Local SMath Licensing Server

The Local SMath Licensing Server is an optional component of the SMath infrastructure that provides greater flexibility in managing SMath software across an organization's network.

1. Features

   By installing the SMath licensing server on your organization’s network, you get a convenient tool for working with SMath software licenses, which has the following advantages:

   • User friendly interface available in your favorite browser.
   • Compact installation package – just about 240 Mb to download.
   • Driven by Docker technology and may be easily installed on any Operating System just in a few minutes.
   • Both Fixed and Floating licenses supported.
   • Additional capabilities to monitor and manage your licenses.
   • Anonymous authentication type supported, so the end users do not need to remember their credentials to access SMath Studio.
   • SMath Studio branding supported.
   • May be moved to another IP address, another port, another machine in your network any moment without involving vendor at all.
   • Adding new license(s), changing or prolonging it does not require Server recreation/reinstallation or SMath Studio reinstallation.
   • Offline mode supported, so it is possible to access licenses without Internet access.
   • SMath Studio Enterprise may use both SMath.com and Local Licensing Server if required.
   • Local Cloud version of SMath Studio can be included to the Local Licensing Server package.
   • Full technical support for the Local License Server is provided by the developer of SMath Studio.

2. Delivery

   An installation package for the local SMath Licensing Server will be prepared for organization after signing the Agreement. Each such installation package is unique, is not subject to publication on publicly accessible resources and is intended for use by a single legal entity only.

   Local SMath Licensing Server package can be downloaded in format of Docker using one of the following methods:

   • Using SMath.com web: the link will be provided after signing the Agreement (authentication may be required using the data from the electronic license file sent earlier to the e-mail address specified in the Agreement).
   • Using cloud storage iCloud.com: the link will be provided after signing the Agreement (access to this link may be limited in time).

   Extract downloaded archive to the local disk (please do not use network shares or mapped disks) and perform all further steps in the folder where you placed extracted files.

   

   You should get the following files there:

   • docker-compose.yml – text file, describing Docker configuration.
   • SMath-License-Server-XXX-X_XX_X-XXXX.tar – Docker images archive.

   All these files may be used without any changes if you are OK with default configuration.

3. System requirements

   SMath Local Licensing Server Images may be deployed to any operating system, supporting Docker. Provided images have been tested on both Windows and Linux (Fedora, Ubuntu and Debian at least).

   1. Hardware requirements

      Minimal SMath Local Licensing Server System requirements are: 2Gb HDD, 1Gb RAM and 2 cores CPU 64-bit. While the SMath Local Licensing Server is running, our application does not accumulate any significant permanent data volume and therefore does not save it to disk. It allows to avoid potential low disk space reported over time.

      If the Cloud version of SMath Studio is included in the delivery package of the SMath Licensing Server, the requirements for the server machine depend on the number of simultaneous connections to it and the complexity of the tasks being performed. For every 2-5 users of the Cloud version of SMath Studio, we recommend adding 1 processor core, 0.5 GB of RAM and 0.5 GB of ROM, it is important to take into account that while the application is running, the permanent memory of the server machine is filled and is determined by the volume of processed worksheets, and its available amount should be increased over time by the administrator in accordance with the load on the cloud version of SMath Studio.

      Software updates provided as part of technical or warranty support may require increased performance resources in terms of RAM and CPU.

   2. Software requirements

      The provided Licensing Server in Docker format allows its deployment on almost any modern server: both Linux and Windows based. The Docker platform must be available on the server machine where the licensing server will be installed.

      • If you already have a Docker host in your network, the installation will take just a few minutes, because you are provided with a self-sufficient Docker Compose configuration (you just may need to change the external ports in the configuration if the standard 80 and 443 ports are already occupied).
      • If you still do not use any Docker host, you may install Linux on any available hypervisor or dedicated physical machine (we recommend Ubuntu and Fedora Linux, but you may also use alternative distributives you prefer) in order to install Docker there. We provide configuration file, set of images and command to be executed in terminal window in order to get SMath Local Licensing Server up and running.

      If there are traffic filtering tools (firewalls) in the network environment, it is necessary to ensure that traffic passes through the specified ports:

      • To the server: ports 80 and 443 (if they are not changed when deploying the server).
      • From the server: requests to the address https://smath.com:7443 (not required in offline mode).

      You also need to allocate static IPv4 address for Docker host in organization's network (it has to be kept for the whole server life cycle), since SMath Studio Enterprise will be getting licenses namely using this IP address. You are also free to register some human readable DNS name for the server and use it instead of IP both for web access to the server management console and during configuration of SMath Studio.

4. Installation and start

   Make sure Docker and Docker Compose are installed and tuned on a Server machine. Run terminal window and navigate to the folder where you extracted SMath Docker images.

   

   In order to import necessary images into Docker run the following command:
   docker image load -i SMath-License-Server-XXX-X_XX_X-XXXX.tar

   

   As a result, SMath Local Licensing Server Images will be imported into local Docker host.

   

   In order to orchestrate imported images, you got a file docker-compose.yml, where you may customize the following parameters if necessary:

   • HTTP port 80 for accessing Licensing Server Webpage.
   • HTTPS port 443 for SMath software access via protected network connection.

   In order to deploy the server on local Docker host run the following command:
   docker compose up -d

   

   After this command is succeeded you should get a number of Docker containers started, providing you access to your Local Licensing Server application.

   

5. Initial configuration

   For initial configuring installed SMath Licensing Server on server machine open any Web Browser open the link http://localhost (add custom port if you changed default 80 value it in docker-compose.yml file).

   

   First time use the following username and password to login: admin/admin – you will be able to change the password later on (please keep it in a safe place).

   

   After changing password navigate to Home page and select Licenses item in the left side menu.

   

6. Loading licenses

   Page Licenses is designed for managing SMath Studio software licenses.

   After initial licenses download all licensing details will be available on this page. Detailed info on particular downloaded license and its status can be observed by clicking license name link in the grid.

   1. With Internet access

      If the server machine has a direct Internet access or it is connected via proxy server, for performing initial licenses download first you need to perform server login. Please use credentials, provided to you in the Electronic License Document. It has been sent to you earlier on the email address you provided us before making License Agreement.

      Internet Access allows Local Licensing Server the following features:

      • Automatic license properties refresh, including additional licenses download and/or prolongation. Without Internet access it has to be performed manually.
      • Automatic SMath Studio software updates when it is published on SMath Root Server. In such a case all the users will get a notification about new version is available.
      • SMath Studio Plugins access for end users via embedded update manager (including Beta versions access).
      

   2. In offline mode

      Without Internet access, SMath Local Licensing Server is capable to work in Offline mode. In order to switch it to Offline mode, please navigate to Licenses page and use the switch at the right. If the Server already had some licenses downloaded online, it will be automatically released.

      

      After switching the server to Offline mode Licenses page will be reloaded and new button Upload package file should appear. Use it for selecting License file.

      

      Select License archive file (ZIP format), provided by your software vendor.

      

      Please note that the license package for offline operations must be renewed every year while you are using SMath Local Licensing Server. It is because information about downloaded licenses is considered reliable only for 13 months (12 months of use + 1 month for updating) after receiving the license package. License update packages for offline use are provided by the supplier free of charge.

7. Authentication modes

   The following authentication modes can be used to obtain licenses from the Local Licensing server:

   • Anonymous: in this case SMath Studio is automatically registered on Local Licensing Server when first time used in some new environment. It silently performs available license reservation. This mode does not require any manual actions from admin and / or end user: