What Is the FlexNet® License Manager?
COMSOL uses the FlexNet® license manager software for license management.
The license manager comes bundled with any COMSOL installation. The COMSOL software products and the license manager can be installed in any order, unless you are installing based on a port number and hostname. In that case, the license manager software needs to be installed and started before installing COMSOL. You should use the version of the license manager that is shipped with the newest version of COMSOL installed on your system.
Installation of any paid-for license on Windows requires a license file (license.dat), which is sent to you by a COMSOL representative by email. You can view the contents of the license file by opening it with a text editor or word processing software. If the file contains a line starting with the word SERVER, then the license manager is required. For a Floating Network License, the purpose of the license manager is to count the number of concurrent users and to give an error message if the number exceeds the licensed amount. Depending on your region and operating system, the license manager might also be needed for Single User Licenses. In that case, the purpose of the license manager is to lock a COMSOL session to a computer that is authorized by COMSOL.
The FlexNet® license manager software supports a heterogeneous network of Windows, Linux, and macOS computers. Both the license manager and the COMSOL software can run on either Windows, Linux, or macOS platforms. In this context, the computer where the license manager is installed is called the license server and any computer that has the COMSOL products installed is called a client. Any type of networked computer can function as a license server, such as a laptop, desktop, workstation, or centrally located server. COMSOL can be installed anywhere, typically on a local PC or on a server where users access the program over the network. A single computer can function as both license server and client, holding both the license manager and COMSOL.
Even though the license manager and COMSOL can be installed in any order, a full test of the installation cannot be done until both are installed.