License server setup in Linux using Systemd

This page explains how to set up the Sigasi license server on a Linux computer. Modern Linux systems use the systemd system and service manager to manage services like a license server.

For license server installation on other platforms, please find the instructions in the Sigasi manual.

Proceed as follows to set up the Sigasi license server on your Linux host. If things already exist (e.g., user flexlm or log folder /var/log/flexlm), you can skip those steps.

1. Create a flexlm user on your system to run the license server:

sudo adduser --system --user-group --no-create-home flexlm

2. Create a folder for the Sigasi license server:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/sigasi_license_manager

3. Download the Sigasi license server (see above) and unpack it into the newly created folder:

cd /opt/sigasi_license_manager
sudo unzip ~/Downloads/sigasi-flexnet-linux64.zip
sudo mv x64*/* .
sudo rmdir x64*

4. Add the license file to the same folder. You may need to customize your license file before copying, as discussed here.

sudo cp ~/sigasi.lic /opt/sigasi_license_manager/

5. Set the correct file ownership and permissions:

cd /opt/sigasi_license_manager
sudo chown -R flexlm:flexlm .
sudo chmod 644 sigasi.lic
sudo chmod 755 sigasi lmgrd lmutil

6. Create the log file directory /var/log/flexlm and make it writable for the group flexlm:

sudo mkdir /var/log/flexlm
sudo chown flexlm:flexlm /var/log/flexlm
sudo chmod 775 /var/log/flexlm

7. Create the text file /etc/systemd/system/Sigasi_License_Manager.service with the following contents:

[Unit]
Description=Sigasi License Manager
After=network.target network.service

[Service]
Environment=LICENSE_FILE=/opt/sigasi_license_manager/sigasi.lic
Environment=LOG_FILE=/var/log/flexlm/sigasi.log
WorkingDirectory=/opt/sigasi_license_manager/
ExecStart=/opt/sigasi_license_manager/lmgrd -c $LICENSE_FILE -l $LOG_FILE
Restart=always
RestartSec=30
Type=forking
User=flexlm
Group=flexlm

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

8. Start and test the license server:

sudo systemctl start Sigasi_License_Manager.service
sudo systemctl status Sigasi_License_Manager.service

The second command should show that the license server is active (running):

Sigasi_License_Manager.service - Sigasi License Manager
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/Sigasi_License_Manager.service; disabled; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Mon 2026-01-26 16:05:27 CET; 7s ago

Also check the log file: /var/log/flexlm/sigasi.log, which should show that the license server has licenses available. Look for Server started on in the log. Note that com.sigasi.hdt.xl.doc and com.sigasi.hdt.team are optional, depending on your license.

16:10:52 (sigasi) Server started on my_license_server for:  com.sigasi.hdt.xl
16:10:52 (sigasi) com.sigasi.hdt.xl.doc com.sigasi.hdt.team

Finally, check whether you can access the licenses with lmutil:

/opt/sigasi_license_manager/lmutil lmstat -a -c /opt/sigasi_license_manager/sigasi.lic

You expect the output to look roughly as follows. The exact set and number of licenses (com.sigasi.hdt.???) depend on your license file.

lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2024 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
Flexible License Manager status on Mon 1/26/2026 16:13

License server status: 27000@sting
    License file(s) on sting: /opt/sigasi_license_manager/sigasi.lic:

     sting: license server UP (MASTER) v11.19.6

Vendor daemon status (on sting):

    sigasi: UP v11.19.6
Feature usage info:

Users of com.sigasi.hdt.xl:  (Total of 2 licenses issued;  Total of 0 licenses in use)

Users of com.sigasi.hdt.xl.doc:  (Total of 2 licenses issued;  Total of 0 licenses in use)

Users of com.sigasi.hdt.team:  (Total of 2 licenses issued;  Total of 0 licenses in use)

9. Configure systemd to start the license server on system startup. In the output of the second command, check that the license server is enabled and active.

sudo systemctl enable Sigasi_License_Manager.service
sudo systemctl status Sigasi_License_Manager.service

Your license server is now fully configured, and will start when you reboot the server. If you encounter problems with your Sigasi license setup, feel free to contact customer support.