Contents

Prerequisites

The Charon VE License Server has a number of prerequisites:

1. The VE license server package

2. A suitable Linux instance to be used as the VE license server. This instance must run

   1. in a supported cloud environment,

   2. in a supported VMware environment, or

   3. on a supported physical server.

3. Correct firewall settings

4. The VE-capable Charon emulator software running on a Charon host with appropriate network access to the VE license server (see restrictions for VMware environments in the section Charon VE-Capable Emulator and Management Software below).

These requirements are described in detail below.

VE License Server Package

The Charon VE License Server package is delivered as an RPM package. Stromasys or your Stromasys VAR will provide you with the software or a download link.

Package name:

Where <version> indicates the version of the software, for example, 2.0.1

Linux Instance for License Server

The license server package must be installed on a supported Linux instance. This instance can run in a supported cloud, in a supported VMware environment, or on a physical host.

Currently Supported Cloud Providers

At the time of writing, the following cloud providers are supported by the VE license server:

• Amazon AWS

• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

• Microsoft Azure

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

• IBM cloud

• Nutanix AHV

Please refer to your cloud provider's documentation for configuring and launching an appropriate instance. A description of the basic steps of launching an instance can be found in Additional Information and in the cloud-specific Getting Started guides on the CHARON-SSP documentation page.

Depending on the cloud environment, Stromasys may offer prepackaged Charon VE images on selected cloud marketplaces. Such images include the Charon VE-enabled emulator software (already installed) and the VE License Server RPM package (can be installed optionally). An instance launched from a prepackaged image can also be used as a VE license server.

Currently Supported VMware Platforms and Requirements

At the time of writing, the following VMware Platforms are supported by the VE license server:

• Requirements for direct ESXi host binding:

  • The VE license server must run in one of the VMs on the ESXi server.

  • ESXi/vSphere version 6.5 and above.

  • Valid license that supports the vSphere API feature. Otherwise the license server fails to start with the message
    Failed to detect ESXi/vCenter Server.

  • Ports 443 (TCP) and 902 (TCP, UDP) must be accessible to the VE license server host.

  • 100 MB of free disk space on the ESXi server to be used by the VE license server host.

  • Administrative user (and password) on the ESXi/vSphere host used for the binding between license server and ESXi/vSphere host.

  • User and password on the ESXi/vSphere host used for the binding between license server and ESXi/vSphere host. This user must have at least the following permissions assigned to the user via a custom role definition (please note that the permission paths/names can be slightly different depending on the vSphere version):

• Requirements for vCenter Server binding:

  • The VE license server must run in a VM on one of the ESXi systems managed by the vCenter Server.

  • vCenter Server version 6.5 and above.

  • Ports 443 (TCP) and 902 (TCP, UDP) must be accessible to the VE license server host.

  • 100 MB of free disk space on the vCenter Server to be used by the VE license server host.

  • User and password on the vCenter Server used for the binding between license server and vCenter Server. This user must have at least the following permissions assigned to the user via a custom role definition (please note that the permission paths/names can be slightly different depending on the vSphere version) :

    • Datastore > Allocate Space

    • VirtualMachine > Config > AddNewDisk

    • VirtualMachine > Config > RemoveDisk

Please note: vMotion for the virtual machine running the VE license server can only be used if the license server binds to the vCenter Server. The target system must be managed by the same vCenter Server.

The VE license server for VMware environments has also been tested successfully in a Google GCVE (Google Cloud VMware Engine) environment. Please contact Stromasys to discuss your requirements if you need this product combination.

Currently Supported Physical Servers

At the time of writing, the following physical platforms are supported by the VE license server:

• Modern Intel x86 or AMD platform with sufficient resources for the required Linux operating system

Linux Host Requirements for the VE License Server

The Linux system on which the VE license server runs must fulfill the requirements described below.

Linux Hardware and Software requirements

Software requirements for the VE License Server itself:

Basic hardware requirements (cloud instance capabilities or VMware host configuration) for running only the license server:

Additional hardware requirements (cloud instance capabilities or VMware host configuration) for running the emulator software on the same system:

• For Charon-SSP, refer to the Charon-SSP user's guide of your emulator version for details (see CHARON-SSP for Linux).

Additional Linux Host Requirements for AWS cloud (for VE license server versions < 1.1.23)

Only required for VE license server versions earlier than 1.1.23.

In the AWS cloud, an IAM role allowing the ListUsers action (IAMReadOnlyAccess in the example below) must be attached to the instance. This can be done during the launch of the instance as shown in the sample below.

Alternatively, the role can be set/changed by selecting the instance, right-clicking on it, and selecting Security > Modify IAM Role (in the older AWS console, use the Action menu). If such a role has not yet been defined, please refer to Creating and Attaching an AWS IAM Role and to the documentation provided by AWS for additional information.