Changes in Chaos License Server 6.0

[flat]

Chaos License Server 6.0 has changed a lot, is there a list of changes?

Also, in the Windows version, CLS is started by copying a shortcut to the startup folder, but how can I start CLS6 with Windows Service?

For example, what if I want to make a non-logged-in system a Chaos license server?

[nikolay.simeonov]

Hi,

The Chaos license server changelog can be found here:

https://download.chaos.com/changelog/20949

At the moment you cannot start version 6.0 as a service. We are looking into developing a way to do so in the future.

[flat]

Oh, I forgot the changelog is there. Thanks.

Please support the old behavior as well, as we have requests from users who want to control the license server as a service.

[kostadin.botev]

That has been reported to the devs.

[SnipeyX]

Is this still just a request, no workaround to get back the old functionality? Our IT didn't anticipate this level of change from 5.5 to 6.0 and we wound up with a renderfarm outage overnight because it didn't function how it used to (no requirement that an active user stay logged in to the system.) We're looking to install it as a service that runs on a specified account instead now, on windows startup without an active login session being required.

[Joelaff]

The linux License server just works if that is an option.

[flat]

We had a request from our customer today as well.
I don't understand why Chaos isn't implemented yet.

(About the Windows version License Server)

Users who need to see this thread should try sexe, an application that can service the programme.
It works fine in my environment.

https://www.nanshiki.co.jp/software/sexe_en.html

[hotbox]

This had me confused for a while too - why after updating to version 6 the license server wasn't serving licenses (I mean, one job...)

We've got round it by using NSSM (for us on Windows Server 2019), probably similar to the app noted above, we've used a few times for various V-Ray related (we had to use it for Standalone at one point, can't now remember why) and works well:

https://nssm.cc/

The version 6 license server is now happily running as a service, so online post a reboot etc without the need to login.

[scott_bryden]

This had me confused for a while too - why after updating to version 6 the license server wasn't serving licenses (I mean, one job...)

We've got round it by using NSSM (for us on Windows Server 2019), probably similar to the app noted above, we've used a few times for various V-Ray related (we had to use it for Standalone at one point, can't now remember why) and works well:

https://nssm.cc/

The version 6 license server is now happily running as a service, so online post a reboot etc without the need to login.

Could you please provide the parameters you have used for the nssm - struggling with the settings. Been working fine for years as a service until an install of v6 (Why change??)

[hotbox]

Yep, it makes little sense to me why something which is so critical to always be there ready and waiting no longer runs as a service, expect there is a good reason (perhaps Microsoft has changed something).

Same goes for V-Ray Standalone, I remembered after writing the above we still need to use NSSM to setup Standalone to run as a service.

Hope the below helps

License Server

For the License Server, the setup was very easy:

Create:
C:\nssm

Copy into above:
nssm.exe (available from https://nssm.cc/download)

Open Command Prompt as Admin.
Change DIR to:
C:\nssm
Run commands:
nssm.exe install VRayLicenseServer "C:\Program Files\Chaos Group\VRLService\OLS\vrol.exe"
nssm.exe install VRayLicenseServerSupervisor "C:\Program Files\Chaos Group\VRLService\OLS\vrlsupervisor.exe"

Open Services (services.msc)
Stop the 2 processes started on login - seen in Task Manager Processes
Start the 2 services just created

Standalone

Very similar but you need to change the user account the service runs as if like us V-Ray Standalone needs to access assets on your network e.g. a file server, otherwise it will default to the machine's SYSTEM account. Easy to do this via the NSSM GUI.

Open Command Prompt as Admin.
Change DIR to:
cd C:\nssm
Run command:
nssm.exe install VRayStandalone "C:\Program Files\Chaos Group\V-Ray\Standalone for x64\bin\vray.exe" -server

Open Services (services.msc)
Start the 1 service just created

NSSM GUI

You can also do various using the NSSM GUI:

To install:

Open Command Prompt as Admin.
Change DIR to:
cd C:\nssm
Run command:

nssm install [servicename]

To edit:

Open Command Prompt as Admin.
Change DIR to:
cd C:\nssm
Run command:

nssm edit [servicename]

NB: you can edit the service here including file path and arguments.

To remove:

Open Command Prompt as Admin.
Change DIR to:
cd C:\nssm
Run command:

nssm remove [servicename]

[andrea_wilkins]

We would also like the new licence server to function in the same way that it did before.