtual machine
Tech note: https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21417204
5. FlexLM Error -15,578 - License Key Server simultaneous checkout limitation
Attempts to checkout simultaneous licenses using IBM Rational License Key Server
Tech Note: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21441775
6. FlexLM Error -4,342:10054 DENIED- Licensed number of users already reached
The appearance of such a DENIED message is described in the documentation on
Rational Common Licensing
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/rational/v0r0m0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.
rational.license.doc/topics/r_lic_log_file.html
35. More Information about Token licensing
Please visit Rational Common Licensing Support Community > Token Licensing
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/wikis/home?lang=en#!/wiki/Wa5f0e71b4f3c_4bc8_adb1_
be13c9277040/page/Token%20Licensing