Concurrent License Administration

Network Concurrent User Installation

You, as Administrator, are responsible for installing the network license manager on a central server on your network. This system is referred to as your license server. Users run MATLAB^® on their own computers, called client systems, that are connected to the license server over a network. A computer running Windows^® can act as a license server for Linux^® or macOS clients, and conversely. For instructions about installing MATLAB products on a license server, see the network license manager installation instructions in the installation documentation.

Key Administrative Tasks

A Concurrent license enables you to make MathWorks^® products available to anyone with access to your network. Access is not limited to specific named users, as it is with a Network Named User license. Rather, Concurrent licenses use license keys to control access. Users check out a license key when they start MATLAB or use functions in other products. When all the keys for a particular product are checked out, the network license manager denies further requests.

As Administrator for a Concurrent license, your primary goal is to set up an installation that optimizes accessibility to the products. The fundamental tasks required to administer a Concurrent license are:

Determine how you want to configure the products for users — There are several possible configurations. Decide whether users will install MATLAB on their computers or access MATLAB over a network. See Install Products on Client Machines.
Install the software on the computers required by the configuration — You must install the network license manager on a file server and, depending on your configuration, either install MathWorks products on a file server or install the products on client computers. You can use the MathWorks installer to perform all of these installations. See Install Products on Client Machines.

Design Your Network Configuration

For network installations, MathWorks uses a network license manager program, from Flexera Software, Inc. To set up a network installation, you must install the license manager and install MathWorks products. You use the MathWorks installer to perform both installations. If you want to integrate MathWorks products into an already established license management scheme, you can copy the MathWorks license management daemons onto your computer.

Before you install MATLAB in a network installation, decide what type of configuration you want to set up. This decision determines how many installations you need to perform. This topic describes these options.

Set Up Local Client Access Configuration

In a local client access configuration, you install the network license manager on a server and you install MATLAB on each client computer. When users on client computers start MATLAB, it contacts the license manager over the network to check out a license key.

To install MATLAB on client computers in your network, follow the instructions in Install Products.

Set Up a Network Access Configuration

In Network Concurrent User installations, you can set up a network access configuration by installing MATLAB and other products on a file server and have client computers access products over the network, or you can setup a local access configuration by installing products on each client computer. In this scenario, clients communicate with the server only when they check out a license key.

Note

You must activate the license for the installation before you run the installer. To retrieve the license file needed for your configuration, go to the License Center at the MathWorks website.

You must provide the host ID of the computer on which you intend to run the network license manager when requesting a license file. You specify the location of your license file during installation.

Use Timeouts for Idle License Keys

Overview

If you have a Concurrent license, you can use the licensing timeout option to automatically return idle license keys at your site. With license timeouts, the network license manager automatically frees license keys that sit idle for a specified period of time, returning the licenses to the pool of available license keys.

For example, when you start MATLAB and other products, such as toolboxes, you check out license keys for these products. If you go home without exiting your MATLAB session, these licenses remain checked out and are not available to other users. With timeouts enabled, after your licenses sit idle for a specified period, the network license manager releases the license keys for all the products you had been using and these keys become available to other users.

Enable License Timeouts

To take advantage of timeouts, you must specify the TIMEOUT option in the options file for the network license manager. This options file is a text file that contains license manager options statements, such as INCLUDE, EXCLUDE, and GROUP statements.

To enable timeouts:

Create an options file, if one does not exist, using any text editor. Name the options file MLM.opt and put the file in the matlabroot/etc/$ARCH folder, where matlabroot represents your installation folder and $ARCH represents a platform-specific folder. For example, on a Windows computer, you might create the file
```
C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2024b\etc\win64\MLM.opt
```
Add the TIMEOUT option to the options file, using the following syntax:
```
TIMEOUT feature seconds
```
For feature, specify MATLAB. You cannot specify separate timeout values for individual MathWorks products, such as toolboxes.
For seconds, specify the amount of idle time you want to allow. The minimum value is 4 hours (14,400 seconds). If you specify a timeout value that is smaller, the minimum value is used. For example, to specify a five-hour time-out, enter the following in your options file.
```
TIMEOUT MATLAB 18000
```
Make sure the DAEMON line in your license file specifies the location of your options file. The license file DAEMON line must include the options= syntax. For example, your DAEMON line might look like the following:
```
DAEMON MLM "C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2024b\etc\win64\MLM.exe" \
            options="C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2024b\etc\win64\mlm.opt"
```
Stop the network license manager and restart it. Whenever you change the license file, or change the time-out value in the options file, you must restart the license manager.

Experiencing a License Timeout

You may experience a license timeout when:

Timeout is enabled, and
You leave a MATLAB session inactive for an extended period of time.

Under these conditions, the network license key(s) are returned but MATLAB remains open.

The timeout is recorded in the network license manager log file, as follows:

Idle session.  Returning keys for <user>@<machine>

To resume a MATLAB session that has timed out, start using MATLAB again. If a license key is available, MATLAB checks it out automatically. If a license key is not available, MATLAB issues a warning and tries again. MATLAB will make 10 attempts before exiting.

Note

If you return to a Simulink^® session that has timed out, and no licenses are available, you cannot run or modify a currently open model. These menu options are disabled until a Simulink license key becomes available. You can, however, save a model in a Simulink session that has timed out.