Configuring for License Server Failover

To configure for a license server failover, add the failover license server information to the sdlxysoft_LICENSE system variable. The second, or failover system, is added to the current, primary system information separated with a semicolon.

For example, assuming sdlsv1 is the primary license server and sdlsv2 is the backup, failover server the value for the sdlxysoft_LICENSE system variable is:

5053@sdlsv1;5053@sdlsv2
Note that it takes approximately two to four minutes for the failover license server to start serving licenses once a failed node goes down.

Reprise license log RLM.log, located in the SDL_LICENSE home directory, contains information about what server or servers are supported by the existing license server and what licenses files have been read by the server.

When a license server encounters a rlm_failover license, it:

  • Starts a separate thread in the license server to periodically monitor the health of the failed server. This is done by attempting TCP/IP connection(s) to ports on the failed server in order to determine whether the server is up or down.
  • If the failed server should go down, enables all licenses in license files for the failed server by performing the equivalent of an rlmreread command.
  • When the failed server comes back up, disables all licenses in license files for the failed server by performing the equivalent of an rlmremread command.