Chaos Corona Forum
Chaos Corona for 3ds Max => [Max] I need help! => Topic started by: Otuama on 2024-05-08, 07:00:59
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Hi all,
We're having an arse of a time with the license server. This has been going on for months now but has become much more regular (I have to log on to the office systems every few hours to stop, then start the license server (LS).
Soooooo, as I say above, we keep losing the LS and when we have this we need to stop/start it again. This is a right pain when rendering animations.
I'm in touch with Chaos and the guy is helpful but it feel we're getting nowhere of it's 1 step forward, 2 steps back.
What we were originally told is to:
- go here: C:\Users\SYSTEM NAME\AppData\Roaming\Chaos\VRLService
- stop the LS on each system
- delete the ssl folder
- start the LS
- sign in
This just temporarily solved the problem, just as the stopping/starting LS process does.
We've now been told to centralise the LS - we currently have the LS's (v6.0.1) installed on each system (incl render nodes).
So we've been asked to install LS v5.5.5 on a dedicated system.
Here's what the last email said:
You need a machine that would play the role of the centralized license server. That machine needs to be always on, in the same LAN as the rest, and to have License Server 5.5.5 installed on it (if previously there was a newer version on it- both the newer LS version and Chaos Unified Login need to be uninstalled).
The machine should also have a fixed internal IP address.
Once LS 5.5.5 is installed, you sign in with the license-holding account on that centralized machine.
Then you go to every machine, shut down the 3d platform and all chaos components (if any are open)
Then go to "C:\Program Files\Corona\Corona Renderer for 3ds Max\XXXX\Utils" (where instead of XXXX you have the version of the 3D platform) and run the setvrlservice.exe .
There, for a primary license server, fill in the IP address of the centralized machine, click ok, and then reboot the machine.
Do that on all machines.
It makes sense to have a centralised LS (we have 15 systems) but it also seems like a step back - the fact that we need to use an old version of the LS in order to get something we pay for to work.
We tried to do this yesterday - The system we're doing it on had Max & Corona on but was uninstalled last year.
I installed LS 5.5.5 but it didn't give me the log on page - when I go to local host seemed to be signed in (but said no license active) - I can't find a way to sign out.
The system isn't in the LS page on the My Chaos site.
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What we did notice yesterday was that we has duplicate systems on the My Chaos LS page (I had 3) - we removed the duplicates but this hasn't helped. I still checked the systems at 2am & half the office had lost their LS - I reconnected them but 3 hours later they had gone again.
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Any help with this would be great because we've had enough.
Thanks
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Hi,
yes, he's right - installing a license server on every node is overkill and does not fit your scenario at all. If you have a 24/7 server, use that one as license server. I would do it quite similar:
- Install 5.5.5 on a/the dedicated 24/7 server. That unified login stuff is weird and I hate the bloat it does to my system, so yes, 5.5.5. Then you have a single executable (vrol.exe) running as system service - proper and simple. It is not a step back using 5.5.5 imho, the newer versions are the issue for me and I do not let them touch my server or any system currently
- Adjust firewall settings on the server to allow all connections for %ProgramFiles%\ChaosGroup\VRLService\OLS\vrol.exe (you may restrict this later if everything works)
- Log in the license server on the server using any browser, make sure it connects and shows the licenses properly. If not, check logfiles at %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\ChaosGroup\logs\user.log
- Get a copy of %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\ChaosGroup\vrlclient.xml from any node
- Put the server ip (if fixed) or its name (if you have a working name resolving) into the first <Host> line
- Copy over that file to one node to %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\ChaosGroup
- Test that node. If it works, uninstall the local license server on that node, test again, repeat for all others
To track down any further issues, more information about your network topology is needed anyway, especially whether you have a reliable local domain name server or not. However, never rely on zombie netbios name resolving. If you are not sure, then use a fixed ip at (5) as told. And maybe just the firewall settings were missing in the end :)
Good Luck
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Hi. Thanks this seems to be working
I'm about to uninstall the LS from my system
Should I also uninstall the Unified Login from mine too?
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Never mind - I pulled up my big boy pants and searched Google for what Unified Login did.
So far so good. And I'm testing every system I do
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Hi,
glad it seems to work now for you, just to round it up:
Nothing at all regarding license server or unified login is needed on workstations. I'd remove everything. The only important file is vrlclient.xml. The directory and that file are created the first time a node wants to get a license and you need to edit it. Either manually or by "Configure license server address" in the render setup -> "System" tab when Corona is the active renderer (it just calls setvrlservice.exe in the "utils" directory of Corona program files). And that's only needed because Chaos has not implemented a broadcast detection (as the old Corona license system had).
Good Luck
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Please keep in mind that we have dedicated teams of ninjas who can help with licensing/payment/other issues. If it's urgent and/or frustrating, the best way to get help is by contacting us at https://support.chaos.com/hc/en-us/requests/new