Arnold uses a floating-license mechanism based on RLM from Reprise Software Inc.

Download RLM Server tools

Licensed users need to install the RLM license manager package.

Starting the license server

The license server must run on a machine that all the render nodes can connect to. On the server machine, and once you have received a license file from us, you can start the license server with the following command:

 rlm -c <license_file> 

Note that on some Unix-like systems (Linux, OS X), you may have to type:

 ./rlm -c <license_file>

if the current directory is not in the system path.

License file

A license file is an ASCII text file with the following structure:

license file

 HOST localhost 0036181a1ca6 5053
ISV solidangle
LICENSE solidangle arnold 302 31-dec-2010 1 issued=27-apr-2010
 _ck=14d6cd3634 sig="12N250DgmjQbGgzFcua8gx=C1b8bD1Lt0ihs9d2LT5ER1az
 tf6Ty\*zz~HPGYLo" 

In the above example, the license server is localhost and the port is 5053 (the default port for RLM). If you need to change the license port, you can simply update it in the license file.

Client configuration

On the client machines, Arnold will try to use the localhost as the license server. If your license server is on a different machine, you will need to set the **ARNOLD_LICENSE_HOST** environment variable and point it to the license server name. It will also try the default RLM port (5053). If you have changed the port in the license file, you must also set the **ARNOLD_LICENSE_PORT** environment variable so that it matches the port in the license file.

It's not possible to specify multiple servers in these variables only, see below.

Multiple license servers

Since Arnold 4.0.4.0, we also support multiple license servers with additional environment variables. We now also recognize the RLM-standard variables **RLM_LICENSE** and **solidangle_LICENSE** .

Licenses will be searched for in the following order:

solidangle_LICENSE

First, from the contents of solidangle_LICENSE , which can contain a list of multiple servers/ports in the following format:

Linux / Mac OSX

 server1:server2:server3:...:server<N> 

Windows

 server1;server2;server3;...;server<N> 

where server<N> can be port@host or host@port (the port is optional and defaults to 5053).

RLM_LICENSE

Second, from the contents of RLM_LICENSE , with the same format as above.

ARNOLD_LICENSE_HOST and ARNOLD_LICENSE_PORT

Finally, from the contents of **ARNOLD_LICENSE_HOST** and ARNOLD_LICENSE_PORT , which together define a single license server target, see above.