MATLAB Distributed Computing Server Licensing Guide

MATLAB ® Distributed Computing Server 

Licensing Guide

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MATLAB ® Distributed Computing Server Licensing Guide 

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Revision History 

March 2012 

September 2012 

March 2013 

June 2013 

July 2014 

October 2014 

March 2015 

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Contents 

1 

Cluster Licensing Options 

Choose Licensing Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 

On-Site Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 

Cloud Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4 

Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License 

Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6 

Step 1: Open Cluster Machine Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6 

Step 2: Disable FlexNet Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6 

Step 3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS 

Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7 

Step 3b: Set Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party 

Schedulers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the 

License Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 

Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager . . . . . . . 1-9 

Step 2: Manage Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13 

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License 

Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15 

Step 1: Enable On-Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15 

Step 2: Manage Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19 

Disable or Reenable On-Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21 

Monitor On-Demand Worker Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22 

Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to 

FlexNet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24 

Step 1: Select and Activate FlexNet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24 

Step 2: Set Up FlexNet Licensing in On-Site Cluster . . . . . . 1-26 

Step 3a: Modify License Parameter in Definitions File (MJS 

Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26 

iii

Step 3b: Reset Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party 

Schedulers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26 

iv 

Contents

1 

Cluster Licensing Options 

• “Choose Licensing Option” on page 1-2 

• “Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager” on page 1-6 

• “Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the License Center” on page 

1-9 

• “Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center” on page 1-15 

• “Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to FlexNet” on page 

1-24

1 Cluster Licensing Options 

Choose Licensing Option 

In this section... 

“Overview” on page 1-2 

“On-Site Cluster” on page 1-3 

“Cloud Cluster” on page 1-4 

License 

Management 

Option 

Overview 

The following table provides an overview of the features and requirements of the 

licensing options for MATLAB ® Distributed Computing Server. 

Supported Cluster 

Locations 

Supported 

Schedulers 

Requirements 

FlexNet • On-site only • Any scheduler • Normal 

activation 

MathWorks hosted 

license manager 

• On-site, or 

• Cloud 

• Any scheduler • Configured in 

MathWorks ® 

License Center 

with allowed 

user list 

• On-site clusters 

require access 

to Internet 

Fixed Count/ 

On-Demand 

• Fixed only 

• Fixed 

• On-demand 

• Both combined 

on same cluster 

1-2


On-Site Cluster 

With MATLAB Distributed Computing Server installed on-site, you have two licensing 

options: 

• “FlexNet License Manager” on page 1-3 

• “MathWorks Hosted License Manager” on page 1-3 

FlexNet License Manager 

FlexNet ® license management provides the traditional solution for licensing MATLAB 

workers in your cluster. The FlexNet license manager is installed and started on the 

same network as the cluster nodes. In this scenario, the number of licenses is limited to 

a fixed count, and on-demand licensing is not supported. The following figure shows one 

possible configuration for licensing an on-site cluster. 

On-site computer 

cluster 

Head node 

FlexNet license 

manager 

Client node 

Parallel 

Computing 

Toolbox 

Worker node 

MATLAB Distributed 

Computing Server 

Worker node 



Worker node 



FlexNet license management is required for any cluster that cannot access the Internet. 

This configuration of license management is fully described in the MATLAB and 

Simulink license management documentation. 

MathWorks Hosted License Manager 

When your cluster workers are licensed with the MathWorks hosted license manager, 

when a worker starts executing a task in a job for a particular user, it checks out a 

1-3


license from the MathWorks hosted license manager. The license is released when 

the worker is finished performing tasks for that user. The following figure shows this 

licensing configuration for an on-site cluster. 

MathWorks license center 



Client node 

Parallel 


Toolbox 

Worker node 



Worker node 



Worker node 


Server 

On-site 

computer cluster 

Your on-site cluster can use the MathWorks hosted license manager if the cluster 

machines have access to the Internet using HTTPS port 443. 

This type of setup requires configuration steps on your cluster and in the License Center. 

The following sections describe how to configure your cluster and select the MathWorks 

hosted license manager, beginning with “Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted 

License Manager” on page 1-6. 

Cloud Cluster 

Using a MATLAB Distributed Computing Server cluster in the Amazon EC2 cloud, your 

only licensing option is the MathWorks hosted license manager. The following figure 

illustrates a possible licensing configuration for a cloud cluster. 

1-4


MathWorks license center 



Parallel 


Toolbox 

Job 

submission 

Worker node Worker node Worker node 



MJSComputeCloud 

scheduler 



Amazon EC2 

cluster 



This configuration does not involve an on-site cluster. Instructions for enabling the 

MathWorks hosted license manager are described in “Configure MathWorks Hosted 

License Manager in the License Center” on page 1-9. 

For information on starting and using a cluster in the Amazon EC2 cloud, visit the 

MathWorks Cloud Center at: 

https://www.mathworks.com/cloudcenter 

1-5


Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager 


“Step 1: Open Cluster Machine Ports” on page 1-6 

“Step 2: Disable FlexNet Licensing” on page 1-6 

“Step 3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-7 

“Step 3b: Set Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers)” on page 1-8 

Step 1: Open Cluster Machine Ports 

For MathWorks hosted license manager, all the cluster worker machines require HTTPS 

communication with the Internet. Be sure that port 443 is open on all cluster machines. 

Step 2: Disable FlexNet Licensing 

If this is a new cluster installation that never used FlexNet license management, you can 

skip this step and proceed to the following section, “Step 3a: Modify License Parameters 

in Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-7. 

FlexNet Manages Only MATLAB Distributed Computing Server Cluster 

If the FlexNet license manager provides licensing for only the cluster workers of your onsite 

installation of MATLAB Distributed Computing Server: 

1 Shut down the FlexNet server/daemon, and 

2 Delete the license file found at: 

FlexNetRoot/etc/license.dat 

(Your license file name and location might vary.) 

FlexNet Manages Multiple Products 

It is possible that the FlexNet license manager provides licensing for multiple products, 

such as MATLAB Distributed Computing Server on your cluster machines, MATLAB 

with Parallel Computing Toolbox on your client computer, and other software products. 

In this case, you need to disable the licensing only for MATLAB Distributed Computing 

Server, while leaving all other licensing active. 

1 With your editor of choice, open the license file: 

1-6

Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager 

FlexNetRoot/etc/license.dat 

(Your license file name and location might vary.) 

2 In the file, locate and remove the entry that begins with the text: 

INCREMENT MATLAB_Distrib_Comp_Engine ... 

The entry might span more than one line in the file. Remove the entire entry and 

save the file. 

3 Restart FlexNet for the changes to take effect. 

FlexNet utilities such as lmstat can verify that only the proper products are licensed. 

Step 3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS Only) 

The mdce process uses its parameter definitions file to control the behavior of the 

MATLAB job scheduler (MJS) and workers. Where matlabroot indicates the folder of 

the cluster MATLAB installation, the definitions file is located at: 

matlabroot/toolbox/distcomp/bin/mdce_def.sh (UNIX) 

matlabroot\toolbox\distcomp\bin\mdce_def.bat (Windows) 

• When using MathWorks hosted license manager, modify the mdce_def file to set the 

online licensing parameter value to true. 

For R2012b or earlier, the line should read as either one of the following: 

ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT="true" (UNIX) 

set ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT=true (Windows) 

For R2013a or later, the line should read as either one of the following: 

USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER="true" (UNIX) 

set USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER=true (Windows) 

The USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER parameter automatically releases 

licenses when workers are idle. By releasing licenses during idle times, other ondemand 

workers can use these licenses, as needed. 

With the new settings in the mdce_def file, restart the cluster resources (MJS and 

workers) in the usual manner as described in the installation and configuration sections 

of the MATLAB Distributed Computing Server documentation. 

1-7


Step 3b: Set Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers) 

When using a third-party scheduler, you must specify that workers are to use the 

MathWorks hosted license manager. Do this in MATLAB by setting the cluster object 

property RequiresMathWorksHostedLicensing to true. You can set this property in 

the Cluster Profile Manager or at the command line. 

Script Environment Variables (Generic Scheduler Only) 

The set of generic scheduler interface scripts provided with the toolbox were updated in 

R2012b with new environment variables to accommodate using the MathWorks hosted 

license manager. The new variables in the scripts are: 

MLM_WEB_LICENSE 

MLM_WEB_USER_CRED 

MLM_WEB_ID 

MDCE_LICENSE_NUMBER 

The scripts reside in the folder: 

matlabroot/toolbox/distcomp/examples/integration (UNIX) 

matlabroot\toolbox\distcomp\examples\integration (Windows) 

If you use these scripts directly, the variables are automatically set as a result of your 

setting the value of the cluster object property RequiresMathWorksHostedLicensing. 

If you create customized versions of these scripts for setting environment variables 

in your cluster operation, you should update your scripts to accommodate these new 

variables. 

For more information about using the generic scheduler interface and the example 

scripts, see “Use the Generic Scheduler Interface” in the Parallel Computing Toolbox 

documentation. 

1-8

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the License Center 

Configure MathWorks Hosted License Manager in the License 

Center 


“Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager” on page 1-9 

“Step 2: Manage Users” on page 1-13 

Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager 

To configure your licensing with MathWorks hosted license manager, follow these steps. 

1 In a web browser, navigate to the MathWorks License Center at: 

https://www.mathworks.com/licensecenter 

2 If you are not already logged into the License Center, log in with your MathWorks 

account. The License Center displays all the licenses you are associated with, either 

as an end-user or administrator. 

3 Click the MATLAB Distributed Computing Server that you want to access for 

modifying its settings. 

1-9


4 Click the Activation and Installation tab to see if this license is using FlexNet or 

the MathWorks hosted license manager. 

5 To change the license management setting, click its edit icon. 

1-10


6 The next dialog depends on whether you are transferring your licensing from an 

activated FlexNet managed installation or not. 

a 

If your FlexNet managed installation is not activated in the License Center, 

a dialog presents you with a choice of MathWorks hosted license manager 

or FlexNet license manager. This also applies if you are licensing a new 

installation, or configuring your license for a cloud cluster. 

1-11


b 

Select MathWorks hosted license manager, then click Change License 

Management. 

If you are switching from an activated FlexNet managed installation to a 

MathWorks hosted license manager, a dialog informs you of the steps involved 

in the process: shutting down FlexNet licensing for your cluster, and changing 

the setting in the License Center. The first step should already done, as 

described in “Prepare On-Site Cluster for MathWorks Hosted License Manager” 

on page 1-6. The second step is done when you proceed with this dialog. 

7 The next dialog indicates success in switching your license management. Click Done 

to dismiss the dialog and return to the License Center page. 

The License Center display for this license now indicates that its license 

management setting is the MathWorks hosted license manager. 

1-12


If you have not yet installed MATLAB Distributed Computing Server on your 

cluster, click Get File Installation Key to get the necessary key for product 

installation. Because licensing is managed on the web, you do not need a license file 

and there is no need for activation. 

Step 2: Manage Users 

For the MathWorks hosted license manager to know which users have permission to 

check out a license, you have to define a list of allowed users for that license. Follow these 

steps to control which users can access worker licenses. 

1 For the selected license, click the End Users and License Contacts tab. Any users 

already associated with this license appear in the list. 

2 Click Add User to add a user to the list. 

1-13


3 In the dialog, provide the user’s email address, and a set of names, then click 

Continue Note that if the specified email address does not correspond to an existing 

MathWorks Account, a new account is created for that user. 

4 To remove a user from the list for this license, on the right-hand side of the user list 

click the red icon on the line for that user in the Remove User column. 

Note When using the MathWorks hosted license manager, a MATLAB worker session 

checks out a license when it begins executing a task in a job submitted by a particular 

user. Because the licensing is managed from the web, the first time you submit a job 

to the cluster, MATLAB prompts you to log in so that the MathWorks hosted license 

manager can identify you and authenticate your permission to use a license. When a 

MATLAB worker is finished performing tasks for that user, it releases the license. 

When a different user submits a job to the cluster, new licenses are checked out for the 

workers when that job starts running. So licensing is performed on a per-user basis. 

1-14

Configure Optional On-Demand Licensing in the License Center 


Step 1: Enable On-Demand 

On-demand licensing allows you to use additional workers as needed. The charge 

for these workers is based on usage time, rather than on a fixed number of workers. 

Enabling on-demand provides additional workers to the fixed count limit on your number 

of workers, or it can be used as your only form of licensing. 

Note On-demand licensing is not available in all areas. Contact your MathWorks 

representative. 

On-demand licensing for a particular license requires that license to be configured to 

use the MathWorks hosted license manager. (On-demand licensing is not supported by 

FlexNet license management.) This might be the default for a new license, or you can 

enable it yourself as described in “Step 1: Select MathWorks Hosted License Manager” on 

page 1-9. 

For MathWorks hosted license manager, all the cluster worker machines require HTTPS 

communication with the Internet. Be sure that port 443 is open on all cluster machines 

When you have configured a license to use the MathWorks hosted license manager, the 

On Demand tab is available for that license. 

1-15


To enable on-demand licensing, follow these steps: 

1 Select the On Demand tab. 

2 Click Start Using On-Demand (add new card). 

3 Enter the billing address, accept the terms and conditions, and click Continue to 

Add Payment Information. 

1-16


4 Enter information about the credit card you plan to use to pay for on-demand usage 

and click Send. 

1-17


5 On the Confirmation screen, click Return to License Center. 

6 On the On-Demand tab, verify that the status for On-Demand is On. 

1-18


Step 2: Manage Users 

You must define a list of allowed users so that the MathWorks hosted license manager 

can recognize which users have permissions to check out an on-demand workers. 

1 For the selected license, click the End Users and License Contacts tab. Any users 

already associated with this license appear in the list. 

2 Click Add User to add a user to the list. 

1-19


In the dialog, you can set whether the user is allowed to use on-demand at this 

time or not. This is only the initial setting. You can change the setting at any time 

after the person is in the user list. Note that if the specified email address does not 

correspond to an existing MathWorks Account, a new account is created for that 

user. 

3 On the right-hand side of the user list, you can click the red X or green check mark to 

toggle that user’s permissions for on-demand usage. 

The setting for On-demand Permissions for new End Users on the End Users and 

License Contacts tab can be useful when users are allowed to add themselves to the 

user list and you want to control whether they are allowed to use on-demand by default. 

1-20


Disable or Reenable On-Demand 

You can disable and then reenable on-demand at any time. 

Disable On-Demand 

You can disable on-demand licensing at any time. 

1 For the selected license, select the On-Demand tab. 

2 Click Stop On-Demand. 

3 In the Disable On-Demand confirmation window, click Disable On-Demand. 

4 Click Done after on-demand workers are disabled. 

1-21


Reenable On-Demand 

To enable on-demand after disabling it: 

1 Return to the On-Demand tab for the selected license. 

2 Click Restart On-Demand (use this card) to restart on-demand using the existing 

credit card for payment. Or, click Start Using On-Demand (add new card) to 

enable on-demand and use a different credit card. 

3 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. 

Monitor On-Demand Worker Usage 

To view reports of up to six months of on-demand worker usage: 

1 For the selected license, click the On-Demand tab 

2 Click On-Demand Usage History. 

1-22


3 Select the type of report to generate. 

You can generate a report for current activity or a report for a specific time frame 

within the previous six months. 

4 Click Generate On-demand Usage Report. 

1-23


Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to 

FlexNet 


“Step 1: Select and Activate FlexNet” on page 1-24 

“Step 2: Set Up FlexNet Licensing in On-Site Cluster” on page 1-26 

“Step 3a: Modify License Parameter in Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-26 

“Step 3b: Reset Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers)” on page 

1-26 

Step 1: Select and Activate FlexNet 

If you want to switch back to FlexNet license management for your on-site cluster, you 

first need to edit your License Management setting in the MathWorks License Center. 

1 Log in to the MathWorks License Center with your MathWorks account at: 

http://www.mathworks.com/licensecenter 

2 Select the license you want to modify. 

3 On the Activation and Installation tab, click the License Management edit icon. 

4 Select FlexNet license manager, and click Change License Management. 

1-24

Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to FlexNet 

5 The dialog indicates success. Click Done. 

6 Back on the Activation and Installation tab, click Activate to activate your 

cluster installation licensing. This follows the standard procedure described in the 

MATLAB and Simulink Installation documentation. 

7 To download a new license file and file installation key, click Get License File. 

1-25


Step 2: Set Up FlexNet Licensing in On-Site Cluster 

With the license file available from the MathWorks License Center, restart FlexNet for 

your cluster installation. This procedure is fully described in the MATLAB and Simulink 

Installation documentation. 

Step 3a: Modify License Parameter in Definitions File (MJS Only) 

On your cluster installation, open the mdce_def file (as described previously in “Step 

3a: Modify License Parameters in Definitions File (MJS Only)” on page 1-7), and set the 

online licensing parameter value to false. 

For R2012b or earlier, the line should read as either one of the following: 

ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT="false" (UNIX) 

set ONLINE_LICENSE_MANAGEMENT=false (Windows) 

For R2013a or later, the line should read as either one of the following: 

USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER="false" (UNIX) 

set USE_MATHWORKS_HOSTED_LICENSE_MANAGER=false (Windows) 

With the new settings in the mdce_def file, restart the cluster resources (MJS and 

workers) in the usual manner. 

Step 3b: Reset Cluster Object Property Value (Third-Party Schedulers) 

For third-party schedulers, you must specify that workers are to use the local FlexNet 

license manger instead of MathWorks hosted license manager. Do this in MATLAB by 

1-26

Disable MathWorks Hosted License Manager and Switch to FlexNet 

setting the cluster object property RequiresMathWorksHostedLicensing to false. 

You can set this property in the Cluster Profile Manager or at the command line. 

1-27

MATLAB Distributed Computing Server Licensing Guide

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