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[Michael L.]

Hello,

I have been researching/experimenting with running the GRE on its own dedicated server, separate from the main application server.  I have tried 2 approaches and these have given me 2 different errors, seeming to deal with the Fourjs License Manager:

1 - I first created a docker container with the GRE installed within it and running as a daemon on port 5900.  When I try to run my report from the main application server, with GRESERVER set to <container-host hostname>:5900  I get:

     FLM-37 - Genero products are not allowed to run in containers.

2 - I then tried to simply use a GRE daemon already running on another development server, with GRESERVER set to <dev-server hostname>:5900 I get:

     FLM-1 - Internal error.

Can anyone guide me (or point me to a guide, I haven't been able to find one) on how I can do this?  Note that we do note use a License server, each product uses a standalone license.

Thanks in advance,

-Mike

[Scott B.]

Hello Michael:

In terms of documentation, the information on setting up Genero Report Writer in remote distributed mode is documented here: https://4js.com/online_documentation/fjs-gst-manual-html/#gst-topics/c_grw_distributed_mode_remote.html

In terms of using a docker container, according to the documentation you must use FLM if you are using a docker container: https://4js.com/online_documentation/fjs-flm-manual-html/#flm-topics/c_flm_basics.html
To quote:

The FLM is required for these scenarios, as licensing locally is not supported:
Genero

• products on a Remote File Systems (such as NFS or Samba).
  Genero
• products in a Docker container. For a Docker container, the FLM server must sit outside the Docker container. It cannot run inside a docker instance.

(I don't have expertise in docker, but this is what I found.)

I assume you are experimenting with Genero 4.00?

[Michael L.]

Hi Scott,

Thank you very much for the quick reply!

Ooooh, in the GST guide!  I never would have thought to look there since I don't use the GST much at all for development (old school Linux and vi guy here).  I will have to make sure to always look there as well when researching documentation!

May I ask why 4js has created this reliance on a FLM Server?  If the product has a valid license, I fail to see why there would be an issue?

Yep, trying this in Genero 4.00 at the moment.

[Reuben B.]

Mike,

I would encourage you to go through your local support contact for this one.  They will also know you well enough to know if when you say "standalone license", that is what you mean, or do you mean licensed locally.

You say you are using 4.00 which means you should also be using the new an improved license controllers (fglWrt -V, greWrt -V will return 6. something).  This combined with the fact that ...
1) only a handful of customers use the External Server option with GRE, and
2)"standalone" licenses are undocumented and only in use by a select number of customers

... this licensing scenario was probably a lightly trodden path during the EAP period.

Particularly when I see an error message "FLM-37 - Genero products are not allowed to run in containers.", that wording needs to be improved for a start.  Genero products can of course run in a container, so I am not sure what that error is attempting to point out.   

For background the issue around containers occurs with local licenses. Local licenses have checks that ensure you have not copied FGLDIR from one server or directory to another.  Everytime  an instance is spun up, those checks can fail as it thinks the server has changed!.  Hence why the recommendation is to use Four js License Manager outside the container, and have the Genero installs inside the container reference a FLM outside the container.  The undocumented "standalone" license is another solution here but our preference is for you to point at Four Js License Manager somewhere permanent. 

Other thing to note is that just as you have FGLDIR/bin/fglWrt, you also have GREDIR/bin/greWrt which is command that does licensing in GRE.  if you run "GREDIR/bin/greWrt -a info license", this will tell you what license GRE is using.  If you see "DVM License under maintenance" then it has found your FGL license.

Reuben

[Michael L.]

Thanks for the reply Reuben!

I will do as you suggest and talk to our local support contact about it.

Cheers!

-Mike