Getting Started with NI Volume License Manager

NI Volume License Manager (NI VLM) helps you manage and administer your National Instruments software licenses. The computer that hosts NI VLM is referred to as the license server and the end-users' computers are referred to as the client computers. NI VLM is hosted on the server computer and is operated by the license administrator who is designated as the main contact for that company’s licenses. The client computers are configured to check for permission from NI VLM before launching the software. The license administrator does not need any particular knowledge of licensing or National Instruments software because the NI VLM makes managing the licenses easy. This short document will guide you step-by-step through the setup and configuration of NI Volume License Manager. The purpose of this demonstration is to successfully guide you to a state where your NI Volume License Manger and client software are operational.

NI VLM is based off of an industry standard licensing software, FLEXnet. NI VLM provides a user interface to the standard FLEXnet commands and features. This user interface enables customers to have automated license management without having to learn the details of FLEXnet. By using a FLEXnet-based license management system, NI VLM customers will have an accurate record of how much software is used which can help forecast software purchasing. Customers also have only one serial number per product instead of one serial number per seat. This avoids keeping complicated spreadsheets to identify where software has been installed. In addition, by using NI VLM customers can prove they are compliant with the license agreement since NI VLM enforces the legal agreement. NI Volume License Manager is included at no cost to any customer who has a Volume License Agreement. Volume License Agreements require 5 or more development seats of software. 

The steps in this guide are also demonstrated in the NI VLM 2.1.1 videos.  Each video steps through how to implement a feature of NI VLM 2.1.1 in less than 3 minutes.

1. Install NI VLM and email NI
   • To begin the process, select a reliable machine that is accessible by most of the clients that will access NI VLM. After choosing the server computer, install NI VLM from the CD you received in your shipment or from the download on ni.com/info info code NIVLMDownload. Once you have installed NI VLM, send your computer ID and server name to the NI Contracts Group at agreements@ni.com. The NI Contracts Group will generate a license file specific to your server and your contract. To find the Computer name and ID, launch NI VLM and select Options»Display Computer Information.
2. Installing the license file
   • After receiving your license file from National Instruments, install the license file in NI VLM. From NI VLM, select Options»Install License File… Navigate to the location where you saved the license file you received. Select the license file and click Open. You must now refresh NI VLM by clicking Apply Changes. NI VLM refreshes and shows the contents of the new license file.
     
3. Configure Administrator Information
   • Next, configure your administrator information. Administrator information is shown on the client computers if the client does not have permission to use the release version of the product or if there is a problem contacting the license server. To enter this information, from NI VLM select Options»Preferences. In the Preferences dialog box, click on the Administrator tab and enter the requested information.
     
4. Configure the Policies
   • After entering Administrator information, select the Policies tab. Select whether to enable overdrafting. Overdrafting is the ability to allow more licenses to be checked out than you have purchased initially. Overdrafting can be helpful in situations where an increased workload immediately requires more licenses than you have. If you want to use overdrafting, select the Allow Overdraft checkbox and read the agreement box. You can set the percentage of licenses to make available with overdraft. Only licenses that are assigned must be paid for. Payment can be made with the “Pay-as-you-go” option. Pay-as-you-go means each license is purchased as it is added. If you do not select this option your usage will be evaluated at the end of the contract and you can pay for the additional licenses at that time.
5. Set Default and Customized Fields
   • After configuring the policies tab, select the Custom Fields tab. The custom fields tab contains information that the end users will see after installing an NI product.  The information entered in by the end-users will then be sent to NI VLM.  You can choose to add, remove, or edit any of the fields.  You can also choose to make a field required, which will force an end-user, during installation, to fill in information in the given field before continuing. This can be useful for you if you have specific information you need from your end users to prepare for your VLA renewal.
6. Create the volume license installer
   • Next, create the installers for the client machines. By default, National Instruments software is not configured to look to a server for a license. Use the Create Volume License Installer wizard to create an installer that automatically configures the client computers to look to the server for a license. By creating this volume license installer, you do not have to keep track of who has installed the software because the computer must have permission in NI VLM to use the software. In NI VLM, select Options»Create Volume License Installer. First, specify the source of the software, usually the software DVD or CD found in your disk drive. Then select a destination to store the Volume License Installer. This location is usually a network drive accessible by the client computers. Enter the product name and version for the network installers if not already provided. Click next and review the server hostname and the administrator contact information. Click next again to create the license sets for the volume license installer. 
   • License sets are created for people using the same licenses. For example a license set can be for LabVIEW PDS, LabVIEW Real-Time Module, and LabVIEW FPGA Module or for LabVIEW FDS and LabVIEW Statechart Module. Select Add to create a new license set and add a name.  You can name it after the products like LabVIEW Pro with RT and FPGA or after the group using the license set like 4th Floor Engineering. Select the first product in the license set, enter the serial number, and check the permission for that product. Continue to add products, enter serial numbers, and select permissions for all products in the license set. Continue to add license sets until they are all added.
   • Once your license sets are created, notify your end users where they can find them. When they install using this special volume license installer you created, their software will automatically point to NI VLM to check for permission to run.
7. Optional: Adding computers and setting permissions manually
   • Computers not connected to the network cannot take advantage of volume license installers and will have to be added manually. If the client computer will be disconnected from the network, you will need the computer name and computer ID. The only piece of information that is necessary for a client computer connected to the network is the computer name. To find computer name and ID NI License Manager on the client computer. Go to Start »Programs»National Instruments»NI License Manager. Click the Display Computer Information button to obtain the computer name and computer ID. Once you have the client computer name, and computer ID if necessary, in NI VLM, click the Add Computer button. In the dialog box, enter the client computer’s information. The fields in the owner section of the information tab are optional and can be used for your own record keeping. After completing this information change to the permissions tab which lists available software packages included in your Volume license agreement. Place a checkmark next to each software package that the client computer will need to use. After granting the permissions, change to the users tab. Add all users that are connected to the computer. Click OK and repeat this process for each client computer. After assigning permissions, you must click the Apply Changes button to refresh the server with these new settings and permissions.
   • You can also use the NI VLM Import Utility to help you gather and enter the client computer information. The NI VLM Import Utility is included in NI VLM and is available for download from ni.com.
8. Optional: Creating a disconnected/home license
   • Some client computers might not always be connected to the network, such as a test machine on the production floor or a laptop. For these computers, create a disconnected license file from NI VLM. To create the disconnected license, ensure that the computer is added to NI VLM, the computer ID is entered, and permissions have been assigned. There are two ways to disconnect the license:
     • Right-click on the computer and select “Disconnect”. Choose to save and or email the file and whether or not it should expire. The email server information is set in Options>>Preferences. To use the disconnected license file on the client computer, simply drag and drop it into the client’s NI License Manager.
     • Left-click on the computers node in the NI VLM tree. A summary view of all the computer information will appear in the upper right-hand view. To disconnect a license file from this view, you can right click on a computer and choose disconnect. You can also choose to disconnect more than one license files. Using the shift and control keys, you can select multiple computers for disconnection. Once the computers are selected, right click and choose disconnect. Choose to save and or email the file and whether or not it should expire. The email server information is set in Options>>Preferences.To use the disconnected license file on the client computer, simply drag and drop it into the client’s NI License Manager.
   • NI’s license agreement states that you are allowed to install one seat of the software on one work computer as well as one home computer. Since many home computers will not have network access to the license server, create a home use license for these computers. Right-click on the computer whose user who requires a home license and choose “Create License for Home User”. You will need the computer ID of the home computer. Install the home license file on the home computer using NI License Manager.
9. Generating Activity Compliance Log
   • By using NI VLM, you avoid tracking license compliance yourself. The Activity Compliance Log in NI VLM contains usage information to prove your compliance. To generate the activity log, go to Options»Save Activity Compliance Log. Email the activity compliance log to NI to renew your license agreement, to change your license count, or to add your end users to  priority support list.

See NI VLM Videos  to learn in less than 5 minutes how to implement these new features. For technical assistance or questions, please refer to our support website at ni.com/support. If you have questions regarding your agreement, contact your NI Sales Representative or email agreements@ni.com.

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