Comprehensive Guide: Migrating NVIDIA Licensing Server to NLS before July 2023 EOL

By Preston Stover, Practice Lead, EUC Solutions

Harness the power of NVIDIA vGPU for your VDI and RDS workloads with CDI. From engineering/CAD applications to everyday tasks like Office 365, browser usage, and video streaming, our customers leverage NVIDIA’s technology to augment their capabilities. Users enjoy an accelerated desktop and graphics experience that mimics a native endpoint, while administrators can offload CPU tasks from the guest VM and hypervisor, thus reducing CPU utilization by at least 10-15%.

At CDI, we simplify the deployment of NVIDIA vGPU for your VDI/RDS workloads. This includes board installation, hypervisor driver loading, configuration, guest parent VM installation, pool integration, and setting up NVIDIA licensing. Experience the distinct advantages of NVIDIA vGPU for both users and admins.

Many customers with NVIDIA vGPU have implemented an NVIDIA Windows license server, using a Java runtime environment and a FlexNet licensing .bin file. However, NVIDIA announced the end of life (EOL) for this legacy license server effective July 31, 2023. (More details here: https://docs.nvidia.com/grid/news/vgpu-software-license-server-eol-notice/)

Post EOL, the server will not receive any features, bug fixes, security updates, or support. While the server will continue to function in read-only mode, newer versions of NVIDIA software may not support legacy license server usage. To ensure seamless functionality, NVIDIA provides two solutions under their new NVIDIA License System (NLS) – the fully cloud-hosted Cloud License Service (CLS), and the on-premise hosted Delegated License Service (DLS). Migrating from the Windows license server to either CLS or DLS is the first step.

CLS Setup

The CLS setup process can be broken into three steps: the licensing migration from the Windows license server, the NLS NVIDIA license portal activities (server setup), and the NLS client setup processes with the VDI/RDS VMs.

Migration process from Windows license server
1. Log on to your NVIDIA license portal and go to the licensing portal page
2. Select license servers and list servers
3. Select to migrate legacy servers
4. Select the license server to migrate and choose migrate
5. Create a service instance as with a new setup (below) and bind the license server to the service instance
Server Setup
1. Log on to the NVIDIA license portal and review the license entitlements. NOTE: if entitlements are added later, they will not automatically be available to devices until they are applied to the specific license service instance in the cloud that is being utilized by the client.
2. Download the software bundle for your hypoervisor. The bundle will include the host driver for the hypervisor and guest VM drivers.
3. Create a Service Instance
4. Create a License Server Instance
5. Make sure Legacy Server is disabled. This is referencing the legacy on-prem license server.
6. Specify allocation of each licensing group (vApps, xWS, vPC) if NOT doing Express Installation
7. Once the server is created, double click it to bring up the properties and bind it to the service instance created
8. Once bound, you should receive a popup prompting to install as shown below (seen if doing Express Setup). Use the Actions menu if NOT doing Express Installation.
9. If not running version 13.0+ (requirement for NLS), install the NVIDIA drivers on the hypervisor host and reboot
Client Setup
1. Generate/download client config license token as a .tok file
2. If not running version 13.0+ (requirement for NLS), install the NVIDIA drivers on the parent VM image and reboot
3. Copy the .tok file to your parent VM image. Place it at c:\program files\nVidia Corporation\vGPU Licensing\ClientConfigToken.
4. For NVIDIA pre-15.0 version, open the registry editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\GridLicensing. The driver installation should have created a REG_DWORD value titled FeatureType with a value of 1. If it is not present, create it.
5. From an elevated command prompt, run ‘nvidia-smi -q’ , optionally you can run ‘nvidia-smi -q | find /i “license” ‘
6. Verify that the status says licensed. If it is showing a status of unlicensed, restart the “NVIDIA Display Container” service and wait about a minute. If it is still showing as unlicensed, the issue is most likely either that the firewall is preventing access to the NVIDIA cloud service or the required licenses are not present or bound to the license instance in the cloud.

DLS Setup

The DLS setup process can be broken into three steps, the migration of licensing from Windows license server, the NLS NVDIA license portal activities (server setup) and the NLS client setup processes with the VDI/RDS VMs.

Migration process from Windows license server
1. Log on to your NVIDIA license portal and go to the licensing portal page
2. Select license server and list servers
3. Select to migrate legacy servers
4. Select the license server to migrate and choose migrate
5. Create a service instance as with a new setup (below) and bind the licenser server to the service instance
Server setup
1. Configure infrastructure DNS with both a forward and reverse lookup DNS record (BOTH are required) for the on-prem DLS instance
2. Install DLS virtual appliance (vSphere)
  1. Note VM specifications
    1. 4 vCPU/8GB RAM/10GB HDD requirement (can be increased to double throughput of licensing requests)
    2. These specifications allow 19,000 clients to have a 12-hour lease over a 20hour period
  2. Download .zip file and extract OVF files
  3. Deploy OVF
  4. Set IP addressing to Static-Manual
  5. Set the ipaddress field to the static IP address
  6. Set netmask field to the bit (e.g. 24)
  7. Set the gateway field to the default gateway
  8. Set the dns_server_one field to DNS server 1
  9. Set the dns_server_two field to DNS server 2
  10. Finish and start the VM
3. NTP server setup
  1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
  2. Go to settings, NTP server configuration
  3. Enter NTP server and choose Configuration
4. Register DLS administration user (dls_admin)
  1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
  2. On the opening Set Up page, choose New Installation
  3. Provide a password for dls_admin user (optionally change the username)
  4. Optionally, define the dls_diagnostics log accessing user
  5. Register the accounts and copy the password reset secret out to a location (downloadable from the NVIDIA cloud portal if lost as a .tok file)
  6. Optionally, configure HA cluster at this point using the 1st node (HA provides the ability to avoid grace period behavior when 1st node offline)
  7. Optionally, replace self-signed certificate with a CA-signed certificate
5. Optional: cluster DLS virtual appliances. Note the license enforcement and grace period associated with failed license service instance contact (read more). After 20 minutes, the FPS is reduced to 15 FPS, after 3 hours the FPS is reduced to 5 FPS.
6. Service instance configuration
  1. On the DLS virtual appliance, edit the name of the DLS instance using the Service Instance node and Update after. This is how the DLS instance appears in the NVIDIA portal.
  2. Log on to NVIDIA portal org with admin/user role or virtual group admin/user
  3. Create license server on NVIDIA portal
    1. Choose the Create Server option
    2. Do not do Express option
    3. Optionally choose Disconnected leasing mode if using node-locked clients
    4. Selected features – specify the license types and quantity of each
    5. Create Server
  4. Register DLS instance
    1. Network-connected (connected to NVIDIA cloud)
      1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
      2. Go to Service Instance and download DLS instance token .tok file
      3. Go to NVIDIA license portal
      4. Go to Service Instances and choose to upload DLS instance token
      5. Choose New Installation and upload and then Register
    2. Air-gapped (not connected to NVIDIA cloud)
      1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
      2. Go to Service Instance
      3. Choose Pre-register service instance
      4. Note the Service Instance ID, Name, and Description
      5. Go to Service Instances and choose to Register DLS for air-gapped network
      6. Enter Service Instance ID, Name, and Description
  5. Bind license server to service instance
    1. Go to NVIDIA license portal
    2. Go to license servers and choose to bind and specify the service instance (the DLS virtual appliance instance)
  6. Install license server on DLS instance
    1. Go to NVIDIA license portal
    2. Go to license servers and choose Actions/Download and download the .bin file
    3. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
    4. Select license server file and specify the .bin file
7. Manage licenses and issue licenses
  1. NOTE: There is additional ability to create pools of licenses (by type) and fulfillment conditions for license issuance (issue licenses by prioritized users)
  2. Non-default license pool setup (if you want to use license pools beyond default pool)
    1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
    2. Go to license pools
    3. Disable the license pool existing and remove licenses to be added to new pool
    4. Create a new license pool
    5. Select the new license pool and manage features (license types)
    6. Add/remove licenses
  3. Create match conditions for fulfillments of licenses (NOTE: default Universal Match condition is applied)
    1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
    2. Go to license server and disable it
    3. Create match condition
    4. Specify Reference Match and the license pool
    5. Re-enable license server
    6. Note the Fulfillment Condition tab on the license server with the existing prioritized conditions
8. If not running version 13.0+ (requirement for NLS), install the NVIDIA drivers on the hypervisor host and reboot
Client setup (client configuration token)
1. If not running version 13.0+ (requirement for NLS) install the NVIDIA drivers on the parent VM image and reboot
2. Networked (network-connected to licensing service)
  1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
  2. Go to Service Instance
  3. Go to Actions/Generate client configuration token
  4. Specify the server and fulfillment condition
  5. Download the token .tok file
  6. Non-persistent desktop setup (NOTE: not supported with node-locked clients)
    1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
    2. Go to Service Instance
    3. Go to Actions/Toggle Instant Clone Support and enable
  7. Add the registry location for pre-15.0 versions – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\GridLicensing. Specify the FeatureType REG_DWORD value with 1 for autodetect.
  8. Copy the .tok client configuration token to the C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\vGPU Licensing\ClientConfigToken folder
  9. Restart the client
3. Node-locked (no connection to DLS virtual appliance)
  1. Web browser to https://virtualapplianceIPaddress
  2. Go to license server
  3. Go to Actions/Generate disconnected lease
  4. Enter MAC address of all clients with colons or dash
  5. Specify the license type/feature
  6. Download the .zip file (contains 1 license per client, 1 index.txt file)
  7. Use the index.txt to find the license .lic file for the client
  8. Copy the .tok client configuration token to the C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\vGPU Licensing\ClientConfigToken folder
  9. Restart the client

WRAPPING UP

As NVIDIA’s legacy license server reaches its end of life (EOL) on July 31, 2023, it’s crucial for businesses to transition to a supported platform. NVIDIA’s new License System (NLS) provides two robust alternatives – the fully cloud-hosted Cloud License Service (CLS) and the on-premise Delegated License Service (DLS). The migration from the Windows license server to either CLS or DLS is a necessary step to continue enjoying NVIDIA’s vGPU capabilities.

With our extensive experience in implementing these updated licensing options, CDI is equipped to facilitate a seamless setup and migration process for you. Embark on your journey to migrate from NVIDIA Licensing Server to NLS with us. Contact CDI today to get started!

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