Licence Manager glossary

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client: The client is a GEOVIA program (for example, Surpac, Minex, GEMS, MineSched or Whittle) that is run on a computer on the network. It is possible for the client to be running on the same computer as the licence server.

Domain Name System (or Service) (DNS) Server: An Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphabetic words, they are easier to remember. The Internet, however, is based on IP addresses, which are numeric values. Therefore, every time you use a domain name, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address.
For example, the domain name www.example.com might translate to the IP address 198.105.232.4.; The DNS system is, in fact, its own network. If one DNS server does not know how to translate a particular domain name, it continues to ask other DNS servers until the correct IP address is returned.

dongle/sentinel: Hardware lock device that plugs into the server computer, in order to run the Licence Manager. The dongle can be either a parallel device or a USB device.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP): The protocol for assigning dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. On some systems, the IP address for the device can even change while it is still connected. DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP addresses.; Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration because the program keeps track of IP addresses rather than requiring an administrator to manage the task. This means that a new computer can be added to a network without the difficulty of manually assigning it a unique IP address. Many Internet Service Providers use dynamic IP addressing for dial-up users.

dynamic IP address: An IP address that is assigned to a computer using DHCP. This IP address can change each time the computer connects to the network or even during a network connection.

Internet Protocol (IP) Address: A unique number consisting of four parts separated by dots, for example, 165.113.245.2. Every computer that is on the Internet has a unique IP address. If a computer does not have an IP address, it is not really on the Internet. Most computers also have one or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember.

licence class, class: A licence class is the name of a group of modules of functionality for a GEOVIA program. Users request and receive a particular licence class from Licence Manager, and they can then use the functionality that the modules of that class provide .

licence ID: A unique ID for an individual licence. The licence ID identifies the modules allowed for that licence, and the class name assigned to that licence, if there is one.

Licence Manager: Licence Manager refers to the NLMAdmin.exe that is found in the bin directory after successfully installing the program. Originally, the file name for Licence Manager was ssilm.exe. Common usage has found that the term SSILM has been moderately corrupted and people often pronounce it as slim or the slim. Licence Manager is the same thing as GEOVIA Licence Manager.

Licence Manager Control Panel: The Licence Manager installation includes an administration utility that simplifies the configuration and management of licences for the licence server.

module: A module is a group of functions and commands for a specific functional area of a GEOVIA program. For example, your organization purchases a licence to run the Block Modelling module in Surpac. The functions and commands that you need for working with block models area available with the purchase of the module.

Network Licence Server (NLS): The Network Licence Server refers to the NLMAdmin.exe program that is running and the computer on which it is running on the network. The licence server is installed as a service on the computer and responds to licence requests from clients running on other computers on the network.

port: In TCP/IP and UDP networks, different styles of network traffic and different programs 'listen' on different ports. A port is analogous to a TV channel. To receive information, you must be tuned correctly. Therefore, if a licence server instance is listening on the default "1234", then all clients trying to converse with this server also have to be using the same port. The port number can often identify what type of port it is. For example, port 80 is used for HTTP (Web) traffic.

sentinel/dongle: Hardware lock device that plugs into the server computer, in order to run the Licence Manager. The dongle can be either a parallel device or a USB device.

service: A service is a special class of program that exists on Windows computers. Generally, the service is started each time the computer starts up and the service runs until the computer is turned off. Even when you log out of a session at the computer, the services continue to run. For Licence Manager, the Licence Manager service must be running at all times to service licence requests from client computers.

static IP address: An IP address that is fixed and never changes. This is in contrast to a dynamic IP address, which can change at any time.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), TCP/IP: Pronounced as separate letters, TCP is one of the main protocols in TCP/IP networks. Whereas the IP protocol deals only with packets, TCP enables two hosts to establish a connection and exchange streams of data. TCP guarantees delivery of data and also guarantees that packets are delivered in the same order in which they were sent.

token, licence token: A token, also called a licence token, is a hexadecimal number, in two parts, separated by a hyphen. This hexadecimal number is a sequence of at least 24 numbers or letters (a to f). When you add a token to Licence Manager, Licence Manager makes available on your local area network, one or more licences to use specific modules of GEOVIA programs. If the token is delivered in a .udt file, you can add a token automatically. Or you can type in the details from an HTML file.
If the number contains letters other than a, b, c, d, e, or f, a mistake has been made. For help, contact your local GEOVIA support office, or go to www.GEOVIAsupport.com.

tokens file: The tokens file (ssilm.tok) is the file that the Licence Manager server uses to save licences. The information in the tokens file includes tokens that you have entered and licence classes that you have created in Licence Manager.

UDP: The Universal Datagram Packet (UDP) port number to use for two-way communication between the client and server processes. Ideally, you use the default port value of 1234 unless it conflicts with another application that is using the default port number. If you use a different port number, it is essential that you add the -lm switch to the desktop shortcut for the client program. For example, for the Surpac desktop shortcut, "<Surpac Installation Directory>\surpac2.exe" -lm licServer.

UDT file: An update token (UDT) file is a file with a .udt extension that contains one or more licence tokens. You add a .udt file to Licence Manager to make the licences associated with those tokens available to users on the local area network. By adding a .udt file, you can make modules available to users for a period of time. When the expiry date on the token has passed, those modules are no longer available.