Install Qt License Server

The default back end is Cloud Qt License Server hosted by Qt which means that you don't have to do any configuring or maintaining for the server. However, you can also host Qt License Server yourself either as On-Prem Qt License Server or as Offline Qt License Server. For more information, see Overview.

On-Prem Qt License Server is available in version 3.3.0 or later. In older versions, only Offline Qt License Server is available.

Before you install Qt License Server, see Prerequisites.

The following illustration describes the workflow of setting up an On-Prem Qt License Server or Offline Qt License Server.

The workflow of installing and setting up an On-Prem Qt License Server or Offline Qt License Server.

To set up On-Prem Qt License Server or Offline Qt License Server:

• As the server administrator:
  1. Get Qt Online Installer from Qt Customer Portal.
  2. Install the Qt License Server on-premises package on the server host machine.
  3. Configure Qt License Server according to the needs of your organization.
  4. Start the server.
• As the end user:
  5. Get Qt Online Installer from Qt Customer Portal.
  6. Install Qt Tools on your workstation. Qt License Service is automatically installed but if you need a manual Qt License Service installation, see Install Qt License Service manually.
  7. Set the server address of On-Prem Qt License Server or Offline Qt License Server for Qt License Service.

Using Qt Online Installer

First, download Qt Online Installer from your Qt Account.

To install Qt License Server with Qt Online Installer:

1. Open Qt Online Installer and log in to your Qt Account.
2. Select Custom Installation.
3. In Customize > License Management Tools > Qt License Server (on-prem), select the correct Qt License Server version and the operating system of the host computer.

   

4. Select Next and follow the instructions of the installer.

Using Qt Maintenance Tool

Qt Maintenance Tool is included in each Qt installation. If you already have Qt, use Qt Maintenance Tool to install Qt License Server.

To install Qt License Server with Qt Maintenance Tool:

1. Open Qt Maintenance Tool and log in to your Qt Account.
2. Select Add or remove components.
3. In Customize > License Management Tools > Qt License Server (on-prem), select the correct Qt License Server version and the operating system of the host computer.
4. Select Next and follow the instructions of the installer.

Package contents

The Qt License Server package is installed in the following folder:

The Qt License Server package contents depend on your operating system.

Configuration

To configure On-Prem Qt License Server or Offline Qt License Server:

1. Copy the Qt License Server package to the folder where you want to run it. Place all the files in the same folder.
2. In the configuration file (Linux: qt-license-server.service, Windows: qt-service.xml), change the environment variables of Qt License Server.

   Example:

   Linux Windows

   Environment="QLS_PORT=8080"
   Environment="QLS_ENABLE_SSL=yes"
   Environment="QLS_LOG_LEVEL=info"

   <env name="QLS_PORT" value="8080" />
   <env name="QLS_ENABLE_SSL" value="yes" />
   <env name="QLS_LOG_LEVEL" value="info" />

   For more information about SSL certificates, see SSL certificates.

3. Warning: The following configuration determines the type of your Qt License Server. For more information, see Overview.

   In the same configuration file, set the operation mode:

   • For On-Prem Qt License Server:
     Linux Windows

     Environment="QLS_OPERATION_MODE=online"

     <env name="QLS_OPERATION_MODE" value="online" />

   • For Offline Qt License Server:
     Linux Windows

     Environment="QLS_OPERATION_MODE=offline"

     <env name="QLS_OPERATION_MODE" value="offline" />

     With Offline Qt License Server, you need a node-locked offline license file, entitlement.json.

     To obtain a node-locked offline license file, follow these steps.

     1. Ensure you have defined the port number of the running Offline Qt License Server instance in the configuration file (Linux: qt-license-server.service, Windows: qt-service.xml). For example:
        Linux Windows

        Environment="QLS_PORT=8080"

        <env name="QLS_PORT" value="8080" />

        Note: Provide the port number you plan to use in production.

     2. Generate the hardware fingerprint on the Offline Qt License Server host computer with qt-license-server:
        Linux Windows

        ./qt-license-server generate-server-fingerprint

        .\qt-license-server.exe generate-server-fingerprint

        Note: Run this command on the machine you intend to use in production.

     3. Send the generated hardware fingerprint and the HTTPS port number of the Offline Qt License Server instance to Qt Support for validation.
     4. Download the entitlement.json file from Qt Customer Portal once it's ready.
     5. Copy the entitlement.json file to the folder where Qt License Server runs. If you already have a license file in the folder, replace it with the new one.
     6. Restart Offline Qt License Server to apply the new license file:
        Linux Windows

        systemctl daemon-reload
        systemctl restart qt-license-server.service

        qt-service.exe stop
        qt-service.exe start

     7. Verify that the correct licenses are loaded by Offline Qt License Server:
        Linux Windows

        ./qt-license-server status --url <URL>

        .\qt-license-server.exe status --url <URL>

        In case the licenses are not imported correctly, check the logs. Contact Qt Support if needed.

     For more information about entitlement.json and node-locking, see Manage license node-locking and Compose entitlement.json from multiple licenses.

4. Manage access control lists as described in Manage access control lists.

If you don't change the environment variables, Qt License Server uses the default configuration. For more configuration options, see Qt License Server configuration.

Run

To install Qt License Server as a system service (systemd):

systemctl is-active qt-license-server.service

Once the Qt License Server is running in the background, the Qt License Server database is initialized and stored in the same directory as the executable file.

Read logs

Once Qt License Server is installed and running, it collects logs you can use to investigate possible errors. The location of the Qt License Server logs depends on your operating system.

journalctl -u qt-license-server.service

journalctl -u qt-license-server.service -n 100

For more information, see Check the logs.

Reconfigure

If you forgot to configure or need to update something, do the following:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl restart qt-license-server.service

qt-service.exe stop
qt-service.exe start

Next steps

After your Qt License Server instance is installed and running, see the following topics to set up and manage your Qt License Server instance:

• On-Prem: Register licenses
• Offline: Manage license node-locking
• Configure the server address for client machines
• Test the connection
• Manage access control lists