Hi there,
This will be a networking related issue and am looking to seek some advice as to how I should approach a situation where a client needs to connect to a server in order to access a network license.
Here is what I have done so far:
- I’ve set up an Ubuntu 16.04 installation on a DigitalOcean VPS and configured a VPN using OpenVPN.
- I’ve got the client on a Windows machine VPN’d into the server using the OpenVPN GUI so the client is able to ping the server just fine.
Now my situation is that the network license software (SolidWorks) is not actually installed on the Ubuntu server but is instead installed on a Windows machine as the software does not have any compatible versions with Ubuntu.
So then due to my lack of expertise in this field, my thinking was if I get this machine to be connected/VPN’d to the server then would this give the client visibility of the network licensing software since they would then all be on the same network?
What would be the ideal approach in a situation like this?
Any help would be much appreciated, Thanks!
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The method you suggested is valid, and theoretically should work, depending on the software’s license server discovery mechanism. Here’s a simple step-by-step process on how to achieve this:
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Install the OpenVPN client on the Windows machine where the license server software is installed. Connect it to the OpenVPN server so that it becomes part of the VPN network.
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Ensure proper firewall rules are in place. Check to ensure the required ports for the license server are allowed through any firewalls that might exist on the Ubuntu server (which is running the OpenVPN server), the Windows machine running the license server, or any network devices in-between.
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Check the IP address assignment. The OpenVPN server should assign the connected VPN clients IP addresses within the same subnet.
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Ensure license server discovery. Depending on how your software discovers license servers (broadcast, specific IP address, etc.) you may need to adjust your settings. For example, if your license server is discovered by the clients via a specific IP address, then you need to make sure this IP address is accessible to your VPN clients.
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Ensure license server availability. Make sure your license server is configured to allow connections from the IP address range you’re using for your VPN clients. You might need to configure this in the license server software, or it might just work out of the box.
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Test connectivity. From a client connected to the VPN, you should be able to ping the IP address of the Windows machine running the license server. If you can, that means your network is set up correctly and any issues are likely to be configuration issues with your license server software.
Remember that the configuration steps might vary slightly depending on your actual network and software configurations, so adjust as necessary.
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