Managing Floating Licenses with DataclayLM

There are two types of Templater license keys, Standard (node-locked) and Floating. The license key type is set at the time of purchase. Each license key type corresponds to a different build of Templater. These keys are not interchangeable—if you purchase a Standard license key, you will not be able to activate a floating license build of Templater. Conversely, a floating license key cannot be activated in the standard license version of Templater. If you purchased the wrong key type, please contact support.

Learn more about Templater license types.

What is a Floating License?

A floating license is one that can move available activations between client machines easily and automatically. Templater can automatically lease a license from a pool of activations. Templater's floating license keys do not directly activate Templater—instead they activate our intermediate server software, Dataclay License Manager (DataclayLM), that you install and configure separately. You will then need to point the machines running Templater to the licensing server.

When After Effects quits, Templater's license is released and returned to the pool of activations. If the machine After Effects is running on is no longer available, DataclayLM will release the license after a user-configurable amount of time. The DataclayLM setup files are available at dataclay.com/downloads/license-manager/.

TIP This configuration is particularly useful when using virtual machines. In contrast, if you use a standard, node-locked license, every time you reboot or spin up a new virtual machine, Templater will need to be deactivated and reactivated manually.

What is the DataclayLM?

The Dataclay License Manager, or DataclayLM, is a graphical application that helps you install, configure, and run a floating license server on your local machine or network. It is designed to make it easy for non-technical users to activate and manage a licensing service that distributes licenses to client applications on demand.

Rather than manually dealing with license keys, DataclayLM focuses on setting up a central server that grants temporary license leases to client machines. This ensures that only the allowed number of users or devices can use the licensed software at a given time.

You’ll typically use DataclayLM to:

Activate your license server
Configure the server's settings
Start or stop the license server
Monitor license usage
Access licensing server logs

Once the server is running, client applications can automatically check out and return licenses as needed, without further manual intervention.

System Requirements for DataclayLM

The DataclayLM application is compatible with the following operating systems and the corresponding versions:

Windows 10+
Windows Server 2019+
macOS 10.15+
Ubuntu 22.04+

Important things to know about DataclayLM

DataclayLM can be activated with only one floating license key at a time. Each key can have multiple seats to lease to a fleet of client machines running Templater. For example, if your Templater Rig floating license key had 10 seats, you would activate the floating key once on a machine running DataclayLM, and then you could have an unlimited number of client machines with the Templater floating license version installed that will lease seats from the DataclayLM server. Up to 10 of those machines would be able to have activated seats at once.
The machine running DataclayLM should be considered a server, and should always be on and accessible to ensure that any client machines are able to lease an available activation. This also means adjusting any networking and firewall configurations to allow client machines to communicate with the server. Specific networking setups are out of scope for our support.
Dataclay's licensing mechanism will generate a fingerprint to identify the machine being activated. We recommend running the DataclayLM server on physical hardware within your own network, preferably on-premesis. If you install DataclayLM on a cloud-based virtual machine, server reboots will cause the activation fingerprint to change, which desynchronizes your DataclayLM server with Dataclay's licensing server. If this happens, attempting deactivation from the machine won't work, since they have been desynchronized. Instead, you will need to deactivate the license key via the web. Once it's deactivated, you can reactivate it.
While it is possible to install DataclayLM and Templater's floating license software on the same machine, we recommend having a dedicated machine for DataclayLM. If the goal is to have a single-activation license key that can be moved between machines, talk to our support about your specific needs, and we can help determine which type of key is right for your needs.

Installing DataclayLM

To install the DataclayLM, follow the steps below based on your operating system. The installation process involves downloading a .zip archive, extracting it, and running the appropriate installer file for your platform. Administrator privileges are required to complete the installation.

Visit Dataclay's official downloads page to download the .zip file corresponding to your operating system, and save it to a convenient location (e.g. your Downloads folder)
After the download completes, extract the contents of the .zip file:
- macOS: Double-click the .zip to extract it
- Windows: Right-click the .zip and choose "Extract All..."
- Linux: Use the following command in a terminal from inside the directory containing the downloaded .zip:
```
$> unzip Dataclay License Manager.zip
```
Run the appropriate file to begin the installation process:
- macOS
  1. In the extracted folder, locate the '.pkg' file.
  2. Double-click the '.pkg' file to launch installation.
  3. Enter your admin password if prompted.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed.
- Windows
  1. In the extracted folder, locate the '.exe' file.
  2. Right-click the '.exe' file and select "Run as Administrator"
  3. Confirm any prompts that appear.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions in the setup wizard.
- Linux
  1. In the extracted folder, locate the install_wizard_linux.sh script file.
  2. Open a terminal and navigate to the folder where the script is located
  3. Run the script with elevated privileges:
```
sudo ./install_wizard_linux.sh
```
  4. Enter your password, then follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

Initial Setup for DataclayLM

After completing the installation, the DataclayLM application will launch automatically. You’ll be guided through the activation and initial configuration process.

If DataclayLM does fails to launch automatically, navigate to the folder where it gets installed to, and double-click its app icon.

Activate your license

When the application starts, and your license is not yet activated, you will see prompts for you to activate your license with its key.

Locate your license key. This key is typically provided by your software vendor or system administrator.
Enter the license key in the field provided.
Click the Activate button.

If activation is successful, you will see a confirmation message and be directed to the main application interface.

If activation fails, take note of the error message displayed. Double-check the license key for accuracy and ensure you have an active internet connection. If problems persist, see the Troubleshooting section in this document before submitting a technical support ticket to Dataclay.

Configure the application

Once your license key is activated, click Settings to begin configuring the licensing server.

In Settings, you can configure the following options:

The port to run the server on
The duration of a license lease
The quantity of CPU threads to use
The location for writing a log file
The auto-start behavior of the server

Adjust the settings as needed for your environment. In most cases, the default settings will be sufficient.

Scroll down in the Settings page to restart, stop, and deactivate the server from this screen. As well, you can retrieve the server's public IP address that users will need to connect to the server.

NOTES Be sure to click Save Settings after you have made your changes to configuration before exiting.

Using the Dataclay License Manager

After activation and configuration, DataclayLM allows you to monitor license usage and access useful diagnostic information.

Providing Access to Templater

To allow Templater users to connect to your licensing server, you must provide them with the Public IP address and port number of the machine where DataclayLM is installed and running. You can find the Public IP of the machine by clicking Settings and scrolling down to the bottom of that page.

Templater users will use this information to connect to the server and request a license automatically. Be sure the machine is reachable on the network and that the port is not blocked by a firewall.

Viewing License Usage

Click the Leases tab to view real-time information about which users have currently leased licenses from the server. This screen also displays a list of the most recent clients that have released or dropped their licenses.

Viewing Connection Logs

For more detailed technical information, click the Logs tab. This section displays recent connection activity from client machines, including successful license requests and any errors that may have occurred.

Exporting Log Files

For support or troubleshooting purposes, you can click the Export Logs button to save the server's logs to a file. This file can be shared with your IT team or support staff to help diagnose any issues.

Application Log Viewer

From any screen in DataclayLM, you can click the Terminal Icon button in the lower right corner of the window to open the application log viewer. This shows log messages from the DataclayLM application itself, not from the server.

This log viewer is especially helpful if you are unable to activate the software or encounter an issue with the app interface. It can help you or support personnel identify and resolve local issues.

Troubleshooting the Dataclay License Manager

This section covers common issues and how to resolve them when using DataclayLM. If you're experiencing problems not listed here, contact support for assistance.

Common Issues and Resolutions

Issue	Suggested Resolution
License activation fails	Double-check that your license key is entered correctly. Ensure you have a working internet connection. Ensure that outbound HTTP and HTTPS traffic is allowed. Restart the application and try activating after restart. Open the application log viewer by clicking the terminal icon in the lower right corner, and review the latest messages.
Templater cannot connect to the licensing server	Ensure that DataclayLM license server is started and running. Ensure the IP address and port you provided to clients are correct. Verify that any firewall or anti-virus software is not blocking the port of the license server. Ensure that the machine running DataclayLM is accessible from the client's network Inspect log messages in the "Logs" tab for any error messages related to incoming client connections.
Licenses are not being issued to clients	Ensure there are available licenses that the license server can lease out. Inspect the "Leases" tab to see if all licenses are currently leased to clients. Restart the DataclayLM app to reset the server. Review the "Logs" tab and DataclayLM app logs for more details.
The DataclayLM application is not responding or behaving unexpectedly	Restart the DataclayLM app. Open the application log viewer by clicking the terminal icon in the bottom-right corner to review recent log messages. If the behavior persists, export the log using the "Export Logs" button and submit a support ticket to Dataclay
Log file export fails	Ensure the folder you are exporting to is writable. Try exporting the file to your Desktop or Documents folder instead. If the problem continues, use the application log viewer to check for related errors.

Connecting Templater to a licensing server

When installing Templater, you will need to select and run the corresponding installation file for your operating system in the Floating Installers folder included in the Templater installation files.
Follow the on-screen installation instructions. Click here for more information on general installation.
After the installation is complete, launch After Effects and click Preferences in the Templater panel.
In the Templater Features Floating section, click License Server.
Enter the IP address for the licensing server and the port that you specified during setup. If you have Templater 3.0 or later, you can also enter IP and port information for up to two failover servers.
Click Save.
Restart Templater for the changes to take effect.

Once the floating license set-up is complete, the following buttons are available in the Templater Features Floating section of Preferences:

License Info - Displays IP address and port information for the licensing server (primary/failover licensing servers for Templater 3.0 or later). Also shows the Templater edition information for the license in use.
Request License - Requests an available license from the server's pool.
Drop License - Releases the lease on the license, returning the license key to the server's pool of available licenses.