( ESNUG 318 Item 1 ) --------------------------------------------- [5/21/99]
Subject: ( ESNUG 316 #7 ) 'Borrowing' Temp FlexLM Licences For Y2K Testing
> I'd like to hear what other EDA customers are doing about Y2K testing.
>
> Here at IDT, we are being required to test every piece of software (both
> EDA and non-EDA) under three conditions: 1999, 2000 & 2001. The problem
> that I'm running in to is that in order to test software under these
> conditions (i.e. resetting the system clock), I need temporary FlexLM
> license files that are valid into 2000 and 2001.
>
> That's not so bad, I just explain the problem to the vendor and ask for
> a temporary license. The problem is that the EDA vendors are trying
> to be helpful, but they claim that since no other customers are asking
> for this, they don't have a system in place to fulfill this request, and
> "we have to make a few calls", etc...
>
> What's going on? Is everyone else planning to trust that the vendor will
> take care of it, or are you waiting until later to do the testing?
>
> - Andy Frazer
> Integrated Device Technology Santa Clara, CA
From: [ Gozer, the Gozerian ]
John, sign me [ Gozer the Gozerian] again. Sigh.
After all the "oh, you're so bad for even thinking about such evil things"
responses that were posted, here is a perfect example of why people who run
license servers should understand them.
I assume that the license server you have is running a non-Y2K compliant
operating system (Solaris 2.5.1 or earlier), and you would like to minimize
the downtime. I also assume that the license server is named "license"
To test for Y2K compliance:
1) Duplicate your license server (if it's a Sparc Ultra1, get another one
with the same configuration, disk, memory, etc.), *including the boot
PROM* and IP address, as discussed in ESNUG 311. Let's call this
machine license1.
2) Disconnect license1 from the production network, and bring the license
daemons up on it.
3) Connect license1 to a test network, along with a "user machine" (called
user1).
4) Run a basic set of tests on the test network to make sure that things
are working just like your production network, just to be sure that you
haven't messed anything up in the setup.
5) Upgrade the OS on your license server. You may need to re-install the
daemons, etc.
6) Perform the Y2K testing of the license server, daemons, and user
software on the test network with license1 and user1. Make sure all the
usual EDA software works as expected.
7) Shut down license1 (and user1), turn it off, and announce a downtime to
your users.
8) During the downtime, shutdown license and power up license1. Change its
name to license. Connect it to the production network.
9) Duplicate license1 onto license. You now have a backup license server
just in case license1 ever dies.
None of this would have been possible if we didn't know how the license
server worked. Does this give dishonest people a way to get twice as many
licenses? Sure. Does it give honest people a legitimate way to safeguard
their businesses? Yep. Knowledge is a weapon - when the guys in the black
hats have it, it's dangerous, but when the guys in the white hats have it,
it keeps us safe. It's only when the knowledge is freely shared that we
can benefit -- trying to keep knowledge hidden just makes it available to
the bad guys.
- [ Gozer, the Gozerian ]
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