Generating and Sharing FlexNet License Usage Logs with nTop

Overview

This article shows license administrators how to capture FlexNet license usage data from an nTop floating license server, remove names and machine details, and send it to nTop if requested. It follows Revenera's official FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide and assumes your server is already set up as described in Getting Started with FlexNet Floating License.

nTop may ask for usage data to troubleshoot checkout failures or denials, confirm how many seats your team uses at peak, or help you right-size your license count at renewal. We only need to see when licenses were checked out, returned or denied, and how many and NOT who your users are.

Before you begin

• Administrator access to the license server machine. Run LMTOOLS, Command Prompt and PowerShell as administrator.
• The nTop license tools. lmutil, lmgrd, LMTOOLS and the nTop vendor daemon (ntoplm.exe) are installed by ntoplm-1.0.0.msi into the ntoplm folder inside your nTop installation folder. The commands below are run from that folder.
• Your license server address, in the form port@hostname (for example, 27000@licserver).
• A folder the license service can write to. Revenera recommends a sub-folder of C:\ProgramData because the license service, running as LocalService, can write there by default. This article uses C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\logs. Create it before you start.

Tip: Run lmutil lmver lmgrd.exe to see your FlexNet Publisher version. Include it when you contact Support.

Which files nTop needs

FlexNet produces three kinds of usage data. Support will usually ask for the debug log and a status snapshot. Send the report log only if we ask for it.

Revenera describes each log in Debug Log File and Report Log File.

Step 1: Turn on usage logging

You turn on logging in an options file, a plain-text file the nTop vendor daemon reads at start-up. Do this once; logging then continues until you change it. Collect at least two weeks of data before sending it, so it covers a normal work cycle.

1. In the folder that holds your nTop license file, create a text file named ntoplm.opt. The vendor daemon finds a file with this name automatically. If you keep it elsewhere, add its path to the VENDOR ntoplm line of the license file as OPTIONS=<path>.

2. Add these two lines (keep the quotes):

   DEBUGLOG +"C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\logs\ntoplm_debug.log" OBF_ADDMARK
   REPORTLOG +"C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\logs\ntoplm_report.rl" HIDE_USER

   • + appends to the file instead of overwriting it each time the server restarts.
   • OBF_ADDMARK places markers around each user name in the debug log, so Revenera's lmobfslog tool can anonymize them later (Step 4).
   • HIDE_USER hashes user names (SHA-2) before they are written to the report log.
3. Apply the change. In LMTOOLS, open Start/Stop/Reread and click ReRead License File, or restart the nTopLM service.
4. Confirm a file named ntoplm_debug.log now appears in C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\logs and grows as people open nTop.

Using lmadmin instead of lmgrd? lmadmin writes a separate log per vendor daemon to <lmadmin data folder>\logs by default. The ntoplm.opt lines above still apply.

Older servers: OBF_ADDMARK and HIDE_USER are newer keywords. If the debug log reports an error for either line, remove that keyword, reread, and redact the log by hand in Step 4.

References: DEBUGLOG, REPORTLOG, Creating an Options File.

Step 2: Capture a status snapshot

A snapshot shows license counts and current usage at one moment. Take it while the issue is happening, or at a busy time of day.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator and go to the ntoplm folder.

2. Run this command, replacing the server address with yours:

   lmutil lmstat -a --no-user-info -c 27000@licserver > "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ntoplm_status.txt"

   
   --no-user-info reports feature usage without listing individual users. If your version does not recognize it, run lmutil lmstat -a -c 27000@licserver instead and redact the result in Step 4.

3. Open ntoplm_status.txt and check that it lists ntop_full and ntopcl_full with their issued and in-use counts.

Without --no-user-info, lmstat -a lists each user's name, computer, display, checkout time and process ID (lmstat reference).

Step 3: Collect the files

Copy the files into one working folder, for example C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\to_share. Always copy, never move: the server is still writing to the originals.

• ntoplm_debug.log from C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\logs
• ntoplm_status.txt from Step 2

• Only if Support asked for it: the report log. First close it so the copy is complete, by switching the server to a new report log file:

  lmutil lmswitchr -c 27000@licserver ntoplm "C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\logs\ntoplm_report_new.rl"

  
  Then copy ntoplm_report.rl. The switch lasts until the next restart or reread, after which the server goes back to the file named in ntoplm.opt (lmswitchr reference).

• Only if Support asked for it: the server (lmgrd) debug log. Its location is the Path to the debug log file field under Config Services in LMTOOLS.

Step 4: Remove personal information

Replace names with consistent placeholders (user001, host001) rather than deleting lines. nTop still needs to count distinct users and see every checkout and denial; we do not need to know who they are. Work on the copies in your to_share folder only.

A typical debug log line before and after redaction:

09:14:02 (ntoplm) OUT: "ntop_full" jsmith@ENG-WS-042
09:14:02 (ntoplm) OUT: "ntop_full" user001@host001

4a. Anonymize user names with Revenera's tool (recommended)

If you enabled OBF_ADDMARK in Step 1, run Revenera's lmobfslog utility from the ntoplm folder:

lmutil lmobfslog -i "C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\to_share\ntoplm_debug.log" -o "C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\to_share\ntoplm_debug_obf.log"

This replaces user names only. Computer names and IP addresses remain, so continue with 4b. See lmobfslog.

4b. Replace user names, computer names and IP addresses

This PowerShell script replaces every user@computer pair with a consistent placeholder and masks IPv4 addresses. It also saves a key file mapping each placeholder to the real name. Keep the key file; do not send it. It lets you match nTop's findings back to real users. Run it in PowerShell, adjusting $in to your file:

$in   = "C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\to_share\ntoplm_debug.log"
$out  = "C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\to_share\ntoplm_debug_redacted.log"
$key  = "C:\ProgramData\nTopLM\redaction_key.csv"   # stays on your server
$users = @{}; $hosts = @{}

Get-Content $in | ForEach-Object {
  $line = [regex]::Replace($_, '(?<u>[\w.$-]+)@(?<h>[\w.-]+)', {
    param($m)
    $u = $m.Groups['u'].Value; $h = $m.Groups['h'].Value
    if (-not $users.ContainsKey($u)) { $users[$u] = 'user{0:D3}' -f ($users.Count + 1) }
    if (-not $hosts.ContainsKey($h)) { $hosts[$h] = 'host{0:D3}' -f ($hosts.Count + 1) }
    "$($users[$u])@$($hosts[$h])"
  })
  $line -replace '\b\d{1,3}(\.\d{1,3}){3}\b', '[IP]'
} | Set-Content $out

(@($users.GetEnumerator()) + @($hosts.GetEnumerator())) |
  Select-Object @{n='Real';e={$_.Key}}, @{n='Placeholder';e={$_.Value}} |
  Export-Csv $key -NoTypeInformation

4c. Review by hand before sending

Scripts catch the common patterns, not every one. Open each file in a text editor and search for:

• Any remaining user or computer names, including on DENIED and error lines
• Your license server's own host name (it appears in start-up lines). Replace it with licserver
• File paths containing a person's name, such as C:\Users\jsmith\...
• Email addresses, domain names, or project names you consider confidential
• In an lmstat file made without --no-user-info, the per-user lines under each feature. Delete them and keep the counts

Do not edit the report log. It is compressed and authenticated, so any change makes it unreadable. Rely on HIDE_USER (Step 1) to protect user names in it. If you cannot share it as-is, tell Support and send only the debug log.

Step 5: Send the files to nTop Support

1. Put only the redacted files in a new folder: ntoplm_debug_redacted.log, ntoplm_status.txt and, if requested, ntoplm_report.rl. Leave out the key file, the original logs and your license file.
2. Compress the folder into a .zip file named with your company name and date, for example Acme_ntoplm_logs_2026-10-19.zip.
3. Open a ticket at Request Support and attach the .zip. Include:
   • The period the logs cover
   • Your FlexNet Publisher version (from lmutil lmver lmgrd.exe)
   • What you would like us to look at, such as denials, peak usage, or a server error
4. ITAR customers: use the Request ITAR Support option on the same page instead of the standard form.

nTop uses these files only to support your license deployment.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

No log file appears after the reread. Check that ntoplm.opt is in the same folder as the license file, or that the VENDOR ntoplm line points to it. Check that the log folder exists and that the license service can write to it. Then restart the nTopLM service.

The debug log is very large. Add AUTO_ROLLOVER 100 (size in MB) to the end of the DEBUGLOG line. The log also rolls over at midnight. Send the files covering the requested period.

Can I log fewer events? The NOLOG keyword can suppress IN, OUT or DENIED lines, but please leave them on. They are exactly what nTop needs to analyze usage (NOLOG).

Does logging slow the server? Debug and report logging are normal FlexNet operation. Running lmstat -a repeatedly on a busy server can be slow; Revenera calls it a potentially expensive command, so run it once per snapshot.

Can nTop identify my users from the redacted files? No. Only you hold the key file that maps placeholders to real names.

References

Revenera FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide:

• Debug Log File · Debug Log Messages · Informational Messages
• Report Log File · REPORTLOG · lmswitchr
• DEBUGLOG · NOLOG · Creating an Options File
• Capturing Debug Log Output for a License Server
• lmstat · lmobfslog · Command-Line Utilities

nTop: Getting Started with FlexNet Floating License