A Network licence for Wolfram software lets a pool of concurrent processes be shared among machines on a site. The Wolfram Mathematica License Agreement defines a Network process as a Controlling or Computation Process that may move to different computers within the licensed networks without a System Transfer, and defines the Network License Controller, called MathLM, as a Single-Machine process that controls usage policy including the maximum number of concurrent processes.[1] The System Modeler agreement uses the same definitions, and the macOS installer lets one MathLM serve several Wolfram products, such as Mathematica and System Modeler, by entering each product’s activation key and password.[2][3] This article describes the licence mechanics a software asset manager needs to read a network entitlement and check usage.
What the agreement permits
For a Network License Class, the software may be installed and used from storage devices that are located at the physical site of Product Registration and are accessible by the Network License Controller.[1] A Registered Network User is a user registered in conjunction with a Network licence, and the place from which that user regularly uses the software must be the physical site at which the licence is registered.[1] Remote access to the software of another computer at the registration site is allowed for a Registered User who would be eligible to use the licence directly.[1] Documentation for installing the licence server repeats the site requirement: the license server must be at the physical site where the product is registered.[4]
The usual prohibitions apply. Running more Controlling or Computation Processes at once than the License Certificate permits is a prohibited use, as is letting a single Controlling Process be reached by multiple computers or terminals.[1] The components of a process may not be split over computers, except that the front end may run on a different computer from the kernel.[1] Using a password or activation key other than as Wolfram specifically authorises is also prohibited.[1]
Activation key, MathID and password
Products installed from the unified Wolfram application activate in one of four ways: online sign-in, online with a key, manual activation, or connection to a licence server running an appropriate MathLM version.[5] For MathLM itself, three items are involved. The activation key is on the electronic or printed License Certificate and has the form XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXX; the MathID (also called MachineID) is a machine-specific number generated by the installer; and the password is generated by Wolfram from the first two in the Password Generator of the Wolfram Account.[6][4] To register MathLM the hostname of the machine that will run it is also needed.[6]
The MathID can change in some circumstances, for example if the disk is reformatted. If it changes, a new password must be requested from Customer Service.[6] After a major version update of Mathematica, the equivalent or later version of MathLM is also required, and renewing a MathLM licence uses the activation key, MathID and a new password.[7]
The mathpass file
Passwords are kept in a text file named mathpass. The file for MathLM sits in the top-level installation directory, and each line holds a separate password. The file is read from top to bottom and the first valid password is used; a line can be disabled with a percent sign at the start.[6] A typical line has four entries: hostname, MachineID, activation key and password.[8]
Two password forms exist. Network passwords begin with an exclamation mark followed by the hostname or IP address of the MathLM server; single-machine passwords look like dddd-ddd-ddd:n::YYYYMMDD, where n is the number of processes and YYYYMMDD is the expiry date.[6] A mathpass file referencing a MathLM server can list several licences, which are tried in sequence: the product first tries the MathLM server, and if that fails, the next line.[8] Site administrators may create a mathpass file listing all or some of the licences in the licence agreement and copy it to every machine, a method Wolfram suggests for automated installations.[6]
Counting processes
The process count n printed on the certificate maps to concrete slots. A single-machine certificate generally gives 2n front end slots and 6n kernel slots, comprising two master kernels and four worker kernels for parallel computing. A network certificate generally gives n front end slots and 4n kernel slots per increment, and additional increments can be bought by contacting Wolfram.[6] Network MathLM passwords end with a licence class letter, A or B: Windows, Mac and some Linux platforms are class A, server-class platforms are class B, the mathpass file needs separate entries for each class, and a class B password is valid for both class A and class B clients.[6]
Wolfram’s own installer examples show passwords with more fields than the simple pattern, and the documentation notes that in some passwords a pair of numbers replaces the single process count to specify kernel and front end processes. The password may have other fields depending on the licence, so an administrator should compare the numbers and expiry date in the password with the License Certificate rather than assume a standard layout.[6][4]
Installation and service operation
MathLM is available for Windows, Linux and macOS and each licence server can support any mix of client platforms regardless of the platform it runs on. It supports IPv4 and IPv6 and needs little processing power, but should be on a stable machine with a reliable TCP/IP connection to the clients.[4] If a firewall lies between the server and clients, traffic to the appropriate port must be allowed.[4] On Windows, MathLM is installed as the Wolfram License Manager service and by default starts running automatically each time the machine is rebooted.[9]
Troubleshooting documents explain the licence-denial states a software asset manager is likely to see in help desk tickets. If MathLM cannot find the password file it will not start. If a client cannot reach the server it is offered another activation method or a quit. If the process limit is reached, the client receives a message that the n-process limit has been reached and that the licence may be upgraded by contacting Wolfram, and a kernel can be denied separately if the kernel process limit is reached.[10] MathLM can be started with options to run in the foreground and to log to a file with a higher verbosity, and the client kernel has an option that prints licence-manager diagnostics.[10]
Restricting and reserving licences
Restriction scripts let administrators prevent unauthorised users from reaching the licence server and guarantee availability for particular users. The syntax is similar to that of .htaccess files, supporting allow and deny rules by machine, host group, user or user group, with default order deny,allow.[11] The reserve directive sets aside a count of licences for machines, host groups, users or groups.[11] Reserved licences are always reserved: they are inaccessible to all other users or machines whether or not in use, so the licence pool for everyone else is reduced by the number reserved.[11] If MonitorLM shows free licences but a client is still denied, the likely cause is unused reserved licences, which can be released by removing the line from the restriction script and restarting MathLM.[10]
From a counting point of view this matters: the “available” count in the monitor is not the same as the number of processes a given user can obtain, and reserved capacity should be reviewed before concluding that a network licence is over- or under-used.
Site licences and administration
Wolfram’s group licensing combines volume-purchase and site-licence programmes with cloud, network and node-locked licences for work and home use.[12] Under an Unlimited Site licence, the site administrator controls users’ access through the Wolfram Account and can grant four access types: Single User (users of desktop products may install on up to two work or personal machines), Single Machine for a shared computer such as a lab machine, Network for deployment across machines on a local network, and Off-network for a user disconnected from the organisation’s network.[13] Network activation keys are issued to local system administrators, who set up MathLM and the product using the key shown in the Products and Services section of the Wolfram Account.[13] The licence also includes a Lab Version deployment option for Mathematica where applicable.[13]
Single sign-on lets users log in with institutional credentials and gain access to online Wolfram technology only for as long as they are employed by or studying at the organisation.[12] Wolfram warns site administrators that some Wolfram Account functions are not compatible with specific licence configurations and asks to be contacted before settings are changed.[13] A site licence that cannot be updated to a newer version may mean the site has not yet updated or chose not to update.[5]
Out of scope
This article does not record prices for network or site licences, which Wolfram quotes individually.[12] It does not cover the Wolfram Engine, Application Server or Enterprise Private Cloud, which have separate terms.