Every VE-enabled Charon emulator must be configured with the information how to reach the primary VE license server and - if applicable - also the backup license server (exactly one backup server can be configured). If the license is protected by a passphrase, this passphrase must also be configured. These steps are described in the following sections:

Charon-SSP Configuration

Configuring the License Server Details Using the Charon Manager

To configure the license server details using the Charon Manager, perform the following steps:

1. Start the Charon Manager and log in to your Charon-SSP host system. Please refer to the user's guide of your Charon-SSP product for details.

2. Select the emulated SPARC system from the list of VMs on the left and click on Edit Virtual Machine to open the configuration window:
   
   
   
   

3. In the configuration window, select the license configuration section:

Enter the following data into the Virtual Environment section of the license configuration pane:

• Primary license server: the format of this field is <ip-address>[:<port>]. Where
  • <ip-address> is the name or address of the primary license server (use localhost or 127.0.0.1 if the license server is on the same system as the emulator),
  • <port> is the TCP port on which the license is served (if not specified, the default port 8083 will be used).
    
    
• Backup license server: if you have a backup license server (supported in Charon-SSP version 4.1.19 or later), add the IP address, and, if not-default, the TCP port of the backup server in this field. The format is the same as for the primary license server. The backup server typically provides a license limited to a certain number of runtime hours should the primary server become unavailable. If all valid licenses are lost or removed while an emulator is running, there is a grace period (configured on the license by Stromasys; check license for actual value configured). The grace period is the time period during which the emulator continues to run after its license has been lost or removed. If there is no valid license after the grace period ends, the emulator will stop (this could cause data loss for a running guest system).
  
  
• Passphrase fields: the passphrase authenticates the license client to the the license server. It is defined when the license is created by Stromasys. Please let Stromasys know if you require a license with or without a passphrase (can be selected per product section); passphrases are supported in emulator versions 4.3.x and higher. If your license was created with a passphrase, enter the passphrase in the corresponding fields. You will find the passphrase on the license server in the output of the license_viewer program. If the license contains more than one product section, there will be a passphrase for each product section. Select the one defined for the product section the emulator instance will use.
  
  

4. Click on OK to save the configuration. It will become active at the next start of the emulator.

Configuring the License Server Details in the Configuration File

If your Charon-SSP host system allows command-line access, you can manually edit the configuration file of an emulated SPARC system. This section only describes the license server parameters. Please refer to your general Charon-SSP user's guide for a full documentation of the configuration file options.

Configuration File Location

The default location for the configuration files is in /opt/charon-agent/ssp-agent/ssp/<architecture>/<vmname>/<vmname>.cfg.

In the above path

• <architecture> stands for sun-4m, sun-4u, or sun-4v,
• <vmname> stands for the name of the emulated SPARC.

However, if the Charon-SSP system is managed without the GUI, the user can decide where to store the emulator configuration files.

Adding the License Server Details to the Configuration File

To add the license server IP address to the configuration file, perform the following steps:

1. Log in to the system as the privileged user.
   
   
2. Open the configuration file with a text editor
   (the default location is in /opt/charon-agent/ssp-agent/ssp/<emul-architecture>/<emul-sparc-name>/) where
   <emul-architecture> stands for sun-4m, sun-4u, or sun-4v.
   
   
3. Locate the [license] section (if it does not exist, add it).
   
   
4. Add the parameter
   server = <license-server-ip-address>[:<port>]
   to the section, where
   1. <license-server-ip-address> is the IP address of the license server, and
   2. <port> is the TCP port on which the license is served (if not specified, the default port 8083 will be used).
      
      
5. Optionally, add a backup license server (max. one backup server). The backup server typically provides a license limited to a certain number of runtime hours should the primary server become unavailable.
   Relevant parameter:
   backup_server = <backup-license-server-ip-address>[:<port>]
   to the section, where
   1. <backup-license-server-ip-address> is the IP address of the backup license server, and
   2. <port> is the TCP port on which the license is served (if not specified, the default default port 8083 will be used).
      
      
6. If defined on the license, add the license passphrase. The passphrase provides an authentication of license client to license server. The correct values for <primary-license-server-passphrase> and <backup-license-server-passphrase> can be found in the license_viewer output of the license server. If there are several product sections on the same license, be careful to select the passphrase associated with the correct product section. Relevant parameters:
   1. server_key = <primary-license-server-passphrase>
   2. backup_server_key = <backup-license-server-passphrase>
      
      
7. Save the configuration file.
   
   
8. At the next restart of your emulator instance, the configuration becomes active.

Additional Information

Depending on your Charon-SSP product, the Charon Manager will show additional license management tools. In particular the following:

• Primary and backup license configuration under HASP in the license configuration section.
• HASP Tools in the Tools menu.

Please note: These tools are not relevant for Charon-SSP VE licenses. The same is true for the license management command-line tools hasp_srm_view and hasp_update that are installed with the Charon Agent.

Charon-PAR Configuration

For Charon-PAR, the configuration of primary and (optionally) backup license server must be entered into the emulator configuration file using a text editor.

Relevant parameter:

license_key_id "VE://<license-server-IP>[:<port>]/<passphrase>/"

Where the following parameters are used:

• <license-server-IP>: the IP address of the VE license server (127.0.0.1 if the VE license server is on the same host).
• <port>: the TCP port on which the license is served (if not specified, the default port 8083 will be used).
• <passphrase>: the passphrase of the correct product section on the license. This is required for the emulator to identify the correct section.

To configure a backup license server, repeat the line, but with the address and passphrase of the backup license server. The first line is treated as the primary server, the second as the backup server. Only one backup server can be configured. The backup server typically provides a license limited to a certain number of runtime hours should the primary server become unavailable. If all valid licenses are lost or removed while an emulator is running, there is a grace period (configured on the license by Stromasys; check license for actual value configured). The grace period is the time period during which the emulator continues to run after its license has been lost or removed. If there is no valid license after the grace period ends, the emulator will stop (this could cause data loss for a running guest system).

Please note: the parameter license_id "<product-license-number>" which is used by Sentinel HASP licensing to identify the correct product section is not supported by the VE license server. If it is in the configuration file, comment it out.

Charon-AXP/VAX Configuration

For Charon-AXP/VAX, the configuration of primary and (optionally) backup license server must be entered into the emulator configuration file using a text editor.

Relevant parameter:

set session license_key_id = "VE://<license-server-IP>[:<port>]/[<passphrase>/]"

Where the following parameters are used:

• <license-server-IP>: the IP address of the VE license server (127.0.0.1 if the VE license server is on the same host).
• <port>: the TCP port on which the license is served (if not specified, the default port 8083 will be used).
• <passphrase>: the passphrase of the correct product section on the license (optional). The parameter may be required for the emulator in some cases to identify the correct section.

To configure a backup license server, add the backup license server information to the same line after the primary license server information:

set session license_key_id = "VE://<primary-licserv-IP>[:<port>]/<passphrase>/, VE://<backup-licserv-IP>[:<port>]/<passphrase>/"

Only one backup server can be configured. The backup server typically provides a license limited to a certain number of runtime hours should the primary server become unavailable. If all valid licenses are lost or removed while an emulator is running, there is a grace period (configured on the license by Stromasys; check license for actual value configured). The grace period is the time period during which the emulator continues to run after its license has been lost or removed. If there is no valid license after the grace period ends, the emulator will stop (this could cause data loss for a running guest system).