At iTest launch error: Unable to connect to the Licensing Host!
This morning my license server seemed to stop working. I get the following error in a popup box: Unable to connect to the Licensing Host! The server is up and running, my fanfare client machine has connectivity to the server, the proces appears to be there. The lmstat app stats that the server is up.
I verified connectivity via ping, and I also was telnet'ed to the machine from my client.
Some questions for me to better understand the issue: 1. Do you get the popup when you start iTest, or do you get it in the middle of an active iTest session? 2. After you get the popup, have you tried re-starting iTest to see if you can connect? 3. Are you connected to the network using a wireless link? 4. Is anyone else in your organization seeing this issue? 5. Has the server administrator changed the open ports on the server recently?
Hi, I am also facing the same issue. I understand that I need to change the port for the Vendor deamon in the licence file but how to make the changes "You will need to specify the same port in iTest Licensing Configuration". Pls execuse me in case this is very basic question or this is not the right forum to ask such question. Appreciate if you can point me to the right person/forum in that case. Thanks. Regards -Pawan
Thanks AmeyaB & KumarS for the explanation regarding the erver/Vendor ports. I have it working fine with your help.
Thanks a ton !!!
spanchal
I have been facing similar issue where I get a "unable to connect to the licensing Host!" dialog when I start iTest and am prompted to check license settings. I have verified that I can ping the license server and telnet to it. Also verified that all relevant ports are configured to be open. The license server is installed at my corporate office and I connect to it from my our remote office location. In the license source dialog, when I give the license server IP and keep the port option as default, the status is shown as "OK". "Check Server" button status is also shown as "OK". However, when I hit apply on the Licensing Settings dialog, I get the the same unable to connect error again. Whereas, users from my corporate office where the license server is installed, are able to checkout licenses fine with the default port selection. I did a packet capture on the requests that are exchanged between the host(on corporate network where license checkout works fine) and license server when we hit apply on the License settings dialog and found that initially the host sends out TCP request to the license server on port 27000. Later down the line, the host system sends out another TCP request to the license server on port 4793 which is acknowledged by the license server followed by several TCP requestes between the host and license server(port 4793). Result, license checkout successfull. Similar packet capture on my host and license server shows that the initial request to port 27000 is sent out and is acknowledged. However, there are no requests that follow as in the earlier case. Considering this behavior, I forced my host iTest installation to point to port 4793 by editing the license settings to enter port value as 4793 instead of the default port option. After doing so, I was able to checkout licenses successfully. However, the license file was updated the next day on the server and it was stopped/restated. After this, I have again started getting same error. Packet capture again showed initial request to 27000 followed now by a changed port 1096 instead of 4793. While, I can always find out the port currently being used by the license server and edit my settings to get rid of the error, this is not a workable solution on a daily basis. I am not sure why other users on the corporate network are able to checkout licenses with the default port option? Why can't I connect using the same default port? Are there any setting on the license server or my host system that are missing? Why is the license request first sent to 27000 and then seems like being redirected to some other port (which keeps changing every time the license server is stopped/started again). I also read on some other port that one can configure the license server to use a specified port by putting the port number on the SERVER line in the license file. Ex : SERVER this_host COMPOSITE=E48E527278AF 27000 I tried this as well but I still get the same error where as the corporate office users are able to connect/checkout license fine.
spanchal,
The license file also allows you to specify a port for the vendor daemon, the line is immediately after the SERVER line and looks like:
VENDOR fanfare PORT=27005
Once you specify a port for the vendor daemon, the communication between the client and server should be on that port only. Can you try changing the VENDOR port value on the server? You will need to specify the same port in iTest Licensing Configuration.
The license file also allows you to specify a port for the vendor daemon, the line is immediately after the SERVER line and looks like:
VENDOR fanfare PORT=27005
Once you specify a port for the vendor daemon, the communication between the client and server should be on that port only. Can you try changing the VENDOR port value on the server? You will need to specify the same port in iTest Licensing Configuration.
Hi AmeyaB,
Thanks for the reply. I have tried setting the port for the VENDOR line and specified the same port in the license configuration setting as suggested. However, I still continue to get the "unable to connect to the Licensing Host!" error.
FYI, Below are the first three lines as they appear in the server license file.
SERVER this_host COMPOSITE=E48E527278AF 27000
VENDOR fanfare PORT=27000
USE_SERVER
I also tried the below settings:-
SERVER this_host COMPOSITE=E48E527278AF
VENDOR fanfare PORT=27000
USE_SERVER
Both of these cases failed with the same error. I also verified that there is no firewall protection enabled on my host. I also tried by changing the port value in the license file to 27001 on SERVER/VENDOR lines. However, the license server just kept failing to start up when configured to use port 27001. I reverted back to 27000 and the server started up.
Appreciate your help.
Thanks,
spanchal
You need to specify different ports on the SERVER and VENDOR lines. The way your file is configured, both the server and the daemon will try to start on 27000 or 27001, and cause errors. Could you try keeping SERVER on 27000 and try other ports like 27001, 27002, 27003 etc on the VENDOR line and see what you get?
Thanks AmeyaB. The settings worked.
One question still goes unanswered.... "Why are my corporate office users able to just use the default port option and checkout licenses, where as I need to specify the port which is configured on the VENDOR line" ?
Thanks for the help getting the issue resolved.
Regards,
spanchal
I am guessing it has to do with the privilges/permissions on certain ports on your machine or because that port is already being by another application, but it will be hard to say without looking at your computer in greater depth.
The way the Flex licensing server works is as follows: you need 2 ports open, one for the Flex server, the other for the vendor daemon. If you do not specify a specific port for the server, it will use port 27000. However if you do not specify a specific port for the vendor daemon, the server will assign an arbitary port for that daemon. This arbitary port assigned by the server works on other computers in your office but not on yours due to the reasons I mention. If you specify a specific port for the vendor daemon, all communication is guaranteed to be on that port. This is the recommended solution if you are using a firewall or are having issues with certain ports.
I am glad you are up and running now.
In Googling flex and vpn, I see a number of reports for other products where there are issues getting through VPNs related to port number, although I don't see a specific solution mentioned.
There are two ports to be configured on the license server:
1. One for the overall server
2. One for specific vendor
By default, #1 is set to 27000 and #2 is not set.
So by default, when client connects to server, it connects to the configured port (e.g. 27000). Server sends a dynamic port back to the client to connect back to the licensing daemon specific to the vendor. Client closes the initial connection and connects back on the dynamic port.
If you specify a specific port for #2 and configure client with that port, the first part of handshake does not happen and client connects directly to a specific vendor daemon.
So it is easy to see if you have a Firewall or NAT or VPN which allows only specific set of ports, connection to dynamic port will get blocked. That is why if you have users at multiple locations, you should configure specific port for your Fanfare vendor daemon.
1 Person is following this question.
