lmf(8) System Manager's Manual lmf(8)
Name
lmf - License Management Facility (LMF)
Syntax
/etc/lmf [ -d dir ] [ command [ argument... ] ]
Description
You can use the utility to maintain a file of registered software licenses. The file is called the License Database (LDB) and is derived
from Product Authorization Key (PAK) information. You maintain the LDB by using the commands provided by the utility (these are described
in the LMF Commands section).
You can also use the utility to keep the kernel cache updated. The kernel cache contains the active license information which is read by
license checking functions in products that provide full LMF support. The license checking functions ensure that a product has a valid
license before making the product available for use on the system.
For more information about the LMF, see the Guide to Software Licensing.
When you use the LMF commands you can type them on a single line, for example:
# lmf register
or you can enter the utility and type the commands after the prompt, for example:
# lmf
lmf> register
You can abbreviate the commands, but you must ensure that the abbreviation is not ambiguous. For example, you could abbreviate to but not
If you need to use the product, producer or authorization arguments, they must be specified exactly as they are on the PAK. Use these
arguments if the LDB contains more than one record for a given product name.
Options
-d dir
Defines the directory containing the LDB file and the history file. If you do not use the -d option, the default LMF directory (is
used. The -d option allows you to have more than one LDB on your system.
LMF Commands
There are three types of commands:
o Information commands, which you use to monitor your licensing actions, and the status of the LDB and kernel cache
o LDB maintenance commands, which you use to modify the contents of the License Database
o Service commands, which you use to communicate with the kernel cache and may have an immediate effect on users' access to licensed
software
Information Commands
help [ command ]
Prints the syntax of the command specified in the argument list. If no command is specified, prints a list of all the recognized
commands.
exit
Exits from the utility. You can also press CTRL/D to leave the utility.
list [ full ] [ source ] [ for product [ producer ] ]
Displays details of the registered products on the system. If you do not supply any arguments, displays a one line summary of the
PAK data for each product in the LDB.
The argument displays the complete license details for each product. The source argument determines the source of the license
information. There are three choices for source:
ldb Displays a summary for each product in
the LDB.
cache Displays a summary for each product in
the kernel cache. The kernel cache con-
tains the license data used by the
license checking functions.
all Displays a combined summary for each
product in the LDB, and for each product
in the kernel cache.
history [ length ] [ from date ] [ for product [ producer ] ]
Lists data from the license management history file. The history file is maintained by the utility and is a record of the LDB Main-
tenance Commands (and The creation of a new LDB is also recorded in the history file. The history data is output with the most
recent operations first. The data for each command recorded comprises the product identity, the date and time the command was
issued, and the fields that were changed on the license.
There are two choices for length:
short Displays a one-line summary of the his-
tory data for each command issued.
full Displays the history data for each com-
mand issued, and the license as it
appeared before the command was issued.
The date argument displays history data for commands issued after the date specified. The date argument can be specified in most common
formats but the order must be: day, month, year. You do not need to use a separator between the day and month, or the month and the year.
For example, 1st July 1989 could be specified as: 1-jul-1989, 1/7/89, 010789, or 1.july.89.
LDB Maintenance Commands
register [ input ]
Registers data from a PAK into the LDB. If you do not specify any arguments, the command displays a template which includes the
fields that occur on the PAK. An editor is invoked so that you can add the license data to the appropriate fields. The editor used
is defined by the EDITOR environment variable, but if this is not set, is used. When you leave the editor, the LMF scans the com-
pleted template to ensure that all the license data has been entered correctly. If it has not, an appropriate error message is dis-
played and you are given an opportunity to re-enter the editor and correct any mistakes.
When you have successfully registered a license you should store the PAK in a safe place; the PAK is a valuable proof of purchase
and represents your license from Digital Equipment Corporation to use a software product.
There are two choices for input:
filename Displays a copy of the file specified
and invokes an editor so you can fill in
any additional license details before
registering the license data in the LDB.
- Registers license data direct from stan-
dard input to the LDB.
Use the filename command to register license data from a file on your system that contains a partially complete PAK. When you have fin-
ished editing the license data, the LMF scans the file and gives you the opportunity to correct any mistakes.
Use the - command to register license data direct from standard input. You can also register a PAK from a file that already has
valid license data, for example:
# lmf register - < filename
The command shown in the previous example does not display the contents of the file, neither does the command allow you to edit the
file. However, the LMF does scan the file to ensure format and data is correct. If the license data is valid, the license is reg-
istered in the LDB, if not, the appropriate error message is displayed.
disable product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Disables a license from use on the system. Licenses which have been disabled remain in the LDB, but do not get copied into the ker-
nel cache. The command does not have an immediate affect on the kernel cache. To remove a license from the kernel cache straight
away, use the command.
enable product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Enables a license for use on the system. Licenses are automatically enabled when they are registered.
The command does not have an immediate affect on the kernel cache. To load the license details into the kernel cache straight away,
use the command.
issue file product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Issues a reconstructed PAK for the product and removes the license from the LDB. The reconstructed PAK is output to the file given
in the command. If the PAK is issued without errors, the license is automatically removed from the kernel cache. The format of the
reconstructed PAK is suitable for registering using the filename command. You can use to transfer a license from one system to
another. The license is revoked on the executing system and a PAK is produced which can be registered on another system.
cancel date product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Cancels the license on the date given. This allows you to stop use of the product earlier than the date shown by the Key Termina-
tion Date field on the PAK. You can change the cancellation date more than once; by reissuing the command with a different date
argument.
The date argument can be specified in most common formats but the order must be: day, month, year. You do not need to use a separa-
tor between the day and month, or the month and the year.
The command does not have an immediate affect on the kernel cache. To update the license details for the product in the kernel
cache straight away, use the command.
delete product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Deletes a license from the LDB and the kernel cache.
Before you do this you should ensure that you have a record of the license in your files.
modify product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Modifies the unprotected fields on a license. You can only modify the Comments field and, if the license has the MOD_UNITS Key
Option, the Number of Units field. These fields have a colon (:) after the field name, and changes to fields other than Comments
and Number of Units are ignored. The editor used is the same as for
The command does not have an immediate effect on the kernel cache, so you should use the command to update the license for the prod-
uct in the kernel cache.
amend product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Amends the protected fields on a license. You must only use this command when you need to register the license data from a Product
Authorization Amendment (PAAM). The fields you can change have a colon (:) after the field name. You must make all the changes
shown on the PAAM, including entering a new Checksum. Changes made to fields without colons after the field name are ignored. The
editor used is the same as for
The command does not have an immediate effect on the kernel cache, so you should use the command to update the license for the prod-
uct in the kernel cache.
Service Commands
reset [ cpus [ n ] ]
Rescans the LDB so that any changes that have been made are copied to the kernel cache. If you do not supply any arguments, copies
the license details for all products from the LDB to the kernel cache.
Use the command to copy license details from the LDB to the kernel cache, and to determine the System Marketing Model (SMM) by using
the number of active CPUs. The SMM is the model name of a computer system, as used in marketing and pricing and is read by the LMF
when the system is rebooted. The SMM is used by some products to define the number of license units needed in the kernel cache
before access to the product is granted.
Use the n command to copy license details from the LDB to the kernel cache, and to determine the SMM by using n as the number of
active CPUs.
load users product [ producer [ authorization ] ]
Loads enough license units into the kernel cache to enable use of the product by the number of users specified. The number of
license units required for the specified number of users is calculated by the LMF. An appropriate number of units must be regis-
tered in the LDB before issuing the command.
If you specify zero (0) as the users argument, all the license units for the product are loaded into the kernel cache. If the prod-
uct is Availability Licensed, you must always specify zero (0) as the users argument.
unload users product [ producer ]
Unloads enough license units from the kernel cache to reduce the use of the product by the number of users specified. The number of
license units required for the specified number of users is calculated by the LMF. After you have issued the command any existing
users of the product are allowed to finish using it before the new limit is imposed.
If you specify zero (0) as the users argument, all the license units for the product are removed from the kernel cache. If the
product is Availability Licensed, you must always specify zero (0) as the users argument.
See Also
lmfsetup(8)
Guide to Software Licensing
lmf(8)