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Install Snow License Manager

Snow License Manager 9

2024-01-24

Introduction​

This document describes how to install Snow License Manager 9.

For upgrades from a previous version of Snow License Manager, contact Flexera or your local Flexera partner.

Prerequisites​

Read this chapter carefully before you start the installation.

Snow License Manager 9 shares components like Snow Management and Configuration Center and Snow Update Server with Snow Inventory 6. Therefore, these components will always be installed in the location of the system variable %PROGRAMFILES% and not in the selected destination folder. Make sure that the user running the installation package has access to that path.

System requirements​

Verify that the servers meet the system requirements for this product. System requirements and information on dependencies on other Snow products are gathered in System Requirements and Product Dependencies.

Preparations​

It is highly recommended to install all dependent Snow products before installing Snow License Manager:

  • Regardless of which inventory solution you use, you have to install the Snow Inventory server as the inventory data source for Snow License Manager.

  • The Snow License Manager database and the Snow Inventory database must reside on the same SQL Server instance.

User account and license keys​

Have the following available:

  • An SQL user account with database administration privileges (sa or equivalent account with sysadmin rights) and password

    Read more about database accounts and permissions in Database user rights.

  • The license key for Snow License Manager, as well as your organization/company name as supplied by Flexera.

  • The SRS activation key, if you plan to install and activate the Software Recognition Service (SRS).

Run the setup​

The installation needs to be run with administrative privileges.

caution

If you want to install Snow License Manager in another folder than the default installation folder, make sure to validate the user permissions for that folder with your security administrator. This is to prevent execution of unauthorized code.

  1. To start the installation, double-click the setup file SnowLicenseManagerSetup.exe.

    The installation wizard for Snow License Manager is started.

  2. Select Next.

  3. Read and accept the End User License Agreement for Snow License Manager.

  4. Select Next.

  5. Select the installation folder for Snow License Manager.

    note

    • You only provide the top folder where you want the software installed, and the setup program will create all sub-folders necessary for the installation.

    • Snow Update Service will be installed in a default folder on the C: drive. Do not move Snow Update Service from this location as this is not a supported configuration. If Snow Update Service is moved, Snow License Manager will no longer receive new software recognition rules or product updates.

  6. Select Next.

  7. Type the Organization/Company name and the Product License Key for Snow License Manager, as supplied by Flexera.

    The product activation option is selected by default, and an attempt will be made to activate Snow License Manager over the Internet during installation. If your server is not connected to the Internet, or if you are using some kind of proxy, clear the activation check box and perform the activation manually when the installation of Snow License Manager is completed.

  8. Select Next.

    note

    To manually activate Snow License Manager, use the Web Configurator tool which is located in the Tools folder of the Snow License Manager installation.

  9. Perform one of the following steps:

    • Enter the Activation Key for the Software Recognition Service.

    • Select the Do not install the Software Recognition Service check box if you plan to not use the service.

  10. Select Next.

  11. Enter the name of the Snow Inventory database (normally SnowInventory). If you are using multiple Snow Inventory databases, enter all database names separated by commas (,).

    note

    The default name of the Snow Inventory database is SnowInventory for Inventory 5 and later. For previous versions the default name is SNOWDB.

  12. Select Inventory data offset from the list.

    The Inventory data offset states the number of days in the computers’ scanning history that the system will include when transferring computer data from Snow Inventory to Snow License Manager.

    • Default setting is Optimized for Snow Inventory which sets the offset to 1 day.

    • If you are using Snow Integration Manager– select Optimized for Snow External Data Provider… which will increase the offset to 7 days.

  13. Select Next.

  14. Select SQL Server Name from the list.

    Be sure to use the complete server name – it is not recommended to use localhost as server name.

  15. Enter User Name and Password of the SQL Server database administration account (sa or equivalent account with sysadmin rights).

  16. Select Next.

  17. During installation, Snow License Manager creates a service account in the SQL Server. This service account is used for the database connection between both the Snow Management and Configuration Center and the Snow License Manager Web UI, and the database server. You can either set the password for the account yourself, or select to create a random one. The service account is never used by regular users, only by the system itself.

    note

    The database connection string contains information on server name, database name, and user credentials. It is encrypted and the encryption key is unique for every installation. When the key is generated, a file (.salt) is created in the folder C:\ProgramData\SnowSoftware\Entropy\. There will be one file for each database connection (SLM, MongoDB, and SRS). These files may not be moved, deleted, or modified. If that happens, the database connections will stop working. The files cannot be copied to other servers, since they can only be used on the server they were originally created on.

  18. Select Next.

  19. Enter Name and Abbreviation of the currency to be used as base currency. This currency will be displayed as default throughout Snow License Manager and is the currency from which all other currencies will be calculated.

  20. Select Base currency rate (EUR and USD would normally be set to 1, SEK would be set to 100). This rate will be used when adding other currencies in Snow License Manager, which will be set based on their relationship to the base currency rate.

  21. Select Next.

  22. Select Next to start the installation.

  23. Snow License Manager is installed.

    Do not terminate the installation even if the setup program seems to be inactive.

  24. Select Finish to exit the wizard.

Complete the installation​

Complete web application setup​

  1. Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager from the Windows Start menu.

  2. If you are not using a hostname to identify your website (for example www.myserver.com), you have to stop any websites on the server using the TCP port 80, or select another port for Snow License Manager. If you plan to use more than one website on the server, it is highly recommended that you use hostnames for each website.

  3. If you installed Snow License Manager and were unable to activate the product, or the website log states that the hardware key could not be extracted, do the following:

    1. Set the identity for the Snow License Manager application pool in the IIS to Local System.

    2. If necessary, re-activate the product with the Web Configurator tool, which is located in the Tools folder of the Snow License Manager installation.

  4. Close the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

Windows Authentication​

Windows Authentication can be used for logging on to the Web user interface of Snow License Manager.

  • If you are not going to use Windows Authentication, Windows Authentication must be Disabled for the Snow License Manager web site in IIS.

  • If you are going to use Windows Authentication, see Setting Up Windows Authentication.

Federated Authentication with SAML​

Federated Authentication with SAML can be used for logging on to the Web user interface of Snow License Manager. To enable Federated Authentication, see Federated authentication with SAML.

Add and configure Inventory source​

Inventory sources are used to establish the relationship between a Snow Inventory database and a customer (or Customer ID) in Snow License Manager. For information about Supported configurations and how to Add and Configure inventory source, see Snow Management and Configuration Center.

Synchronize the SRS database​

Use Snow Update Service to update the Software Recognition Service (SRS) database with the latest recognition rules for Snow License Manager 9. Either run an online update or use an offline update package.

Update Snow License Manager​

Use Snow Update Service to update Snow License Manager to the latest version. Either run an online update or use an offline update package. For detailed information, see Snow Update Service.

Add inventory data to Snow License Manager​

note

The Data Update Job must be run after the installation, or the users will not be able to see all data in the Snow License Manager Web UI. To properly configure the Data Update Job, please refer to the section about Data Update Job in Snow Management and Configuration Center.

  1. Start Snow Management and Configuration Center and login to the Snow License Manager connection.

  2. On the Administration menu, select Data Update Job.

  3. In the Data Update Job view, select Start update job manually.

    The duration of the job depends on the amount of data in your Inventory database. The progress of the job is displayed in the action log. When completed, “Job finished successfully” is displayed in the action log.

When the job is successfully finished, you will be able to sign in to the Snow License Manager Web UI and see all data.